Na Píobairí Uilleann

Chairman, NPU

An Píobaire

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6 5 13 20101217 13 No recession of Uilleann Pipers in Templemore O n Friday 8th October the 23rd Uilleann Pipe Tionól took place in the Templemore Arms Hotel. A huge gathering of pipers from all over Ireland and from America arrived for the event. On Friday evening the session began and we were joined by Na Píobairí Uillean CEO Gay McKeon with his recently acquired Rowsome set, which sounded brilliant. The session went on until late that night. Saturday saw the reed-making class in full swing with Jim Wenham and Séamus Mac Mathúna showing their skills in the art of reed-making. Also on Saturday piping classes were given to both beginners and advanced players by Leo Rickard and Rory Somers. Saturday evening saw sessions commence throughout the hotel joined by local musi- cians. Another late night was had by all. On Sunday morning we had the Piper’s Chair, where young pipers took part to display their piping talents. A newly composed slow air by Leo Rickard was played in memory of past pipers and musicians deceased. Sessions con- cluded on Sunday afternoon. A special thanks to all the pipers who attended. Without them the tionól would not be possible. Here’s look- ing forward to Tionól 2011. A group photograph taken at the Templemore Tionól can be seen on pages 16-17. The following are the names of the people included: Back row (l-r): Oliver O’Connell, John Morrissey, Michael O’Connell, Tom Clarke, Tommy Mallon, Gerry Starr, Martin Breen, Brendan Wickham, Mike Mullin, Patrick Hyland Middle row (l-r): Mark Kiely, Pat Broderick, Joe Barry, Jim Wenham, Hamish Stuart, Eamon Rynne, Michael Sammon, Ciara Maxwell, Séamus Mac Mathúna, Cillian Roche Front row (l-r): Un-named, Sean McCarthy, Un- named, Brendan Collins, Micky Dunne, Ruairí Somers, Fergal Breen, John Mitchell Also in attendance: Gay McKeon, Leo Rickard, Jimmy Morrison, Dominic Gallagher, Stuart Gallagher ~ TIONOL REPORT ~ TEMPLEMORE J. M. SYNGE - TRAVELLING IRELAND T he old man himself was cheerful and seemingly fairly well-to-do, but in the end he seemed to be getting dejected as he spoke of one difficulty after another, so I asked him, to change the subject, if there was much dancing in the country. ‘No,’ he said, ‘this while back you’ll never see a piper coming this way at all, though in the old times it’s many a piper would be moving around through those houses for a whole quarter together, playing his pipes and drinking poteen and the people dancing round him; but now there is no dancing or singing in this place at all, and most of the young people is growing up and going to America The extract above, from J. M. Synge – Travelling Ireland, Essays 1898-1908, Ed. Nicholas Grene (Lilliput Press 2009), describes an encounter near Carraroe, in Connemara, in 1905.

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2011-02-24T00:00:00

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