If anyone carrying out research into pipemaking is able to come up with timeline to show who was around where and when I’d be interested to see it - i’m interested to know when woof, hunter, howard, froment etc started and who got them going etc and where the link is from them back to Rowsome or whoever else was around before them
From The Sean Reid Journal Volume 2:
List of pipe-makers updated. Mark Walstrom:
http://www.seanreidsociety.org/SRSJ2/list%20of%20pipe-makers,%20updated.pdf
This follows on from:
A list of makers to circa 1940 by Mark Walstrom which was published in The Sean Reid Journal Volume 1:
http://www.seanreidsociety.org/SRSJ1/List%20of%20makers%20to%20c%201940.pdf
I found an error in the updated list with Dennis Harrington’s entry. It lists an example of Harrington’s work as a set owned by Mick McMahon. The set was in fact owned by Bill Heffernan at the time of the list being created. He loaned the set out to the Irish society of Sydney so individuals who wanted to learn the pipes could borrow the set for periods of time. Mick had the set for many years but they were pretty much unplayed. Bill sold the set last year to Ian MacKenzie (the pipe maker). I had an opportunity to buy them but I had purchased a Wooff set second hand just the month before so I was short of funds!
Ian gave a great speech / performance of the set one evening at the Gaelic Club, and the full history behind this set is really fascinating. The set itself is also interesting as it has an extension (double bass) regulator. Workmanship is remarkable as is its sound.
Think John was after the more modern makers i.e. post 1940
There are a couple of interviews with David Quinn and Cillian O’Brien but this still leaves a lot of makers whose beginnings are relatively unknown. This is something that NPU needs to address as to quote Francis O’Neill they will all be joining the ‘silent majority’ at some stage in the future and this will be more historical information lost
Alan Froment, Dave Williams, John Addison were all modern makers yet they have all met untimely ends and how did they get started ?
Alan Ginsberg certainly went to Matt Keirnan as did a few others but who did Matt learn with
How many makers take on apprentices - C O’B went to Brian Howard, Marcus Coulter to Dave Williams and someone who cannot be named went to Peter Hunter and has in turn helped others get started
Lots of possibilities for research
Alan Froment, Dave Williams, John Addison were all modern makers yet they have all met untimely ends and how did they get started ?
You may well add Johnny Bourke to that list.
Dave Williams - pipemaker by Ken Ricketts & Marya Parker - 8.11.04
http://www.mustrad.org.uk/enth44.htm
I first met Dave Williams in 1978/79 on a visit to my hometown. Dave was playing the concertina, flute & uilleann pipes back then and had finished a 2 year course in restoring, repairing making woodwind instruments at the then new Newark Collage of Instrument Making. From what I remember he became interested in Irish traditional music just from hearing it, going to folk clubs and from his time at sea and trips to Ireland. He’d become fascinated by the uilleann pipes. He’d worked on ships going to Australia too I remember.