John Patrick
Bagpiper John Patrick, from Kilsyth, is known for both the precision of his technique and the sheer exuberance of his playing.John Patrick was originally taught by Dugald Ferguson of Islay. Dugald himself was one of P/M Donald MacLeod's finest proteges. As a boy piper, John went on to win all of the major solo awards many times over. About 1988, he became a pupil of P/M Angus MacDonald MBE and remained with him until Angus's untimely death in 1999. In the senior ranks of competing pipers, he was overall champion piper at the centennial year of the Cowal Gathering in 1994. John became the only piper to win the silver medals for piobaireachd at the Argyllshire Gathering and the Northern Meetings in the same year. (1996) He went on to win the prestigious Lochaber Axe for piobaireachd in 1998.
His other major awards include the 'big' marches competition at the Argyllshire Gathering and the Northern Meeting. John has also been involved with a number of grade 1 pipe bands, most notably Power of Scotland and David Urquhart Travel. He holds the advanced certificate for teaching in piping and has taught and judged piping at home and abroad for several years.
John Patrick appears on Vol II of the 1997 Piping Centre Recital Series (COMD2076), available on Temple Records