Robert McCarthy

Born and raised in Ottawa, I learned to play first the violin, then the saxophone in grade 7. I began learning piping at the age of 14, graduated to pipes after 3 months, into my first pipe band after 3 more months. At the insistence of my teacher solo competition became an interest that first year, winning 3rd prize at my first contest at the Montreal Highland Games. By my 4th year I had been promoted to grade 2 solo's where I took a keen interest in piobaireachd , having received my first instruction in that from Jimmy MacIntosh and Murray Henderson. That summer I received an invitation to play with the grade 1 Niagara & District Pipe Band led by Jake Watson.
I commuted monthly to band practices, learning many great tunes, tips, and ideas about band playing, leadership, and meeting many great players who influenced me. After university I joined the RCAF Ottawa pipe band under Pipe Major Bill Gilmour, where my education continued under his leadership. By this. point I had been promoted to grade 1 solo's where I succeeded in winning many medals in all events, the highlight of which was winning grade 1 Piobaireachd at the North American Championship and the Canadian Championship. I stopped playing for almost 10 years after the sudden death of my father. I resumed playing after a chance encounter with some old friends at the Maxville Highland Games, and a short while later rejoined the RCAF Ottawa pipe band under newest Pipe Major Ian Ferguson. Along the way, my brother and I were invited by the Rockland 832 Air Cadet Squadron to teach piping and drumming to the cadets, and realized a passion and ability for teaching; something we both continue to enjoy doing to this day. A couple years later I was asked to form a pipe band for the Ottawa chapter of the 78th Fraser Highlanders. After discussing it with my brother and realizing that we both felt that there needed to be a safe positive outlet for kids to explore piping and drumming beyond the requirements of the squadron, we realized there was no such band in the area and accepted the invitation. Around the same time, we were also asked to build a piping and drumming program for 732 and then 75 Air Cadet Squadrons in Ottawa, and due to our growing profile across the region, also to provide workshops and adjudication of level testing for Eastern Region of Cadet Canada. Acquiring a few other young players along the way, we continued to grow the band for 2 years. The relationship with the Ottawa Frasers organization became troublesome and the band members themselves decided to continue as a band and go out on our own forming the Ottawa Caledonian Pipes & Drums (OCAL). OCAL continued to grow and steadily improve under our leadership culminating in 2024 with the band winning 1st prize in 7 of their 8 contests (2nd prize in the 8th) including 1st prize for grade 5 Pipe Bands at the North American Pipe Band Championship. I find myself continually proud and inspired by the camaraderie within the band, it's successes, and the successes of the many soloists in their individual contests.