Firstly the Board and Staff of NPU would like to wish all our members and friends around the world a happy and prosperous New Year.
We have received a number of excellent suggestions from members in relation to the website piping tuition section which we will follow up on over the coming months. We are pleased to advise that six new lessons with two pipers will be added in February.
Rowsome Commemorative Event
This event which will be held in 15 Henrietta Street, Dublin 1 on Saturday February 27th 2010 is generating a lot of interest, details of the programme can be accessed at
http://www.pipers.ie/events/_100227Rowsome.htm
We would like to hear from pipe-makers who are interested in displaying their own manufactured instruments to the public and fellow pipers on that day. Please advise any pipe-makers that you know who may be interested to please contact Sandie Purcell by phone at 00 353 1 8730093 or by email at sandie@pipers.ie.
The programme includes a class on Pipes Maintenance by John Murphy and we would love to have as many novice and young pipers as possible attend and avail of a great opportunity. There will be reed-making techniques discussion forum hosted by Michael O’Donovan and Andreas Rogge and the Rowsome piping legacy will be expanded upon by Harry Bradshaw in the evening lecture. We are delighted to have a great line-up for the piping recital including Joe and Peter McKenna, Michael Cooney, Peter Browne and a piping quartet made up of Fergus Finnegan, Leo Rickard, Mick Touhy and Kevin Rowsome. There will also be plenty of opportunity for informal piping throughout the day and evening so, don’t forget to bring your instrument.
Fundraising
NPU will be undertaking a number of activities in order to raise much needed funds which will be rolled out over the coming weeks/months. In that regard Seán Potts Snr. has very kindly offered to grant NPU permission to publish and sell his recently recorded solo with all proceeds of sale going to NPU as a contribution to the fundraising drive. We are very much indebted to Seán once again for assisting NPU in such a generous manner. We will be launching the latter CD and the fundraising campaign in mid March.
To date we have received a very good response from people interested in taking part in the sponsored cycle to Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy in Milltown Malbay County Clare during the weekend of July 2nd to 4th 2010. We will be posting out more details along with sponsorship cards to everyone who has contacted to date and we would like to hear from anyone else who is interested in taking part in this event.
Pipe- Making Training
Pipe-making training is a priority for NPU and subject to adequate funding being secured we plan to commence training in-house in the second half of 2010 after we have launched the web based training material. We are very pleased to advise that excellent progress is being made and we are very much indebted to the Arts Council of Ireland / An Chomhairle Ealaoin and their council members and staff for their support over the past twelve months in particular.
Monthly Session with the Pipers recital series
This series continues on the first Tuesday of each month in the Cobblestone Bar in Smithfield, Dublin 7. The next recital on Tuesday February January 2nd will feature piper Michael O’Connell, along with Charlie Harris, Sean Ryan and Alec Finn.
Tionól 2010
The venue for the 2010 annual NPU Tionól will be The Step House Hotel in Borris, County Carlow on Friday to Sunday May 28th to 30th. There are a limited number of bedrooms available in the hotel so early booking is advised. There are also a number of options for renting holiday cottages which would be cost effective for groups of three or four people. Additional details can be viewed at the following link
http://www.pipers.ie/events/_100528Tionol2010.htm
Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy
The 2010 event will commence on Saturday July3rd and will include tuition classes for piping, Air playing, reed and pipe -making and music appreciation along with the daily piping recitals and the Wednesday night piping concert. Registration for the piping classes can be can be made directly with NPU by from 1st March.
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