Hi,
For those interested I have put my interview with pipe maker Cillian Ó Briain in my myspace blog:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=188560276&blogID=287561480
I have also moved my earlier interview with Eugene Lambe there.
Happy reading!
The Liraman
Nice portrait, and it brings back lots of memories.
Cillian was the one person that managed to reed a particularly awkward tenor drone that I had on a mongrel set of unknown South Leinster provenance. I guessed that I was interrupting his work, but he was very helpful and uncomplaining because I was on a short visit to Kerry and just called in on spec. He was almost apologetic in asking me for a very modest fee for the time he took. He was also the first person that I knew to do the kind of “tweaking” of whistles that is now common knowledge thanks inter alia to C&F.
My first two chanters were by Matt Kiernan, a boxwood concert one followed by a greenheart C. At the time (circa 1972) he was the best person for a beginner to approach, though I actually got the concert chanter indirectly, as part of a practice set, the rest of which was made by John Keenan, with reed by Paddy. It was Dave Hegarty who brought me out to Matt’s place, where we bought the C chanters to avoid the opprobrium of playing a concert chanter in the mellow company of Na Píobairí Uilleann
Dan O’Dowd taught me my first tune (The Gander in the Pratie Hole). He also taught reedmaking to both myself and Dave among many others, and much credit is due to Dave for consolidating, updating and building upon the knowledge that Dan passed on to him.
I only met Matt the once, but Dan used to come in regularly two nights a week to NPU (which in those days met in Parnell Square, in a grotty back-room sublet from the Sinn Féin newspaper An Phoblacht - sometimes we would see a car full of Special Branch men observing our movements with our suspiciously-shaped cases!).
On Tuesday nights, Dan would help teaching beginners and do minor running repairs. On Wednesdays he would teach reed-making, and I followed his classes while simultaneously keeping my ears open and listening to Pat Mitchell teaching the more advanced learners.
Dan had a wonderfully mischievous sense of humour, and in this Mikie Smyth is surely his spiritual descendant.
Nice. Thx for sharing.
djm
Nice reading Jan I enjoyed it very much 
Keep them pipe celebrity interviews up.
Who is next? 
Here is a direct link to “Lambe Talks” if anyone missed it.
/MarcusR
Top notch work Jan, and definitely an incentive for me to learn reedmaking properly (long overdue!)
Roger, thanks for the reminisces. My first practice set was by Dan O’Dowd (whom I never met) and I’ve always admired the sound of the Matt Kiernan pipes I’ve heard over the years. From the number of current makers that learned their trade from him, one can tell that Mr. Kiernan was a very generous and supportive man. More of that!
Great reading and an interesting insight - thanks Jan
Who is next on your list to interview ?
John
Thanks folks for all your kind feedback.
re: next interview: I have a hit list, but you’ll just have to wait and see…regards
/JanW (The Liraman)