Has anyone tried these as an aid for starting playing? Any views?
The only good review is a dead review: this item is dead as far as having anything to do with uilleann piping 
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I have to agree with Tommy.
I bought one of these back before I got my pipes in 2000. About the only thing they are good for is training your hands to fit and find sound holes (though this is still different than a real chanter) and going through the motions of playing a scale.
Uilleann pipes require so much more of your physiology to play correctly, that the whistle chanter doesn’t give you much. About like playing football on X-Box to learn how to play football. The rules are there and you learn to see some opportunities, but … well, you get the point.
Better to spend the extra on even a penny chanter, bag, and bellows if you are serious about playing the pipes. Pat sky is another option as well as those guys in Boston for budget sets. There are a few others as well. Search around, you’ll find some stuff.
Good luck!