Anyone out there have any info (especailly pictures!!!) about Doran’s legendary “Silver Set”, or the copy that Rooney has/had (which I think I heard somewhere was made by Dave Williams)?
Thanks, I’ve been frightfully unsucessful in finding much about these facinating instruments!! 
The set that John Rooney plays at the moment was indeed made by Dave Williams.Its interesting in that the regulator keys are made from silver spoons that John Rooney gave to Dave for that purpose,they have alot of decoration on them,even the key cover plates have some decoration ,as these were made from the underneath of the spoon bowl !!
According to John Rooney it was he, who put Paddy Keenan on to Dave Williams to make him his set. Dave done alot of ajustments to the chanter to get it the way Paddy likes it, but in the end Paddy still didn,t like it .hence the reason he plays the Quinn Chanter
RORY
Thanks all! Great pictures! I wonder how they sound? Are the regs just wooden covered in a silver sleeve, or are they all metal? Was there ever a silver chanter?
Regarding the silver chanter, from NM’s website:
Felix died in 1972 and was brought home to Ireland to be buried in Rathnew, Co. Wicklow. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal ceolmhar. The German-made silver set were brought over to be played by his son Michael at the grave. Sadly, when the pipes were taken out of the case it was discovered that the > solid silver chanter > was bent and unplayable. It was believed that the chanter was either bent when someone sat on the case on the boat trip over or when they were given to a wreath maker to make a wreath in the shape of the pipes
From what I read on NM’s website, it seems that Felix only sold the regulators and mainstock to Tom Mulligan, keeping the drones and the chanter. A “German engineer” made new silver regs for Felix. Where is the German silver set today?
I’d be curious to know why Felix Doran sold the Rowsome silver regs and stock. Did he need money really badly? Did he not like the regs?
Felix sold the stock with regs to Tom Mulligan. According to John Keenan, Felix used to complain that the wooden regs encased in the German silver leaked air. Frank Gorker, a German mechanic, living in Manchester made a new set of regs and stock for Felix wrote Dave Williams. John Rooney’s set is based on the Leo Rowsome/Frank Gorker set. Dave was allowed to measure the set which Felix’s widow kept under her bed in her caravan, parked near Dave William’s workshop which was at Newark Notts at the time 1980-1981.