Annotation:McNeils of Ugadale (The)

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McNEILS OF UGADALE, THE. AKA - "MacNeils of Ugadale (The)," "McLachlan's Jig." Scottish, March (6/8 time). A Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB'CCDD'. A popular pipe march composed by Pipe Major John Mackenzie (d. 1996) of Campbeltown, Kintyre. As a young man, MacKenzie enlisted with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, later becoming pipe-major of the 2nd Battalion and the 8th Battalion of that regiment. After he leeft the army he returned home and was a founding member of the Kintyre Piping Society, but he emigrated with his family to the former Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Africa, in 1953. After several years in that country he returned to Scotland and was appointed piping instructor at Queen Victoria School, Dunblane, where he taught a generation of champion pipers.

The 6/8 march is usually played as a jig by Cape Breton fiddlers, according to Paul Stewart [1], who says it was introduced to the island's repertoire by John Allen Cameron.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: MacKenzie (John MacKenzie's Collection of Bagpipe Music), 1973. Martin (Ceol na Fidhle), vol. 1, 1991; p. 20. Scots Guards Standard Settings, vol. 2, 1981; p. 12.

Recorded sources: Culburnie Records CUL102c, Alasdair Fraser & Jody Stecher - "The Driven Bow" (1988). Natalie MacMaster - "Fit as a Fiddle" (1993).

See also listing at:
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings [2]
Hear the march played by fiddle orchestra at Tobar an Dualchais [3] (2nd march, following "Father John MacMillan of Barra").