I am a jigaholic myself.
I love the jigs, single jigs, slip jigs, slides, etc.
I also think hornpipes are underplayed.
These seem to offer more “room” for ornaments and triplets.
This applies to all my whistles and bagpipes that I play, not just low whistle.
I LIKE reels. Most of them are not that tough. Hornpipes can be every bit as difficult as a reel, if not more so, having jagged, arpeggiated, highly detailed melodies; many of the classic piping tunes, like the Independent, the Sweeps, The Derry, Johnny Cope, The High Level, Dunphy’s, The Taylor’s Twist, The Kingstown, The Fisher’s, Ballymanus Fair, The Plains of Boyle, Bee’s Wing, etc., can be quite difficult to learn, and they aren’t easy to play WELL (w/steady tempo, a good amount of “lift” or “swing”, lots of nuances and style). Learn to play some of the more challenging hornpipes and set dances well and reels will be a breeze by comparison.
BTW the surest way to screw up even the simplest reel to try playing it fast right out of the gate. Slow it way down (slower than a hornpipe) and gradually ratchet up the tempo as your comfort level increases, but give yourself at least several days of slower practice before increasing to full speed.
I think pipers should play a little of everything, including slides, polkas, waltzes, barn dances, etc.; reels need to be part of any good pipers’ repertoire. You need not play ridiculously fast. Keep a good “lift” in your music at a steady tempo, that’s much more important.
Edited to add:
It’s easy to get a bad impression or distaste for reels when you’re around people who play them too fast or with the wrong feel. Many American fiddlers, particularly those with a bluegrass or appalachian background, seem to have a very difficult time adjusting to playing in an irish style; they play too fast, with the wrong emphasis, and constantly accelerate through tunes instead of starting at a certain tempo and maintaining it throughout the performance. Irish players may speed up after the first 2-3 bars but by bar 4 they’re typically at a tempo that remains fixed throughout the rest of the piece. They also swing the rhythms in a more pronounced way and emphasize different beats than the bluegrassers.
Best thing you can do, mayo piper, is avoid having anything to do with bluegrassers if you want to be able to play traditional music well, they’ll screw up your piping and waste your time.
Wow. THIS is the type of forum I was hoping to stumble into! Thanks Pat. You really made me stop and look over reels in a different light. I have been playing along with the Clarke book and CD with my whistle and am now looking at my expersion on the reels. I don’t any background with Bluegrass so that won’t be an influence.
I do want to learn the Trad way and appreciate the tempo changes in certain measures.
Although the book is good; nothing takes the place of a good teacher who will look over your fingering and correct your tempo ( with a wooden ruler if need be!) 
Listen to how Heather plays the reels on the instructional CD. It’s not important that you learn reels at this time, it’s much more important to listen and internalize how an irish-born, irish-raised, traditional piper who grew up surrounded by good traditional music plays a reel. And then go do the same with other pipers and other irish traditional dance genres.
Reels can be magnificent things in the right hands.
i’ve a Vignoles set..and it is very well made 