Yes, the price tag for a fine set of pipes does, at first glance, tend to give the impression that the maker should be ‘well-to-do’. But take two things into consideration: The pipe maker can only produce a few sets per year and regardless on the length of their order books, the vast majority (if not all) of the sets ordered have not been paid in full at the time of their order. A third thing to consider, in lieu of the prior two, is that the pipke maker also eats, pays bills, and is otherwise confronted with the cost of day to day living… doing the math shows that if anything, if a pipe maker is living solely on the proceeds of their trade, they’re most likely living at or around the poverty level… as I see it, anyway.
Pipemakers aren’t high income earners. On the other hand, few work forty hour weeks at it, they make bits on the side playing gigs, doing repairs, making reeds and that sort of jobs. To say they’re on the poverty line, well I suppose it depends on how you look at it and I suppose I can then safely state I am surviving at less than half of poverty level.
Yes, of course it depends on where one lives and the local economy. Suffice it to say, it isn’t very likely a full time pipe maker will become filthy rich at it… or any where near it.
[/quote]they’re most likely living at or around the poverty level…[/quote]
Fortunately, the uilleann pipemaking industry has been deemed “Too big to fail,” and we shall soon see congress approve of a 2.5 billion dollar bailout. This will bring all pipemakers flocking to the US, and the vacant GM plant will become the center of a multinational conglomerate of UP producers. Eventually, though, all piping will be outsourced to India, and gigs will be conducted via telephone.
thence:
Paddy’s Gone to Mumbai
Bonaparte Crossing the Himalayas
The Price of My Elephant
(and scores of other ethnic stereotypes)
So bearing in mind the bad pay,the stress and all the other negative issue’s connected with the pipemaker,it would be resonable to say if things dont change someday there will be no pipemakers.
RORY
it would be resonable to say if things dont change someday there will be no pipemakers.
No, it would be reasonable to assume that they arn’t making pipes for the money.
I think they make them for their intrinsic value.
You misunderstood ,my point is that if things are so hard for pipemakers ,that nobody will want to be a pipemaker and they will become extinct,
RORY
That’s exactly it, so, get your pipes now if you can or be content to see them in an old history film or museum. 
Wasn’t this very nearly the case? After Leo Rowsome died there were only 2 or 3 other uilleann pipemakers active worldwide (Matt Kiernan, Dan Dowd, etc).
That’s right, according to what I’ve read. It never died out, it just reached a “zombie” stage, then (praise God) came back to life.
I’ll reach a zombie stage soon . . . . then I’ll bite the rest of you.
This could be the solution to Rory’s problem of expensive reeds and closed order books. If zombie pipemakers go round biting people they’ll create more pipemakers, thus ensuring the survival of the piping species.
Perhaps a pipemaker should bite Rory. 
my teeth are itching already…
No, Simon, that’s VAMPIRES wot do that. If a zombie bit you then important bits of you would drop off while you were at your lathe, and thus still no more pipemakers.
I have written to CITES asking that pipemakers be put on their endangered list. I argued that as they use mammoth ivory and plastic(*), they are doing their bit for other endangered species and they deserve a break(**).
- AMEX, Diners or VISA
** Cannes, Bahamas (or indeed anywhere where they can use their plastic)