The Turlach Ur Pipe Band is based in Grinnell, Iowa, and was founded in 2007. It operates as a programme of the Grinnell Area Arts Council and is described as the largest pipe band in Iowa, with more than 25 to 30 pipers and drummers plus a youth division.

The band was founded by Pipe Major Rob Clower, a long-time Highland piping teacher who has taught for more than 40 years and also teaches piping at Grinnell College. The organisation supports tuition in piping and drumming, with Nancy Clower noted for local snare, tenor, and bass drum instruction.

Turlach Ur performs as both a competition and concert band, mixing traditional pipe band music with occasional popular and unexpected tunes. It has competed successfully in the Midwest, California, and at the 2016 World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow. The band also has a junior group known as the Turlach Urchins, which helps develop younger players.

Today, Turlach Ur remains a prominent part of Iowa’s Scottish music scene, combining community concerts, teaching, youth development, and competition work. A proper Midwestern pipe band engine room: cornfields, chanters, and enough drone power to frighten the local weather.