Top bagpipe award to honour Manchester Arena victim Eilidh MacLeod

The family of Eilidh MacLeod, the island teenager who was killed in the Manchester Arena bombing, said they were 'incredibly touched' that a major piping award had been set up in her honour.
A top piping honour will be named after Eilidh Macleod, who was killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena attack aged just 14. She is pictured here with her pipe band, Sgoil Lionacleit Pipe Band in Benbecula. PIC: Contributed.A top piping honour will be named after Eilidh Macleod, who was killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena attack aged just 14. She is pictured here with her pipe band, Sgoil Lionacleit Pipe Band in Benbecula. PIC: Contributed.
A top piping honour will be named after Eilidh Macleod, who was killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena attack aged just 14. She is pictured here with her pipe band, Sgoil Lionacleit Pipe Band in Benbecula. PIC: Contributed.

The Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships, the biggest contest of its type in the world, has created The Eilidh MacLeod Endeavour Award in memory of the talented piper from Barra who was only 14 when she was killed in the 2017 terror attack.

Read More
Charity set up in name of Manchester bombing victim Eilidh MacLeod

Eilidh’s father, Roddy MacLeod, said: “We were incredibly touched when we were asked by Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships if they could name this exceptional award after Eilidh.

Eilidh Mac:eod, from Barra, first picked up a chanter when she was just eight years old and was devoted to learning the music of the pipes. PIC: Contributed.Eilidh Mac:eod, from Barra, first picked up a chanter when she was just eight years old and was devoted to learning the music of the pipes. PIC: Contributed.
Eilidh Mac:eod, from Barra, first picked up a chanter when she was just eight years old and was devoted to learning the music of the pipes. PIC: Contributed.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It really means a lot to our family to have her memory honoured by the piping community like this, as it was such a big part of her life.

“She started playing the practice chanter when she was seven and moved on to bagpipes at the age of eight. She was the youngest one in class when she started.

“The influence that being a part of a school band had on her was immense - it was shaping her into an amazing young woman.

“It gave her a way to express herself, become more confident and resilient as well as build long-lasting friendships with other young people from around Scotland. “The camaraderie amongst pipers and drummers is really strong and we could see the positive effect it was having on Eilidh’s life."

Having started playing bagpipes at the age of eight, Eilidh travelled to Benbecula every few weeks to play with the Sgoil Lionacleit Pipe Band with the journey - which included a ferry crossing - taking around two hours.

Her father added: “Having to travel all the way to Benbecula to practice meant she was missing some Fridays at school but she was very diligent in keeping up with her school work because her band practice meant so much to her.”

Eilidh was among 22 people who died when a suicide attacker detonated a nail bomb at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester in May 2017.

This article first appeared in our sister site The Stornoway Gazette .