I have been building my collection CD’s featuring UPs piping and listened to a lot of them lastnight. It was very difficult to single out of the ones I was listening to, who I would be tempted to say was the best…they all sounded great to me. But I do know that I love the “40 years of Irish piping” by Seamus Ennis and I tend to listen to him more often than the rest.
Question: Who do you consider to be the your favorite piper of all time and why?
Thanks
Hi KDMARTINKY
You have set a question that is impossible to answer. How do you adequately define greatest relating to piping.
If you said who is your favourite piper then I can answer it - Fred Morrison, because he plays like a demon on GHB border pipes UPs and whistle.
David
I second that… Fred Morrison 
Hard to choose just one, I’d say.
Mick O’Brien. He makes that swing sound so natural and easy. (Then you sit down and try it yourself and – whoops! not so easy! How does he do it?)
Brian McNamara. Amazing level of detail.
Benedict Koehler, who doesn’t have a CD, 
but who IMHO has no equal for pure musicianship, color, and tone.
Of the older fellows I favor Willie Clancy, again for swing.
KAD
KDM, please stop and consider before posting questions like this. Who can say they’ve listened to every piper? Who can say they are qualified to give an opinion? How many times has this question been asked on this forum before, and what were the responses then?
And more importantly - why are you asking this question in the first place? Are you asking who you should be listening to in order to learn from? Listen to them all! You will find that everyone has their own personal style, their own personal take on each tune, their own capabilities. Even if you don’t care for some particular piper’s style, they probably have something important to teach you.
Don’t limit yourself at such an early point in your learning. You’re not going to sound like any of the great pipers in the first two months of your development, or the first two years, as far as that goes. Take it all in. Let’s see what comes out 21 years from now. 
djm
Are you asking us to name the most favorite (ie the one who most people like the most) piper of all time? Isn’t that the same as asking who the most popular piper of all time is? And if that’s what you are indeed asking, it is still an impossible question. (And, frankly, kind of pointless. Just because a lot of people like him doesn’t make him the best. Look at some politicians)
If on the other hand you are actually trying to ask who our personal favorite is, then that is answerable.
My “fave” is William Fung.
Why? — He Bangs!
Never heard of him, so he can’t be any good. (see what I mean?)
djm
My, my! I couldn’t begin to name my favorite piper - I admire a lot of them for various reasons. To name “The” favorite piper seems to imply that there is some kind of universal consensus of opinion and when did that ever happen among pipers?
The Pipers du jour for me currently are:
Brian MacNamara,
Mick O’Brien
Ronan Browne
Willie Clancy
Johnny Doran
Tommy Reck
David Power and Tommy Martin.
This isn’t necessarily the order in which they are favored. My ‘fave’ list keeps growing and changing. To date, no pipers have fallen out of faith with my tastes… truth be known, I don’t think that could ever happen.
My favourite piper is me, of course. But who do I draw most inspiration from? None other than Willie Clancy.
Cheers,
DavidG
Well, that’s what I really wanted to write about myself. Good day, bad day, I’d rather be playing than listening if the truth be told.
For the record though, I’m also inspired by McNamara, O’Brien, Ronan Browne, Liam O’Flynn and Jerry O’Sullivan. And I’d like to be more inspired by Jimmy O’Brien-Moran if he’d ever do another recording. For inexplicable reasons, Paddy Keenan has fallen off my list. I find that mildly surprising. No more self-examination and introspection for me.
djm:
why are you asking this question in the first place?
I am wanting this question to help me identify two things:
Thanks
Screw that Clapton bloke, Fred Morrison is God.
Mick O’Brien, Robbie Hannan, and Paddy Keenan would all be eligible for minor forest- or water-deity status, however…
Joseph Smith what a legend
Actually my favorite is Troy Donockley. (sorry, Joseph)
Vote for Fred Morrison too. and Diarmaid Moynihan , Leonard Barry,Declan Masterson.P Keenan.
John McSherry
I’m astounded that no one has mentioned Paddy Maloney! 
He is one of my favorite, for it is simply amazin how he can use his pipes to creat so many moods. Another favorite is Brian McNamara.
Andreas
i’m sure i’ve the spelling of this lads name wrong but heard an italian piper called marco polo or marco polio or something like that 2 years ago doing a concert in ennis, co. clare.
he was absolutely incredible. haven’t heard of him since. he may have recorded a cd with some of the ennis heads, memory’s a bit vague.
one of my fav pipers is probably mikie smyth. he’s technically amazing and reg work especially is fantastic. great craic too. must drop down to limerick soon to run into him.
My current favorite is still Johnny Doran. Listening to Patsy Touhey recently, too.
J.