How many sets of silver pipes did Felix Doran have? I count at least three:
There was one made by Alf Kennedy (the set in this photo is clearly marked Kennedy)
The Silver Plated Set made by Leo Rowsome (mentioned in the 2nd paragraph at this link)
The Silver Set made by an unnamed German engineer (also mentioned in the 2nd paragraph at this link, but it looks similar to the Kennedy set)
It’s an interesting question and it gets quite confusing.
As i understood he had the Rowsome set made where wood was cased in metal for the drones and regs. This proved a bit unsatisfactory as the regs leaked between the wood and the casing, so he sold the regs and stock and had new ones made by an engineer called Frank Gorker (?) to use with the Rowsome drones.
But staring at the photos in your 3rd link - which is supposedly the Gorker set - look at the 17th photo down and the stock is clearly engraved with the name Kennedy exactly as in the first link you mention - it would seem they are in fact the same set. I wonder if Kennedy actually made a whole set, or just the stock, which houses the Rowsome drones and Gorker regulators?
I’d been wondering about this recently as i’m in the process of copying a set of Dave williams regulators which were a copy of ‘Felix Doran’s pipes’. So i’m wondering which set they’re a copy of!!! Have i just made a copy of Dave’s copy of the German engineer’s copy of the original Rowsome?
As an aside, i wonder how the metal chanter sounds? Anyone heard/tried it?
Cheers
Andy
Well Dave made a replica of the set of pipes that Felix’s widow had in her caravan, 1981. Dave was allowed to photograph and take measurements of the set, but he wasn´t allowed to take the pipes from the caravan to his workshop in Newark, Notts. Felix´s widow told him that they were all she had left after Felix. The replica set was ordered by John Rooney. I was at Dave’s workshop to pick up a Bb chanter in 1982 and Dave had the replica set for John in pieces on his work bench just back from a silversmith who had engraved the silver parts. I’ve always assumed that John’s set was a copy of Felix’s Gorker set, but maybe Frank Gorker only made a copy of the chanter and regulators? Prehaps Kennedy just made a new stock at some point to go with the Rowsome drones & Gorker regs & chanter? Or prehaps Kennedy made a a seperate full set for Felix. Felix had the money. I was told that Felix left a full set of pipes in a bed & breakfast at a pub in London. Felix left the set in a wardrobe and never came back for them. The publican kept the set for a few months then got rid of them. This would have been in the 1960’s and uilleann pipes didn’t have much value. John Rooney or Michael Doran would know what’s what.
Looking at those pictures further, i’d bet that the bag and bellows are Kennedy too - the typical green-with-yellow-fringe that he seemes to have usually used. But the drones in those pictures must be the Rowsome ones as the decoration matches the silver-plated set.
I’m going out on a limb and guestimating that we’re looking at 2 sets -
Alphie Mulligans set - original Rowsome stock and regs
The other later set - Rowsome drones + chanter top, Kennedy bag/bellows/stock, Gorker regs and chanter
which is basically what Thomas is suggesting. I’d also go with the idea that Dave W copied the later set as some stylistic things can be seen in his copies. (And those would be the pipes Felix’s widow would have if he sold the others in 1968!)
I thought i’d read somewhere that the origional Rowsome chanter got badly bent after being loaned to a silversmith to make a plaque?
Cheers
Andy
Is there other/moore pics available about the full silver set(1.pic), looks interesting ?
" thought i’d read somewhere that the origional Rowsome chanter got badly bent after being loaned to a silversmith to make a plaque?. Andymay.
Again it’s not clear what happened to the chanter. One explaination is that the chanter was damaged on the boat on the way over to the funeral, someone sat on it my mistake. another is that the chanter was bent when it was given to the wreathmaker to be used as a model, seems a bit strange that. Again John Rooney or Michael Doran would know what really happened.
Bag and bellows are surly Kennedy’s work, exactly like my own Kennedy bag and bellows, the chanter with that same set I would guess is also Kennedy, the bottom mount is just like the one on my chanter and the stop valve is very similar, I’ve also seen the original chanter cap and mount on top is the same Kennedy design as my own.
In another thread,
Two questions:
The Doran silver set regulator key appear to be very ergonomic. Has anyone here played regulators with such a footprint? Impressions?
Do recordings of the silver set exist?
