One of Scotland’s most highly regarded pipers has been made an MBE in the King’s New Years Honours list.
Stuart Liddell, the pipe band major with Inveraray and District Pipe Band was awarded for his services to piping and music education.
Mr Liddell offers tutoring to students across the world via the web, and to school pupils in Lochgilphead and Inveraray.
Originally from Inveraray, Mr Liddell started piping at the age of nine and was originally taught by his grandfather, the late Pipe Major Ronald McCallum MBE and later, renowned piper Arthur Gillies.
For seven years he was a member of the Scottish Power Pipe Band thereafter joining the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band from Vancouver, Canada with whom he played for eleven years.
A piano tuner by trade, he is also a piping instructor at many Argyll primary and secondary schools.
Glenfiddich Champion
He is the founder and pipe major of the world champion Inveraray and District Pipe band. The pipe band was formed in 2004, and has gone from strength to strength under his guidance.
The pipe band has members from Argyll, and those from further afield.
It has won the World Pipe Band Championship in the Novice Juvenile grade in 2007 and Juvenile in 2008.
It won the Grade Two Scottish, British, European, World and Cowal Pipe Band Championships in 2009.
The pipe band has won the Grade One Scottish, British, European and World Pipe Band Championships in 2017 as well as winning the Champion of Champions in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
As well as being named the winners of the World Pipe Band Championships 2019, it was named as Grade One British Championships in 2022.
Before that, Mr Liddell has won World Pipe Band Championships with the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band in 1999, 2001 and 2008.
Diu Regnare
Mr Liddell is noted for his excellent solo performances and has received more than 40 awards from all of the most prestigious piping awards in the world.
He has taken the Glenfiddich three times in 2009, 2014 and 2020, and he has won at the Argyllshire Gathering, the Northern Meeting Park and in competitions abroad.
For Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee celebrations, Mr Liddell composed “Diu Regnare” Long to Reign in latin.
Along with hundreds of pipers across the world, he played outside Balmoral Castle, unofficial home to the royal family in Scotland.
At the time he said the tune was “of immense historical significance”as it was unlikely to be repeated.
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