Mahopac Man Crowned World Pipe Band Champion

Craig Waugh of Putnam County is a member of the Ulster Scottish Pipe Band, which won Grade 2 at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. Photo by Courtney Schnee.

The Ulster Scottish Pipe Band of Warminster, Penn., lifted the trophy as Grade 2 Champions at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, on Saturday, Aug. 15. Among them was Mahopac resident Craig Waugh.

“It is great to be a new member of The Ulster Scottish Pipe Band,” said Waugh. “The band’s seasoned leadership, strong teaching approach, enjoyable music, and close camaraderie are what place us among the top bands in the entire world.”

The band also won the top drumming prize.

By winning, the band became only the sixth from the U.S. to be crowned World Pipe Band Champions in Grade 2 since the event was first held in 1947. It achieved the historic feat 104 years after being formed in 1922 as the Philadelphia Ulster Pipe Band by John Hall Sr., an Ulster-Scots expat who emigrated from Moneymore, Northern Ireland.

The group is comprised of roughly 40 members who travel from across the U.S., Canada, and Scotland to attend band practices and to compete. In the past few years, the band has been on a remarkable trajectory, having made its most recent debut in Grade 2 in 2022. The band has been a dominant force in the North American pipe band scene during that time, having won the Midwest Pipe Band Championships in Chicago five times and North American Pipe Band Championships in Canada three times in that span.

The band also won the European Championships in Perth, Scotland in 2025, and placed third at the Worlds in 2025.

Given the band’s competition track record over the past few years, and its Worlds win in particular, the band is a strong candidate to be upgraded to Grade 1 – the premier grade – by the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association, which organizes and oversees the World Pipe Band Championships.

The band rehearses at the Hunter Soccer Club in Glenside, Penn., roughly one weekend per month. It is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is funded primarily through monies earned from performances and donations.

The World Pipe Championships are organized by the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association and take place over two days in Glasgow, Scotland, every August. The event, which features the world’s top bands, has been held every year since 1947 (except for 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and is livestreamed by the BBC.