Competative uilleann piping is something you don’t here much of these days I don,t know if there,s much opportunity for it outside Ireland But if there was would you give it a go ?
.Reading through O,Neill,s it seemed to be quite common for a lot of pipers in the past .
RORY
There are several articles about this in old An Píobaire issues, as well as in the Breathnach book. The competitions were artificial, being first created about 1895 to attract the last few remaining pipers out of the woodwork so that tune collectors could suck their brains. Awards were not given just for piping, but also for new tunes that hadn’t been “found” and recorded before. The same few pipers showed up most years, and it was more political who would win in any year more than just skill. The pipers were there for the cash prizes, of course. The money ran out by the 1920s, and the pipers did too.
There are all sorts of piping competitions in Ireland today through the auspices of CCÉ, such as the various fleadhs and oireachteas.
djm
And why else would you enter a competition?
Oh… I forgot,… big fat boasty egos!
I bet the winners cash ran out by the end of the night.
Alan