There is a book called(I think), Grace Notes and Bad Thoughts, by John Kelly. Here, some fellow who is something like a refuse collector, makes a deal with the devil to swap bodies with Liam O’Flynn! I kidd you not
I’ve read that book too, a few years ago now.
It’s histerical!!!
Tommy
Hello there, literary friends! I’m delighted to find your chat thread and note your interest in my fictional characters, Sweeney and Rose. I’m happy to report that the first novel in the series, newly retitled A JIG BEFORE DYING, is now published (as of March '08) and available through me (dannycarnahan.com) and Amazon and B&N and probably elsewhere. The second, FORTUNE TURNS THE WHEEL, will be out in the summer. And the third, featuring a bagpipe as a murder weapon (about time, eh?) is awaiting a release date. If you’d like to know more, give me a shout. May your spring continue melodious! --Danny
Ireland, a Bicycle and a Tin Whistle by Wilson, David A.
I thought this was a fun read, it was about a guys travels through Ireland with a bicycle and his tinwhistle. He hit a few pubs and caught some good seisiuns.
I recommend it.
Congratulations, Danny!
Will your author tour take you through San Diego? 
Our paths haven’t crossed in more than a decade, I’m sure. Come on down and play a tune.
I enjoyed Accordion Crimes. In many ways it is a series of short stories regarding assorted immigrant communities in the US spanning the twentieth century. They are linked by ownership of an accordion made by an Italian in the first story.
Brian McNeill’s two novels concerned a Scottish fiddle playing busker and his adventures around Europe. Both were good reads. The first “The Busker” starts in Switzerland and heads around The Netherlands and Germany (East) before finally resolving the mystery the fiddler is drawn into, whilst the second “To Answer The Peacock” had strong Breton connections.
Surprised no one has mentions “Nancy Drew and The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipe” yet… 
Ian
I was just reading Charles de Lint’s anthology “Dreams Underfoot” and met Amy Scallan the uilleann piper in the short story “Our Lady of the Harbour.”
They played a set of reels consisting of “The Road West,” “The Glen Allen Reel” and “Sheehan’s Reel.” I don’t know enough to recognize the tunes, myself, but others might find it interesting.
An interesting story about traditional music and the wee people of Ireland is “The New Policemen” by Kate Thompson.
It is supposed to be a novel for kids but I found it fun to read. Each chapter is based on a traditional tune and the music for each tune is included in the chapter.
I was just reading “The Hollowing” (of the Mythago series) by Robert Holdstock and ran across a brief reference to “elbow pipes,” so I thought I would ressurect an old thread.
I think Mr. Holdstock missed a few centuries (or millenia) in his research, as he gives the impression that they are from ancient antiquity, rather than the 18th century, but it was fun to stumble across a reference to “elbow pipes” in an otherwise mesmerising tale thick with myth, legend and pseudoscientific fiction.
I recall an Irish mystery in which there was a very good fiddler who led the local session. The fiddler was also lazy, a crook and a murderer. One of his fellow villains killed him about half way through the book. There was concern he’d also be a rat. They knew he was gone when he didn’t turn up at the pub.