'Staying sharp': John McDonald and his bagpipes at the Beach

John McDonald enjoys wide open spaces to practice his bagpipe.

By Jacque Estes
| 6:12 p.m. June 28, 2016

John McDonald practices his bagpipe at the Hammock Community Center. Photo by Jacque Estes

Palm Coast Observer
Neighbors

Waves crashing to shore, seagulls cawing, children laughing, and the sound of a bagpipe could be heard at the Malacompra Beach entrance. Standing under a picnic pavilion at the Hammock Dunes Community Center, John McDonald played his bagpipe.

“I come here to practice and stay sharp,” McDonald said.

McDonald, of Irish and Scottish decent, is a retired firefighter with the New York City Fire Department. He began learning to play the instrament when he was in his late 20s.

“I was always around them, at parades and funerals, so I thought I'd pick it up,” he said. “I played for a few years, but life got in the way, and I didn't play much.”

After he retired and moved to Palm Coast nine years ago, McDonald started to play again. Something, not quite like learning to ride a bike.

“To get it back I have to practice,” he said.

McDonald has played for a variety events, including locally at funerals for police and firefighters.

“I am a member of two bands,” he said. “I play with the Daytona Beach P ipes and Drums, and the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue (Department) Pipes and Drums.”

Recently he played at the International Association of Firefighters Convention in Jacksonville, and on July 21 he will play for new firefighters graduation in Jacksonville.

The learning process begins on a charter, a plastic pipe used for eight months to a year, before moving on to the bagpipe.

Musical aptitude does run in his family. His grandmother played the accordian at his wedding.

“The most memorable place I have played was on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan during the St. Patrick's Day Parade more than 20 years ago,” McDonald said. “It's something every bagpiper should do.”