The Pipes Are Calling – A Tribute To Our Veterans – Weekly Summer Concert Series
The year 2026 is a historic year for the Royal Canadia Legion in Canada— 100 years of service, community impact, and Remembrance. Throughout the year, special initiatives, sharing stories from our past, and hosting events that bring Canadians together will be taking place throughout this great country of ours. From local Branch activities to national programs, there are many ways in which Legion Branches will be taking part to honour our legacy and help shape the Legion’s future.
One of those local Legion Centenary initiatives that will be taking place here in Carleton Place is an initiative being undertaken through the cooperative efforts of the MacEoin-Ramsay Pipe Band and the Captain A. Roy Brown Legion Branch 192.
This Pipe Band and Branch 192 in Carleton Place have recently formed a very good working partnership that includes the Pipe Band leading the annual November 11th Remembrance Day Parade and participating in the annual Remembrance Day Ceremony in Carleton Place. This band will also be the Duty Band for the annual Carleton Place Community Tattoo being held in September of this year which will also be dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the Royal Canadian Legion.
Through the efforts of band manager Neil MacLeod, and members of the Captain A. Roy Brown Legion Branch 192 Cenotaph Committee, members of the band have agreed to perform at the local Carleton Place Cenotaph in Veterans Memorial Park on Friday evenings throughout the summer months. A piper or pipers will start the program in Carleton Place on Friday, June 26, 2026 and play every Friday through until Friday, September 4, 2026, the start of the long Labour Day Weekend.
Through their performances, the pipers will be sharing their piping talents with the community and at the same time, will be paying tribute to the 93 names of local Veterans whose names are ever enshrined on the local Cenotaph who paid the ultimate sacrifice during WW1, WW11 and Korea. They will also be honouring those of our local Veterans who have served, or are still serving, in our Canadian Armed Forces.
How long they play each Friday will depend on the number of citizens that take the opportunity of going to Veterans Memorial Park to enjoy their playing talents and honouring Veterans of Carleton Place and the Beckwith Township area.
You can expect to see a variety of tartans as pipers wear their own family tartans or pipe band issued kilts. Many of the pipers from the MacEoin-Ramsay Band learned to play under the direction of former Pipe Major and founder David Clyde, including their current Pipe Major, Kris Bawden. Unfortunately, David passed away earlier this year.
David Clyde was a prolific piping instructor and pipe band motivator in the Ottawa area, teaching numerous players after immigrating to Canada from Banbridge, Northern Ireland, in the 1960s. Among Clyde’s many pupils was Bawden himself, who started at age 15.
This band reformed three years ago as a grade 4 competition band and travelled to New Hampshire in 2024 to participate in the Loon Mountain Highland Games where they placed first in the grade 4 competitions. And last year, they placed first in the grade 4 band category at the Northumberland Scottish Festival and Highland Games in Cobourg, Ont.
MacEoin is an ancient Scottish Dalriadan name, historically associated with Argyllshire and the clan “Ewen of Otter”. Ramsay is a Scottish name of Anglo-Norman origin, appearing in Scotland as early as 1124. The name “MacEoin-Ramsay” represents a hyphenation of two historically Scottish surnames to create a new identity for the regional musical group. The Tartan worn by the band is the David Clyde Tartan.
There may be a solo piper or a mini-band performing at the Cenotaph, or anything in-between, but there will be bagpipes rain or shine. The piper will march in at 6:00 p.m. and will play for approximately 30 minutes, or longer depending on the crowd.
Many communities across Ontario have adopted a tradition of a sunset piper, and these predictable concerts have become a favourite with both locals and tourists. We hope to cement this tradition here in Carleton Place as well and hopefully it too will become a favorite for both local residents as well as tourists. People love to hear the sounds of the pipes, and this initiative will hopefully encourage the community to come out and enjoy a Friday evening during the warm summer months and to honour our Veterans.