Gallery Matches
The ownership of this set of pipes can be traced almost from the time of its manufacture to the present. They were made for John Coughlan (1837-1908) by Michael Egan – one of two sets that the famous pipemaker made for him in New York in the late 1850s. Egan had been induced to come to America by Coughlan’s father Thomas, and taught John for some time, as well as making the pipes for him.
John Coughlan became a celebrated piper in the United States, but emigrated to Australia in 1862, apprehensive at the disturbed conditions arising from the American Civil War. He settled in Melbourne, and later moved to Sydney. He acquired a great reputation as a piper and travelled throughout Australia, as well as to New Zealand, performing Irish music.
On his death in 1908 the pipes were bequeathed to his brother Tom, who was professionally known as “Tom Buckley, the Irish Comedian”. He travelled even further with them, bringing his comedy/music routine to India and throughout Australasia.
The ownership of the set is unclear for some time after this until they came into the possession of Australian piper Bill Crowe (an uncle of Joe Barry of Templemore), probably in 1945. Bill’s father Paddy, a Tipperary man, arrived in Australia in 1899, and Bill was born there. By occupation a fireman, he visited Ireland in 1956 taking the set with him. During a tour of Tara Street fire-station, he was introduced to “another mad piper”, Dan O’Dowd, who worked there. They struck up a relationship and Crowe stayed with the O’Dowds for some time before returning to Australia. Before he left he gave the Egan set to Dan.
Set made by Denis Harrington in Cork in the 1850s. It was sent from America to Leo Rowsome in part payment for a new set of Leo’s making, and in the 1950s it was purchased from Leo by Ronan Browne’s parents. Ronan has been playing the set for many years and, along with Geoff Wooff, has made the name of Harrington celebrated throughout the piping world.
In Irish Minstrels and Musicians (Chicago 1913), Francis O’Neill was able to provide only the scantiest information on Harrington’s career:
Harrington . . . was the son of a small farmer, but he couldn’t be kept away from music. He went to the city and lived on Hanover Street, where our informant often saw him making pipes. “Over fifty years ago,” says Mr. O’Neill, “the first exhibition in Cork was held. Harrington made a set of Irish pipes for the occasion. The keys and ferrules were of silver, and he sold them at the exhibition for fifty pounds. At the Munster Feis at Cork, about eight years ago, I complimented one of the pipers, named Cash, from the county of Wicklow, on the beauty of his pipes. He drew my attention to the words, ‘Harrington, Cork,’ branded on every stick of them. I have an old set of Harrington’s make left me by a piper named John O’Neill.”
Discouraged by the direful condition of affairs resulting from the famine, Harrington emigrated to America and all trace of him was lost.
