Na Píobairí Uilleann

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An Píobaire

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7 4 24 20110920 24 received with the most enthusiastic applause. In person, Talbot was a large portly-looking man, red faced, and good-looking, though strongly marked by traces of the small-pox. He always wore a blue coat, fully made, with gilt buttons, and had altogether the look of what we call in Ireland a well-dressed badagh,* or half- sir, which means a kind of gentleman-farmer. His pipes, indeed, were a very wonderful in- strument, or rather combination of instruments, being so complicated that no one could play upon them but himself. The tones which he brought out of them might be imagined to pro- ceed from almost every instrument in an or- chestra – now resembling the sweetest and most attenuated notes of the finest Cremona vi- olin, and again the deep and solemn diapason of the organ. Like every Irish performer of talent that we have met with, he always preferred the rich old songs and airs of Ireland to every other de- scription of music; and when lit up into the en- thusiasm of his profession and his love of country, he has often deplored, with tears in his sightless eyes, the inroads which modern fash- ion has made, and was making, upon the good old spirit of the by-gone times. Nearly the last words I ever heard from his lips were highly touching, and characteristic of the man as well as the musician: “If we forget our own old music,” said he, “what is there to remember in its place?” – words alas! which are equally fraught with melancholy and truth. * Badagh signifies a churl, and was originally applied as a word of offence to the English settlers. The offensive mean- ing, however, is not now always attached to it, although it often is. The following two pieces are from the writings of W. H. Grattan Flood ACCORDING to Dr. Kitto, William Talbot was certainly a talented musician as well as piper. Talbot was born near Roscrea, County Tipperary, in 1780, and lost his sight from small-pox in 1785, at which date his family re- moved to “the seaside, near Waterford.” In 1793, being then but thirteen, he was already a piper of local repute, and was in request for all festive gatherings. From 1797 to 1801 he be- came a sailor and voyaged to various parts of the world, but again reverted to his first love, and became a professional piper in 1802. “At Limerick he made his first attempt to build an organ, in which he succeeded admirably with- out instruction from any person.” Removing to Cork, he purchased an organ so as to become acquainted with the mechanism, and he soon constructed a fine-toned organ. From the ex- perience thus acquired in the matter of reeds, etc., Talbot improved the “Uilleann” pipes con- siderably; and his improvements have been generally adopted by succeeding makers. In April, 1813, he opened a tavern at No. 12 Lit- tle Mary Street, Dublin. (A History of Irish Music, Dublin 1905) MORE famous than any of these was William Talbot, the blind piper. Born near Roscrea, County Tipperary, in 1780, he lost his sight from small-pox in 1785, and was trained as a professional piper. He had quite an adventurous life, and was a most ingenious mechanic and inventor. Not alone did he con- struct a beautiful organ, but he made several sets of bagpipes, and introduced many im- provements. Between the years 1803 and 1813 his fame was not confined to Ireland, and in the latter year he opened a tavern in Little Mary Street, Dublin. At a performance of Oscar and Malvina at Crow Street Theatre on March 5th, 1816, he played on the Uilleann pipes, and up- held his reputation as a master of his instru- ment. (The Story of the Bagpipe, London 1911)

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