Attorney General Bill Barr just got a standing ovation from his colleagues in the Department of Justice for having a little fun today.
AG Barr is actually an accomplished bagpipe player. He played from the early-1980s until the early-1990s in many bands. He also competed in different competitions, including the World Championships.
CBS reported that AG William Barr took a break from his job to showcase one of his talents during an event with U.S. attorneys. Seated on stage on Wednesday during the Justice Department event, our top law enforcement official disappeared behind a curtain as a group of Pipes and Drums bagpipers from the New York Police Department, the Emerald Society, assembled in front of the auditorium stage.
Bill Barr re-appeared onstage and tucked a bagpipe under his arm as the crowd of government attorneys laughed and applauded.
A low drum beat sounded and the traditional bagpipe march “Scotland the Brave” began with AG Barr joining in. The crowd gave him a standing ovation at the end of his wonderful performance.
The Attorney General explained that this was the first time he had played since his daughter’s wedding. He found out that the Emerald Society pipers were coming as a surprise for him — so he thought he would surprise them by bringing his bagpipes.
Bill Barr’s bagpipe playing is far from just a hobby. As the Pipes and Drums Magazine reported, Bill Barr takes the bagpipe very seriously — he has been playing since before his legal career began. Bill Barr was a member of the now defunct U.S.-based Grade 2 Denny & Dunipace Pipe Band – which later evolved into the Scottish & Irish Imports and City of Washington – from the early-1980s until the early-1990s. Bill Barr played with the band in many competitions, including the World Championships.
Soon afterward, William Barr joined the Bush administration to serve his first stint as attorney general, effectively putting his competitive piping career on hold.
