Na Píobairí Uilleann

Chairman, NPU

An Píobaire

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7 3 6 20110711 6 Johnny Savage BROCAS PAINTING W ITH the generous assistance of members and friends, Na Píobairí Uilleann has raised the sum of €1,100 to acquire the painting featured on this issue’s cover. Entitled “The Piper’s Wee Dram”, it was painted in 1840 by the Dublin painter William Brocas RHA (1794-1868). The painting depicts a piper standing in a tavern sipping a glass of whiskey, while his pipes lie on the bar beside him. It gives us an idea of how the player of our instrument was perceived in pre- Famine Ireland, and also gives us an image of a particular instrument. Artist’s depictions of in- struments cannot always be trusted, but several aspects of the instrument depicted here are of in- terest. It is a bellows-blown set, which places it in the Pastoral/Union/Uilleann pipes camp. It appears to be quite small, and the ends of the drones have a particular type of tulip-shaped style, both of which features resemble the famous ‘Lord Edward’ set at the National Museum of Ireland. That latter set is made in ivory however, whereas this set is de- picted as black in colour, perhaps made of ebony or a similar tropical hardwood. The appearance and setting of the player is also informative. Although the instrument, when it first appeared, was the preserve of the moneyed classes, by the early 19th century it had begun to lose its fashionable status, and to fall into the hands of ‘folk’ musicians, by whose hands, (and on this instrument) what we now call ‘Irish tradi- tional music’ was originally formed. The player in this picture is shabbily dressed and is apparantly standing in a common tavern, not the context or appearance we would expect for a ‘gentleman piper’. duction to the instrument and clips covering bel- lows, bag, chanter, drones and regulators. The PIPE UP Irish Traditional Music Resource DVD-ROM can be used on a PC or Mac or on a school interactive whiteboard and, we hope, rep- resents a unique use of the latest animation tech- nology for transmission of information on Irish traditional music, and will help to bring the uil- leann pipes to a wider audience. GERRY LYONS Gay McKeon introduces Minister Deenihan to Sheila Friel and Sandie Purcell Gay McKeon, Minister Deenihan, Dr Nicholas Carolan, Mary Friel, Jim Griffith and Dr Nancy Groce Dave Hegarty, Minister Deenihan and Paddy Moloney Johnny Savage Johnny Savage

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[Periodical]

2011-07-19T00:00:00

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