Pipe Major Dr. Richard Parkes MBE, MSc, has been the Pipe Major of the twelve time World Champions, Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band for a period of 39 years. With the band’s twelfth World’s win in 2018 Richard equalled P/M Ian McLellan BEM’s record for the number of World Championship wins by a Pipe Major. A record equalling 12. He has also led FMMPB to a total of 67 major championships (including 3 Grand Slams and 14 Champion of Champion awards) which is a record for a P/M.
Richard’s success as a pipe major has become a part of piping history, but he is also one of Ireland’s most successful solo players, having participated in solo competitions over many years when his pipe band commitments allowed. Richard has consistently won all the major solo competitions in Ireland, including seven All Ireland Championships, nine Ulster Championships, and eight Northern Ireland Piper of the Year titles. In the late 80`s, early 90`s, Richard also placed regularly in most of the top class light music competitions on the mainland, the most significant of these prizes being 1st in the jigs at both The Northern Meeting and London Competitions in 1989, 1st in the Strachan (open) MSR at London 1990 and 3rd in the London Medallion (former winners) MSR 1991.
Richard holds the RSPBA Advanced and Instructors Certificates and is a member of the RSPBA Adjudicators panel and became a member of the Solo Piping Judges Association in 2018.