What Chanter Is This?

Uilleann Pipes
1

…
On my wife’s birthday on Sunday a friend of ours amazed me by turning up with a practice set. I knew that he plays mandolin and guitar and used to play in sessions in Ireland, but I had no idea that he owned a practice set. He told me that at one point he was collecting different instruments and he bought this practice set and only ever played a scale on it. He bought it about 25 years ago from a policeman, who I think was the maker. He remembered the policeman as being somewhere in West Meath or Co. Cavan. The reed was completely dead, and the bag was stiff and dry, and the bellows looked very basic. But I put my Daye reed into it and used my bag and it has quite a nice sound, slightly mellower than my Daye chanter. (Incidentally, I’m finding it difficult to adapt to covering the holes on a standard shaped chanter from my Daye Penny Chanter.)

Does anyone have any idea who the maker might be? Are there any details that might help in identifying it?

Thanks

Andrew

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2

I don’t suppose I’ve given anyone much to go by, except for the West Meath/Co. Cavan policeman. What should I be looking at, or providing photos of, to help identify it?

Andrew

3

a less blurry picture of the mounts would be a good start.

I assume there are no “identifying marks” of any kind?

4

Peter Maguire was a policeman in Oldcastle, Co. Meath in the '70’s who made pipes. Could be by him.

5

…much too small

6

Matt Kiernan was a policeman, but in Dublin - Cabra, to be specific. Also, I think he stamped his chanters “M KIERNAN”.

7

Could well be. Peter Searle, my friend who owns the chanter, couldn’t remember the name of the town, but he mentioned Mull-something as a possibility. Brian McNamara’s page
http://www.piperbrian.com/about/about.html
mentions him: "In 1979 at the age of 12 years old he was first introduced to the Uilleann Pipes by family friend Peter Maguire, a native of Mullahoran, Co. Cavan. "

What is the reputation of his pipes?

Thanks

Andrew

8

Thanks everyone. My friend’s memory has been jogged and he confirms that Peter Maguire was the name of the pipemaker.

Thanks particularly to emer and Peter Laban.

9

On the Chieftains Celebration, Paddy Moloney plays a 19th century Bb set in the tune Strayaway child (one of my favourite jigs). On the album sleve, he thanks Peter Maguire for the loan of the set.

10

Peter Laban tells me that that’s a Coyne set.

11

What is the reputation of his pipes?

I have a set of concert drones by Peter from around 1977, blackwood and brass, I collected them from him in the Garda Station, never had a problem with them, good sound etc., but haven’t used them for a while as they were largely replaced by a flat set.
I’d put up a photograph except that I am completely illiterate and don’t know how to. Brian MacNamara is the only other person I know of who played his pipes, but I’m sure there must be lots more out there.

12

Why do I find this hard to accept?
It’s really quite simple…

Is the photograph scanned? If yes, find a free hosting service like:
http://photobucket.com/
http://www.freeimagehosting.info/

Subscribe/register then upload the photo to their service.
Link the photo here.

Need more help?
PM me.

13

having been suitably, and very politely put in my place, this might lead to a photo of my drones by Peter Maguire, might even display it here, I have no idea what might happen. Not much to be seen really in any event.
I mentioned Peter to a friend of mine earlier and was informed that a P. Maguire is a Garda Chief Superintendent based in Santry, north Dublin, who may be the man in question? any one know?

14

Good job Emer. Painless wasn’t it?

15

The Chief Super is also Peter Maguire, but I’m not sure if it’s the same person. Not too many Chief Supers would have the time to make uilleann pipes, I’d imagine.