seattle tionól 2000
guest piper: mick o'brien
The next ten photos were sent to me by Lewis Blevins... The next ten photos were sent to me by Lewis Blevins from Nashville.Thanks Lewis!
Straight down to business with Mick showing us the finer side of "The Stone in the Field", via Tommy Reck.
Mick showing us... Mick showing us how it's done first hand.
The man, the myth, the legend... The man, the myth, the legend, Mr. Wally Charm ladies and gentlemen!! Having a go here on Seth Gallaghers own B set when it was in it's 1/2 set stage.
John Walsh... John Walsh playing for us in Conor Byrnes Pub on the Sunday night.
Lewis Blevins... Lewis Blevins.....the man with the digital camera.
Sam O'Kane... Sam O'Kane demonstrating the calm piper theory.
Me, banging away. Me, banging away.
The Gentlemen Pipers'... The Gentlemen Pipers', Tom Quinn and Wally Charm.
Pat Hutchinson and Seth Gallagher... Pat Hutchinson and Seth Gallagher of the far east.
Linda and Wally Charm... Linda and Wally Charm showing us what harmony is all about.
The rest... The rest of the shots are mine unless otherwise noted.
A swarm of *BEEEEEEEZ* Well, two Wooff B's, one Gallagher B and one Quinn C.
Mick... Mick playing a lovely Wooff B set.
Mick... Mick playing a lovely Wooff B set from a nicer angle, but headless.....
Mick and Martin Hayes... Mick and Martin Hayes, raising the roof!
Mick and Martin Hayes... Mick and Martin Hayes, raising the roof! ...from another angle.
Seán Folsom and Isabelle Devaux... Seán Folsom and Isabelle Devaux give us a few French tunes from 'Le Masif Central' on the bourbonnais pipes.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.......
Tommy Reck... Tommy Reck playing in the early 1970's. This photo is taken from Jill & Leon Uris' book 'Ireland a Terrible Beauty'.
Alphie Mulligan... Alphie Mulligan playing his legendary Felix Doran Silver Pipes made by Leo Rowsome.
A possible Kenna set... A possible Kenna set c1790 boxwood, brass, ivory in 'Eb'. Photo from Mark Walstrom.
The 1st. Johnny Doran Weekend... The 1st. Johnny Doran Weekend. I think this clipping is out of the Wicklow People. If you know otherwise please let me know.
Jimmy O'Brien-Moran... Jimmy O'Brien-Moran has found something to fill that extra hole......... in his stock. It's an A drone he ventured to make himself! It works a treat according to the man himself. Have a look at the photo to see the finer details.
The Irish £50  punt note...
The Irish £50 punt note, front and rear view with an uilleann piper piping away (never was piping so sad never was piping so gay). I'm sure the afore mentioned piper would have appreciated one of these!
Found... Found a couple of schnapps of the Seattle 2000 Tionól that I forgot about in the camera. #1 The inevitable Sam and his pint photo ;)
#2 of the lost shots. The session in Conor Byrnes Pub
For a full report and photographs on the 2000 Southern California Tionól with special guest Martin Nolan please visit the Southern California Uilleann Pipers Club website ::: more»
Michael O'Donovan's boxwood, brass, ivory and horn set by Michael Hubbert. Lovely set. Mr. Hubbert has outdone himself with this set modeled on his old Ted Crowley set.
Geoff Wooff B set in ebony, nickel silver and mammoth ivory. (my pipes :)
My set from another angle.
Me and my pipes with Richard "Cha Cha" Ramirez listening in.
willie clancy summer school 2000
Gay McKeon was my teacher this year... Gay McKeon was my teacher this year. He had a nice sized class with eight people in attendance each day. NPU are working on keeping the class size down to about eight, so that students will get as much out of the classes in the time allowed.
Here is a close up shot of Gay's new Cillian O'Briain set... Here is a close up shot of Gay's new Cillian O'Briain set. It is made from a combination of ebony and boxwood. The tenor and baritone regulators being of boxwood and also the mounts and sections of the drones.
A nice close up of Gay's set. A nice close up of Gay's set.
Jimmy O'Brien-Moran playing his Colgan B set... Jimmy O'Brien-Moran playing his Colgan B set at an afternoon recital in The Mill Theatre.
Jimmy again, playing his Robert Reid D set... Jimmy again, playing his Robert Reid D set with Boyle and O'Connor, Delaware, USA chanter. He was using his new little A drone too which filled out the sets harmonic range amazingly.
This is the Maurice Coyne set... This is the Maurice Coyne set in B that was donated to NPU by Tom Busby of New York. Geoff Wooff was given the task of bringing this beautiful set back from the grave and what a fine job he did!
This set is one of Coyne's finest examples still playing today. It was built around 1840 and had a contra bass regulator that you can see laying beside the set. An E regulator was also included on the set but this may have been a later addition.
Geoff had to build several new mounts for the set and the baritone drone is entirely of Wooff manufacture. A small extender was built of ebony for the bottom of the bass regulator to compensate for the contra bass not being used at this time. The whiter mounts you see, including the chanter bottom, Geoff made from mammoth ivory and aged, to match the sets patina, in tea. It's a wonderful specimen and great to see it playing again and so well.
The Coyne set from another angle. The Coyne set from another angle.
Detail of the bass regulator cap... Detail of the bass regulator cap mount. This is a piece of mammoth ivory that Geoff aged and turned to match the set. Notice the natural grain of the ivory against the combed turning. Quite spectacular.
The proud new 'guardian'... The proud new 'guardian' of the Coyne set. Nollaig McCarthaigh has been given the honour of taking care of the set. He will have to maintain it to a suitable standard for review by a panel every few years. One of the stipulations by the panel is that the set must be played by whomever is it's current guardian.

Check out Thomas Johnsons site for more on the week and some of the sets there.
Geoff Wooff giving my set a go... Geoff Wooff giving my set a go in Hillary's Pub on the Friday night.
Saoirce Ni Mhuiré playing my set in Hillary's. She has a set by Geoff also. I believe it's a narrow bore D half set. Saoirce Ni Mhuiré playing my set in Hillary's. She has a set by Geoff also. I believe it's a narrow bore D half set.
I think this is a great... I think this is a great photo. It captures a lot of what the week is all about.....listening. Mikie Smyth playing my B set in Hillary's once again with Gabi Wooff, Tom Clarke and Al Purcell listening in.
The 'braugh young bucks' and damsels... The 'braugh young bucks' and damsels that I shared the B&B with.
Back Row: L - R: Paula McGarrigle, Corinna McGarrigle, Clodagh Reynolds, Tina Hughes, Anse.
Front Row: L - R: Sam Sherman, Me, Tighe, Wietske Leenders, Ramon Martin, Jeff Lindqvist.
Thanks once again to Mark Walstrom... Thanks once again to Mark Walstrom for this photo of Geoff being reunited with his 88th set currently in Mark's care.
Joel Joy has printed postcards of this portrait of John Peter Pruden (1778-1868) by W.C. Forster for sale! Pruden could possibly be the first uilleann piper in America!?
Arizona Uilleann Pipers' Society... The first of many Arizona Uilleann Pipers' Society meetings took place in Phoenix over the weekend of Oct. 14th & 15th 2000. Thanks to Caven Clarke for inviting me over for the weekend, I had a great time and remember, practice your scales ;)
Front Row: L - R: Eric Wilson (Tucson), Dan Neel (Lakeside), Mark Carpenter (Phoenix), Rob Breen (Flagstaff), Eileen Connell (Phoenix), with Me front and center.
Back Row: L - R: John McMorrow (Glendale), Neal Flint (Tucson), Jim Burke (Green Valley), Keen Jacobs (Flagstaff), Kern Lyons (Phoenix), Caven Clark (Phoenix)
Iain Cameron sent me these photos of this lovely Harrington set. He told me "This set was one my dad copied, it was in a museum but was stolen during his work, he did however get a full set of measurements which I still have, I think he made two copies one in boxwood and one in ebony".
Iain Cameron sent this one also of Dan O'Dowd's Egan set. He says, "this was taken at Bettystown and we actually had a go at playing them but my dad couldn't get it together as they were so easy and Dan just sat and laughed at him".
This is a Maurice Coyne set made about 180 years ago, also photographed at a Bettystown tionól and sent to me by Iain Cameron.
An nice looking set, possibly a Kennedy or a Crowley, suggestions considered. Photographed at a Bettystown tionól by Iain Cameron.
Dan O Dowd Dan O'Dowd and friends. If you recognise the faces in this photo please pass on the names so I can identify them, thanks. Photographed at a Bettystown tionól and sent to me by Iain Cameron.
1st NPU meeting 1068... This is the very first meeting of Na Píobairí Uilleann in 1968. I'm sure you recognise a few familiar faces here.
Front Row (Sitting): L - R: P. O'Connor (Dundalk), Peadar Ó Ceannabháin (Carna), Tom Mulligan (Dublin), Micheál Ó Riabhaigh (Cork), Pat McNulty (Glasgow), Séamus Ennis (North County Dublin), Leo Rowsome (Dublin), Willie Clancy (Milltown Malbay), M. Brophy (Dublin), Dan O'Dowd (Dublin).
1st. Row: L - R: Tommy McCarthy (London), C. Mulligan (Dublin), T. Mohan (Dublin), Matt Kiernan (Dublin), Brendáin Breathnach (Dublin), E. La Power (USA), Niall Vallely (Armagh), T. Sheridan (London), J. O'Rourke (Belfast), J. Brophy (Dublin), Wilbert Garvin (Belfast), Séamus MacMathúna (Ennis), Dinny Quigley (Aughrim), P. McLoughlin (Derry).
2nd. Row: L - R: Mrs. P. Flynn (Dublin), T. McKeown (Dublin), Seán McAloon (Belfast), T. McKeown Jnr. (Dublin), Joe McKenna (Dublin), D. Vallely (Aughrim), Brian Gallagher (Dublin), Tom Sheridan (London), Micheál Ó hAlmháin (Dublin), E. Fitzsimons (Dublin), M. J. O'Malley (London), Séamus MacMathúna (Wexford), T. Nolan (Tullamore), Tom Quinn (Dublin), Paddy Carbery (Longford).
3rd. Row: L - R: P. W. Tyrrell (Dundalk), P. Mackey (Armagh), B. Vallely (Armagh), W. Reynolds (Athlone), J. Dowling (Dublin), K. McLaverty (Belfast), Liam O'Flynn (Kill), Tomás Ó Canainn (Cork), Mick Crehan (Kill), Pat Mitchell (Dublin).
Al Purcell... Here is a nice photo of Al Purcell that I forgot I had. I took this in his daughter Aline's house in Los Angeles in 1998.
Brad Angus... Kevin Rietmann sent me the next nine photos of pipemaker Brad Angus and a couple of examples of his work, from the home of mental senses of humour and The Dandy Warhols, Portland, Oregon. This one depicts the maker in his familiar surroundings.
Brad playing an applewood copy of Mark Walstroms Wooff B set.
Brad playing his D set in the Blue Room.
Playing into the light! Some lamp eh! ....more to come on that....
Brads first full set. It was decided that a lamp was a better use for this set ;)
Brads own D set and a C set which is available for purchase.
Same again....
His own D set again. 'Black Betty' eh? Ebony with ebony mounts, nickel silver and painted Swiss pear stock.
C set in ebony, German silver, faux ivory. Hollow stock of narra wood. This set's for sale people!!!
The SCPC 3rd Anniversary. It's just not a party without cake.
Front Row: (standing) Richard "Cha-Cha" Ramirez, (sitting) Jeff Hurwitt, Paul McKeagney, Tim Dougty, Angelique Gullumerov, Gabriel McKeagney, Eileen McKeagney and the youngest member Brian McKeagney.
Back Row:Jason Bond, David Coultrup, Michael Eskin, Larry Dunn, Zachery Abbott, Dave Collins, Patrick D'Arcy.
Myself and Paul McKeagney playing a few tunes.
Robert Gardiner sent me the next nine photos from his trips to Scoil Acla in 2000 and the Chris Langan Weekend in Toronto 2001. This first one is of the man that keeps the piping at Scoil Acla flowing, Ciarán Ó Máille
Robbie Hannan playing in the recital at Scoil Acla 2000.
Andreas Rogge playing in the evening recital in Achill.
Seán Óg Potts playing down the pub at Scoil Acla 2000.
Seán Óg Potts and Eliot Grasso having a few tunes in Achill.
Ronan Browne's evening recital at the Chris Langan Weekend in Toronto 2001. Due to weather conditions being very dry Ronan used Seth Gallaghers personal B 3/4 set that Seth made himself.
Pat Hutchinson playing his set which was made for him by Chris Langan, the man who the weekend is dedicated to.
Bob Gardiner, who sent me these photos (thanks Bob) playing in the recital in Toronto.
A lovely looking session, unfortunately I wasn't there in the flesh to experience it, hopefully next year!?
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