It Pat grooming someone to take his place when he stops making whistles? An apprentice? It would be a shame for his knowledge to be lost.
He is not. It is unfortunate. A couple of years ago, he spoke of wanting to write a book about it, and I offered to go there with my camera and document it for him, but he declined, saying he was too busy to take time away from filling orders. I agree that it will be tragic if his method retires with him.
What’s unique about his whistles?
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Joanie Madden plays them.
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The tone is straightforward and pure, though not nasal.
The only person to make whistles that play like O’Riordans is David Boisvert, and so far his are only made of wood, and only in d, c and Bb.
O’Riordans travel well.
- They are reliable whistles and are handmade. Each window is slightly different. Each tube is hand-engraved.
Pat O’Riordan is really cool.
That’s all I can come up with, for the moment.
and daves whistles are $150… a freekin steal..
and dave is a waaay kool guy
and dave makes uillian pipes
Dave is way cool - and he makes uilleann pipes 
Let me add one to Jessie’s…not about the whistles…but about the man.
I waited many years for my three O’Riordan whistles…When I got them, I concentrated on the high and low D, and did not play the C in concert much, because I was used to using other C instruments.
A few months after my whistles’ arrival, Pat called me and asked if I noticed anything wrong with my C. He said he had discovered a few tubes had been drilled with one tone hole an infinitesimal amount too large. This, of course, affected the internal intonation, a bit…I checked the whistle carefully, and - of course - he was correct. Had I used that particular whistle more often, I would have noticed the slight anomaly and chalked it up to ‘character’.
Pat requested I send the whistle back to him. In incredibly short order, my whistle was returned to me with a new tube - and, if my old memory serves me, a check for my postage. Unbelievable. The ‘new’ whistle is, of course, spot-on in intonation.
Point? Pat O’Riordan is a true gentleman and one of the most stand-up men in whistledom. My connection with him has made my life richer.
Best.
Byll
I have two cents too. He is a pleasure to speak with on the phone and always timely and gentlemanly responds to e-mails, no matter how far down the pipe your order may be. He may be getting tired of answering that question about why doesn’t he charge more because of the relative value of his whistles on the second-hand market and their inherent quality, but you’d never know it. Of course, I asked, and he said he charges what he thinks they’re worth and just wants people to enjoy them. Also absent is any hint or comment regarding others making greater profit from the whistles. He seems such a peaceful, in-tune soul, much like his whistles. 
As for the whistles, I love the Traveler series and don’t have any experience with the others. I agree with Jessie - focused pure sound, travelability and impeccable workmanship attuned not to just design but to the player. This might shed light on Peter’s hypothesis: is Pat also a great player? or does he listen to the words of great players? or is the hypothesis just plain wrong? Interesting topic though.
There are also those that do not like Pat’s whistles or do not like some types of them - whether that be because of their innate tone and playability or just disdain and frustration at the soaring resale market for them I don’t know.
There is one outstanding characteristic regarding the quality of the Travelers - the tuning slide on my Travelers is machined to such perfect tolerances that it operates with a sense of hydraulic pump, much like the Silkstone alloy whistle design with double O-rings - works great, but Pat somehow did it without O-rings, plumber’s tape, bees wax or anything else.
The individual who sold me the Low G Traveler several years ago (at regular retail price) lauded it as the “best whistle of any key he’d ever played.” After several years of use, I can’t disagree. Although diametrically opposite to my cherished Copeland Low G in so many ways, it is every bit as wonderful as the Copeland. The Low D is a marvel of design with the perfectly fitted Joannie Madden three piece so that the bottom hole can be rotated. Although not as rich in tone as the G, it is nevertheless a very good whistle and the easiest Low D for me to play.
I guess that was more than two cents; sorry 
Philo
All these two cents’ are adding up to sadness that when he is done, so are they.
Yes, and it doesn’t look like the kind of stuff that someone else can take over.