The new (March o6’) issue of National Geographic includes an article titled “Celt Appeal” about historic and modern Celtic culture worldwide. One of the accompanying photos is of a session at the Galway Inn in Lorient, France. Barely visible, and nearly buried in the spine of the magazine are I believe a set of U.P.'s laying across someone’s lap.
Does anyone know who the musicians might be?
If I had a good scanner I’d post the photo.
I just discovered that at ngm.com there is an online multimedia presentation of additional sights & sounds including the same photo and featuring a recording on U.P.'s, apparently by Fred Morrison.
Those aren’t UPs. The clip is some form of Scottish music on Scottish small pipes.
djm
Yup, one of Fred’s clips is Highland pipes and the other is low whistle.
You get a few minutes of nice Uilleann pipes when you go here, though:
http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0603/sights_n_sounds/index.html
(I bet someone knows who’s playing there…eh?)
I haven’t a bog eyed notion who the piper is or who is playing in the audio… nice little schnippeth though.
As to the photo…
Looks like bleedin’ pipes to me 
PD.
It’s Fred Morrison again. Don’t forget, he plays uilleann pipes, too. I liked the description of him in the article as looking like “an off-duty traveling salesman” with his pipecases. The tune he plays on UPs is a version of “The Woman Of The House” that I think he got from Pat Broderick. Some nice triplets there, Fred!
It’s a nice article, if a bit Schmelticky in places. The other audio bits on the website are Belfast poet Gearóid MacLochlainn reading some of his poems and some kan ha diskan singing from Les Frères Morvan. MacLochlann’s poetry gets compared to rap, but I was pretty disappointed with his breathy, melodramatic delivery. Actual rap in Irish would be kinda refreshing, I think. There are a few people who do a good enough job of it in Welsh…It would’ve been nice if the article had made some mention of the tremendously creative Welsh-language contemporary music scene, actually. That’s something that all the other Celtic countries are sorely lacking… Les Frères Morvan are a bit past their prime, but it’s a nice example of the old traditional style of kan ha diskan. Azé!
The pipes in the photo look Uilleann to me, complete with bass reg bar.
Looks like some guy doing a breast exam on another guy to me.
LOL - and it wouldn’t be National Geographic without the requisite photos of topless women! 
Right.. so for all this time David has been labouring under the idea that Uilleann Pipes are in fact not what we all think they are but are Scottish Smallpipes 
Presumably he is playing a set o Scottish Small Pipes but thinks they are Uilleann Pipes
Confused..ye will be if ye contribute to this forum enough times 
Slán Go Foill
Uilliam
Just for the purpose of clarification–there are two music clips with pipes. The first, which is on the introductory page with all the blather about the Celts being Europe’s hardy, romantic losers, features Fred Morrison playing the previously mentioned tune on uilleann pipes. The second is on the audio page and features two cuts of Fred’s playing, one on Highland pipes and one on low whistle. All three samples are taken from Fred’s excellent album “Up South.” What may have confused some people is that the photo on the website shows a rather appropriately blurry, grinning Fred playing border pipes.
Okay, all clear now?
My ear is very much telling me that the uilleann piping clip is of Fred Morrison…
Boyd
I have no idea what clip you are listening to, Uilliam. I went to ngm.com as described at the beginning of this thread. I clicked on Celt Appeal, then on Audio: Music and Musings in the left sidebar menu.
This brings up three photos. The one on the left says “Fred Morrison”. It has a picture of him playing a set of small pipes with the tiny drones sticking out to his right at chest level. If I click on this photo, Fred plays Up South on these small pipes (not sure what type so I didn’t give a name), followed by The Old Schoolhouse on low whistle. Whatever the type of pipes, they certainly don’t look or sound like any UPs I’m familiar with. However, you are the self-proclaimed expert on all things UP, so I will leave it to you to confirm that these are, in fact, UPs
djm
The guy on the left of that photo bears a very strong resemblance to Joe McKenna.
Play the video by clicking on the picture of the guy in the great kilt on the left.
Now now DLM It was an honest mistake and I apologise.Methinks others have made the same error.As for your personal attack on my suitability or otherwise to contribute to this board then that is another matter.
I think it is a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black !! 
Slán Agat
Uilliam
So, let me get this straight… that’s Fred Morrison playing the uilleann pipes?
Just kidding of course.
I can see the rap comparison to the poet but it sounded a bit more like Beatnik Poetry Jam at The Harp and Shamrock. Some tasty flute-playing though.
If there’s a guy in a great kilt and people with woad on their faces, it clearly got a bit Schmelticky.
Very cool little snippet indeed. Thanks for that! I no longer get the magazine, and miss it greatly.
Roman Piper do ye have anything constructive to contribute to this board ?or is it all gibberish
Slán Agat
Uilliam