Bagpipe News

Sir Ian McKay of Wellington, New Zealand received his early piping tuition from his late brother Neville and later from Alan Guild and Neil McPhee. He was an early pioneer of piping pilgrimages to Scotland in 1952-53, studying piobaireachd under Pipe Major R. U. Brown. He supplemented this tuition with further assistance from his brother who was then serving with the Aberdeen Police. He received further tuition from R.U. Brown in 1966 and 1971 and from Robert Nicol in 1976.

Ian was a founding member of Comunn na Piobaireachd (NZ) in 1958 and was its first Chairman of the Music Committee until 1970. Comunn na Piobaireachd (NZ) has the distinction of being the first piping body to be affiliated with the Piobaireachd Society (Scotland). Sir Ian was instrumental in securing this affiliation and also in securing the donation of a handsome silver piper as the trophy for the newly instituted Gold Medal Competition in New Zealand.  He succeeded to the Presidency of the Society in 1970 and held this post until 2005. He drafted its constitution which follows closely that of the Piobaireachd Society of Scotland

During his lifelong involvement in piping, Sir Ian has been a guiding light in promoting piobaireachd playing in New Zealand most significantly through teaching and organising prominent pipers from Scotland to visit New Zealand and conduct seminars. Sir Ian has been a regular tutor at these seminars and held winter classes for piobaireachd in Wellington from 1953 to 1982.

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