Here’s an interesting article I had not seen before .Good links to other stuff as well.
http://www.taramusic.com/features/lofpipes.htm
RORY
Interesting, thanks for that
Can’t say I agree that Staker Wallace is “unutterably sad.”
An Feochán, now, that’s unutterably sad.
Yes, and ‘Valentia harbour’ played in Gm against a D drone.
Is that the version that Sean Potts plays (followed by Splendid Isolation) on his (I suppose) debut album?
If I remember correctly, Sean doesnt have the drones going when he plays the air, he turns them on for the reel.
I can’t remember what key he plays Valentia Harbour (Amhrán Na Leabhar) in but I do remember in the liner notes Robbie H praising his mastery of and full use of the keyed chanter in playing it.
I don’t know. I have only heard Liam play it once, and that was from an old cassette tape about piping/Seamus Ennis or both 
We’re talking early 90’s here so please forgive my hazy memory. The tune made a lasting impression though!
It was an interview for the ‘Séamus Ennis story’ which Peter Browne produced for RTE during the eighties. Flynn spoke about how well Ennis fitted his music to the pipes, demonstrating how the ‘usual’ Em version of Valentia Harbour doesn’t work over the drones and how Ennis played it in Gm to make the most of it sounding over the drones.
You are correct (there are some areas of very nice regulator chords here and there, though). When I first heard it, I it made me think of a Bulgarian/Macedonian gaida, e.g.,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LParyW4v78
And it does sound sad, as mentioned above. Sad enough to match the story line. It’s a great setting, I think.
So, Mr. Gumby, is the Sean Potts version in Gm?
Thanks for that! I couldn’t stop thinking about it, now i know. Might still have that cassette somewhere. Sadly with nothing to play it back in nowadays..
I have the ‘Séamus Ennis story’ handy although I haven’t digitised it (so I can’t put the relevant fragment up for you here). You may be better off going straight to Ennis’ recording of the tune.
Two weeks ago visitors called and put me on the spot when they told me they had heard me play that tune. That must have been a decade ago at least.
I first heard that tune in 2002 from Geoff Wooff in whatever key that works out on the Harri. Never heard ANYTHING like that before 
Had to nick that one, thanks Mr. W!
I learned it in Gm direct from Seamus Ennis. It’s also nice in Dm: another good key for the drones.
a good article. I think it’s an older one, too; I can’t quite remember when I read it, but I think it was around the time I was first learning. It’s always nice to go back to articles like that and get a fresh perspective.
The topic of how much instrument to start with has come up on the forum quite a lot . Its interesting to hear was Leo Rowsome thought about it . The thing is Liam had time on his side ,starting at 11 years makes things a bit different to somebody who starts later in life.
“Liam O’Flynn was 11 before his dream came true and he was given a set of uilleann pipes. This was a practice set - the bellows, bag and chanter without the distraction of drones and regulators. ‘I was playing the practice set for at least five years,’ O’Flynn remembers. 'My first teacher, Leo Rowsome, insisted on that and I’m very glad, because with the drones and regulators it’s too easy to cover mistakes and problems.”
RORY
http://www.uilleann-pipes.de/english/index.html
scroll down to the sound sample for the 3/4 set in D
You hear the air then transition to the reel
Oh and Yep…Sean plays in G minor
for those that aren’t so into music theory…he starts on G (to my ear, at least)
then plays A then Bflat, Cnat, back D, then a couple of octave g’s, an “a”, back to g, f nat, back D, Cnat, back D, octave “e” (off the knee), f nat, g…etc
He does some tasty regulator stuff to accompany
I can’t do anything better than using the bottom key on the middle reg, but Hey, I’m crap !!
I like to play the tune against my tenor and baritone drones (with the bass drone off) as it sounds kinda nasal and whine-y yet cool at the same time…
… “otherworldly” maybe??
Boyd
Thanks, Boyd!
the venue was the Royal Albert Hall and the evening was broadcast by BBC Radio 3 as part of the most prestigious of serious music festivals, the BBC Proms. ‘It’s wonderful,’ O’Flynn enthuses. ‘This is the first time this music has appeared on such a platform.’
The Chieftans played there in 1975. I guess it depends on how you define “platform”.
http://source.pipers.ie/Media.aspx?mediaId=24573&categoryId=920
This is a fine version of Valentia Harbour / A na L.
There’s a couple of other renditions on that site as well, including one in Dm.
… with a music stand and sheet music! Oh, the humanity!