Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In 1963, Patrick W. Sandeman and Captain John A. MacLellan shared a professional relationship as pipers of repute as well as working together organizing piping clubs and associations in Edinburgh during the 1960s. They were both executive officers for The Eagle Pipers Society: Sandeman served as the association's President, while MacLellan served directly alongside him as a Vice-President. Together with fellow Vice-President Pipe-Major Gordon Asher (for whom MacLellan wrote another 2/4 march in this collection) and Chairman Pipe-Major George Stoddart, they formed the leadership committee managing the Eagle Pipers during the 1963–1964 term. (Source: The Piping Times, Volume 16, No. 6, March 1964, pg. 7)
The Eagle Pipers’ Society is one of Scotland’s best-known social piping organizations, founded in Edinburgh in 1960 by Captain John A. MacLellan, MBE, and Pipe Major George Stoddart, BEM. Created as an informal gathering place for bagpipers of every standard, the society was established to encourage fellowship, music-making, and the sharing of piping traditions in a relaxed social setting. Its name was derived from its original meeting place, The Eagle Bar, a historic Edinburgh pub at the head of the Royal Mile near Edinburgh Castle, which was later renamed the Ensign Ewart in 1964. As membership rapidly expanded, the society soon outgrew its original venue and relocated to the West End Hotel on Palmerston Place, owned by former Gordon Highlanders Pipe Major Gordon Asher, another respected figure in the Scottish piping community.
During the 1970s, the Eagle Pipers’ Society gained an international reputation through its prestigious annual indoor solo piping competitions, which attracted many of the era’s leading professional pipers. The society also became known for its distinguished guest recitalists, who were traditionally presented with the exclusive Eagle Pipers’ club tie. Over time, receiving one of these ties became a widely recognized mark of esteem within the global piping fraternity.
Although the society gradually declined and ceased regular activity during the early 1980s as Edinburgh’s local piping scene contracted, it was successfully revived in 2010. Today, the Eagle Pipers’ Society continues to meet every other Tuesday during the piping off-season at the Scots Guards Club near Haymarket railway station in Edinburgh. Remaining true to the vision of its founders, the society provides a welcoming environment where pipers of all abilities can perform, socialize, and preserve the traditions of Scottish piping. Its meetings are celebrated not only for their music and camaraderie but also for the longstanding tradition of serving hearty meat pies, a fitting reminder that fellowship has always been at the heart of the Eagle Pipers’ Society.
John A MacLellan (1921-1991) - 2/4 March in A Mixolydian, "Patrick W. Sandeman" (1963)
performance: Jordan Alexander Key
edition: Jordan Alexander Key
In 1963, Patrick W. Sandeman and Captain John A. MacLellan shared a professional relationship as pipers of repute as well as working together organizing piping clubs and associations in Edinburgh during the 1960s. They were both executive officers for The Eagle Pipers Society: Sandeman served as the association's President, while MacLellan served directly alongside him as a Vice-President. Together with fellow Vice-President Pipe-Major Gordon Asher (for whom MacLellan wrote another 2/4 march in this collection) and Chairman Pipe-Major George Stoddart, they formed the leadership committee managing the Eagle Pipers during the 1963–1964 term. (Source: The Piping Times, Volume 16, No. 6, March 1964, pg. 7)
The Eagle Pipers’ Society is one of Scotland’s best-known social piping organizations, founded in Edinburgh in 1960 by Captain John A. MacLellan, MBE, and Pipe Major George Stoddart, BEM. Created as an informal gathering place for bagpipers of every standard, the society was established to encourage fellowship, music-making, and the sharing of piping traditions in a relaxed social setting. Its name was derived from its original meeting place, The Eagle Bar, a historic Edinburgh pub at the head of the Royal Mile near Edinburgh Castle, which was later renamed the Ensign Ewart in 1964. As membership rapidly expanded, the society soon outgrew its original venue and relocated to the West End Hotel on Palmerston Place, owned by former Gordon Highlanders Pipe Major Gordon Asher, another respected figure in the Scottish piping community.
During the 1970s, the Eagle Pipers’ Society gained an international reputation through its prestigious annual indoor solo piping competitions, which attracted many of the era’s leading professional pipers. The society also became known for its distinguished guest recitalists, who were traditionally presented with the exclusive Eagle Pipers’ club tie. Over time, receiving one of these ties became a widely recognized mark of esteem within the global piping fraternity.
Although the society gradually declined and ceased regular activity during the early 1980s as Edinburgh’s local piping scene contracted, it was successfully revived in 2010. Today, the Eagle Pipers’ Society continues to meet every other Tuesday during the piping off-season at the Scots Guards Club near Haymarket railway station in Edinburgh. Remaining true to the vision of its founders, the society provides a welcoming environment where pipers of all abilities can perform, socialize, and preserve the traditions of Scottish piping. Its meetings are celebrated not only for their music and camaraderie but also for the longstanding tradition of serving hearty meat pies, a fitting reminder that fellowship has always been at the heart of the Eagle Pipers’ Society.
John A MacLellan (1921-1991) - 2/4 March in A Mixolydian, "Patrick W. Sandeman" (1963)
performance: Jordan Alexander Key
edition: Jordan Alexander Key
