Looks like a Rowsome set, not a flat pitch, the year 1940. It’s not Johnny Doran 
http://www.gettyimages.se/detail/news-photo/irish-bagpipes-being-worked-by-a-bellows-from-the-elbow-news-photo/50616797
More interesting though: they have the Lammas fair piper image and the ycan attach George Pickow as the photographer and the date of 1955 which confirms my long held belief the piper standing was NOT in any way Johnny Doran.
I agree. The piper isn’t Johnny. In fact looking at some of the photos of the McPeakes taken around 1960 amongst the Getty images I’d guess that the piper is Francis McPeake III although I don’t see the Rowsome set in the 1955 photo in any of the McPeake photos. Prehaps the '55 photo was a staged photo using Johnny’s Rowsome set?
Some great shots of zampognara, search for ‘bagpipes’ and organize by oldest photos first. Nice pic of some old duffer showing his grandkids his Northumbrian pipes.
And:
“October 1963: London bus conductor Reuben Greene playing a lyre tucked up in bed. Other examples of his huge collection of rare musical intruments are seen displayed on his bedroom wall. (Photo by Chris Ware/Keystone Features/Getty Images).”
Huh, post horn, guit-banjo, therobo, 3/4 flat set. Also an NSP. Think that’s a 3/4, or a tenor regulator with drone in the middle socket? Eck. Where’d that lot wind up? Link.
No idea about your 1940 piper, Thomas. That shot is by Hans Wild and I notice all of his work from 1940 is dated Jan 1, so perhaps these dates aren’t all that reliable? All I can tell from his snaps are that he’s from the UK. Nothing else from 1940 he did was of a musical nature, either. Some of it was from a factory in Wiltshire, which might suggest a piper in England; but then there are lots of pics of De Valera, too.
I had a quick look at some of Hans Wild’s other photos. Plenty of photos taken in France and (most likely) the US but no other photos which could be called Irish (but I didn’t do a thorough search). This might suggest that the piper in question was not then living in Ireland. Maybe in the US?
There are some problem however.
First of all the Doran family is adamant it IS Johnny. Most people I have spoken to over the years, some of them who knew both Johnny and Felix, tend to disagree however.
Then there’s the attribution by Gettyimages. the shot is not to be found in the Pickow collection in the Hardiman library in NUIG and although he may have sold the image at the time to the Hulton archive, you’d expect he kept the negative in the collection.
I have seen the piper identified as one of the McPeakes (on the McPeake website) but I feel to recognise anyone among the other 1953 (note that date doesn’t match that given by Gerryimages) Pickow photographs of the McPeakes who looks anything like this man.
The shot remains a mystery.
Could it possibly be Tony Rainey? Are there any photos of Tony, prehaps the Kane sisters have something, although I doubt Tony would have gone up North? The man in the photo has a different face, and the eyes and bone structure are different compared to the photos I’ve seen of Johnny. I think it’s Francis McPeake III wearing a jacket and prehaps he has the loan of the Rowsome set?
Just had a thought the Rooneys lived in the north. I wonder if it could be a Cash, Michael Cash, who was in the Pavve wagon shot with Johnny, although I’ve heard Michael couldn’t play the pipes and just posed with what looks like a Coyne set.
I just received word George Pickow did in fact visit Ireland during the forties so that would explain the absence of the negative in the Ritchie/Pickow collection in Galway which only covers the two 1950s visits.
The rest of his negs are held in a collection in the US so I’ll see if the original shot can be tracked down and if there are maybe more shots from the same occasion, and notes that identify the piper.
I was also told again that Johnny’s children are positive it their dad in that photo.
“I just received word George Pickow did in fact visit Ireland during the forties so that would explain the absence of the negative in the Ritchie/Pickow collection in Galway which only covers the two 1950s visits.” Mr. Gumby.
Good work. Here a couple of photos of Jean Ritchie, Pickows wife, and I think one of the Francis Mcpeakes http://yeahpot.com/pickow/george.html
Here are hundreds of of old photographs of relations, I think, of Jean Ritchie. Nothing to do with Ireland, but interesting stuff nonetheless, reminds me of Disfarmer’s photos of rural people in the south of the US http://yeapotter.com/Gallery/
You can see the contactsheets from the two visits to Ireland he did with Jean Ritchie, the Ennis shots, Bess Cronin, Leo Rowsome, the McPeakes and loads more (the keywording isn’t so great so dig around a bit) at Hardiman Library NUIG
Sorry folks not sure who the piper is but i know for a fact it is not a member of the McPeake family
I know, there was confusion about that because the shot has been seen on the McP website AND the piper, both in features and in dress, looks an awful lot like Old Francie in a very early groupphoto in O’Neill’s book.
“Good work. Here a couple of photos of Jean Ritchie, Pickows wife, and I think one of the Francis Mcpeakes http://yeahpot.com/pickow/george.html”
I was mistaken here - the piper with Jean is Michael Reagh. Eio O’Riabhaigh’s dad.
Here in 1963 with the Goodman Taylor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l_QfxrCoww&feature=endscreen&NR=1