For anyone that will bother, I would like to hear your list of 5 or less CD’s that showcase Uilleann Pipe playing. I’ve got a lot of whistle CD’s but never bought one specifically for listening to the pipes and I don’t know any names besides Davey. Thank you in advance.
SS, you sure know how to stir up the poop! 
No-one will agree on this topic. There are too many variables and schools of thought to get any kind of consensus. There are a few recordings of very old wax cylinders from turn of the last century. Some feel these are important. However, there are three luminaries of piping in the 20th century that most pipers look to as sources for current UPs: Willie Clancy, Seamus Ennis, Leo Rowsome. At least one album of each of these three would start you off, and give you an idea of just how diverse the many styles of UP playing can be.
Not all of today’s pipers do solo recordings. Most play with groups, but then you can’t really hear the UPs. Of the solo albums available, you could look for any one of these: Liam O’Flynn, Ronan Browne, Brian McNamara, Robbie Hannan, Mick O’Brien, Mick Coyne, Finbar Furey, Paddy Keenan, Tommy Reck, Leo Rickard, Johnny Doran.
That ought to get your collection started. 
djm
What about Cillian Vallely? Hes got a pretty damn good cd in Callan Bridge. And John McSherry too.
See DJM was right about the stirring!
Dan
A few weeks ago I posted a question about Best CDs and where to purchase them. Got some good suggestions here:
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?p=150498&highlight=cds#150498
djm wrote:
Of the solo albums available, you could look for any one of these: Liam O’Flynn, Ronan Browne, Brian McNamara, Robbie Hannan, Mick O’Brien, Mick Coyne, Finbar Furey, Paddy Keenan, Tommy Reck, Leo Rickard, Johnny Doran.
That ought to get your collection started.
djm
You can get some of these and a few more besides on:
“The Drones & Chanters 1 and 2”
2 priceless CD’s…yours for …well, the price of 2 CD’s !!
Let them all debate about what your other 3 CD’s should be, but these are definitely the first two to buy if you intend understanding the instrument better.
Boyd
There are a few suggestionsd here too:
http://www.uilleannobsession.com/shop.html
and here:
http://www.uilleannobsession.com/shop_collections.html
Gluck,
Patrick.
PS - You bare a striking resemblance to Robert Smith. Has anyone ever mentioned that to you?
Declan Masterson,Liam o’Flynn,Diarmaid Moynihan,Jerry O’Sullivan,Gay McKeon…wau.! ( Anybody else have D. Moynihan’s &Calico: Cellanova Square ,( one of my favourite), I like his style piping/compositions.Comments…)
Mikko
I must agree that both volumes of ‘The Drones and the Chanters’ provide a great introduction to the variety of sounds and playing concepts for U.P.s
Other personal favourites include Robbie Hannan’s 'Traditional Irish music played on U.P.‘s’, the Ronan Brown solo album and his duets with Peadar O’Laughlin,and ‘Kitty lie over’ by Mick O’Brien and Caoimhin O Raghallaigh.
Another cracking album,I.M.H.O.,is ‘Tiomnacht’, by Eoin O Riabhaigh-a Piper who doesn’t seem to get very much exposure.
Eoin taught at the East Coast Tionól in Chapel Hill, NC and is a superb piper (as well as a helluva nice guy)!
Rick
Ditto (again, and of course) on the Drones & the Chanters cd’s.
My very favourite piping recording (i don’t know if it’s available on CD) is Pat Mitchell’s album. Yum. I first heard his playing on The Gentlemen Pipers, another neat compilation album with recordings going back a fair way.
I also keep wishing Paddy Moloney would do a solo (or near-solo) piping album. That would be fantastic.
Be seeing you,
eric.
Eion also teaches several of the Scioltrad lessons online for uilleann piping. I didn’t really care for his CD “Handed On” as it wasn’t as musical as I had hoped. Amazing technical ability, but apart from that, I find I can’t listen to it much without it sounding irritating to my ear. But then, I tend to like the McSherry and Vallely styles myself. Personal tastes and all that…
Eoin’s a sculptor, they say. I’ve a tape of a concert where the fellow introducing him says “Eoin is one of the strangest people I know…”
Probably explains why I like his album!! 