Uilleann Pipers

I should begin with a question; that’s how these Discussions work, right. I was just searching for a piper & about to post a recent clip by him. So, my question is, which pipers might you be listening to, playing w/ or just think worth mentioning?

Here’s my clip of Clare(?) piper Michael O’Connell ~ https://www.facebook.com/napiobairiuilleann/videos/258637108879821/

I meet him in Ennis (2002) before I went to the Willie Clancy school. He was playing a session at the Old Ground Hotel, then a late/early session in Milltown Malbay, a concert @ glór & last I saw him was a pizza joint.
Hope you like the clip & please post more of the same if you have some piper’s video or even just a sound clip.
Much Appreciation!

There’s far too many to mention but a few pipers who really have knocked me off my seat lately are

Fionnan Mac Gabhann:
https://pipers.ie/source/media/?galleryId=1092&mediaId=26897

Met him in Glasgow at an IUPD gathering and felt like I was listening to an old 78rpm but also that I was seeing someone with something important and personal to say not just copying.

Seamus O’ Rochain:
https://pipers.ie/source/media/?galleryId=1089&mediaId=26870

The lift he gets and the motion while playing. Actually found copying the way he moves to add lift to my own playing.

and John Touhy:
https://pipers.ie/source/media/?galleryId=999&mediaId=25817

Just the emotion and all the fantastic off the knee stuff.

and lastly I keep going back to Pat Mitchells playing. I really wish Pat would put out a newer recording. Have always loved his now old one:
https://pipers.ie/source/media/?galleryId=956&mediaId=25350



Padraic Keane, Mark Redmond , Padraig McGovern, could go on and on.

I just had a listen to Séamus Ó Rócháin playing The First House in Connacht / Rakish Paddy, and to my ears there’s more than a hint of Willie Clancy in his style. Lovely stuff.

Mark Redmond has been doing a fair number of high profile gigs in Ireland in recent years, he’s bloody good IMO. Very, very musical playing, total command of the instrument and it doesn’t hurt that his pipes sound incredible.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=288042935680177

Thank you, all.

Some fine pipers mentioned already including Séamus Ó Rócháin, Michael Cooney, and Pat Mitchell. There’s also Robbie Hannan, Becky Taylor, Mick Coyne, Mick O’Brien, Gay McKeon. I also have a lot of time for these pipers:
Máire Ní Ghráda:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1xrDKWPiHk

play video

Cillian Vallely:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoiB1-Ubn2I

play video

Seán McKiernan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcMOvuB6ujM&t=31s

play video

Tiarnan Duinnchinn:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9lbS6srpBY

play video

Padraig McGovern:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTS6CHv2cgQ

play video

Emer Mayock:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEBJKkCJBSo

play video

https://youtu.be/IMXRPygp3Is

play video

Joey Abarta

Someone who doesn’t maybe get the credit he deserves as a piper, possibly because he’s always played with The Chieftains, is Paddy Moloney. His piping is stellar. Finbar Furey should always get a mention among the great living pipers, too. Kevin Rowsome is also a very fine piper.
m.d.

Of course Paddy Keenan, Brian McNamara, Jerry O’Sullivan, and soo many other great players. We are really living in a great time for piping!

I appreciate this thread very much because of it’s replies from ya’ll.

Question from a layman: What happens when the chanter is lifted off the knee pad?

Michael, the piper lifts the chanter for any of a few reasons:

1) to play the lowest note of the chanter

2) to swell or color the tone of certain notes, especially bottom hand 1st octave notes

3) to give a bit of dynamic or tonal emphasis on some notes, especially bottom hand second octave e, f, and g.

4) to access the second octave f natural without using a key

5) to affect the pitch, volume or tone of a note that may be a little “off” without it. Chanters and reeds are quirky things, and sometimes one has to adapt. E.g., Liam O’Flynn’s habit of lifting on the second octave e

To come back to this, I’d like to add 3 names which really should be included :

1 - Jarlath Henderson - to me, Jarlath is THE outstanding piper [ not to mention, singer, ] of his generation.

2 - largely overlooked because he’s mainly thought of as a flute / whistle player, but Michael McGoldrick is also an excellent piper.

3 - going back to the 1970s, since I heard him in an unusual duet setting with Manchester banjo player “Sully” - Joe McKenna. Both of them had won their Senior All-Ireland competitions in 1976 at the Fleadh in Buncrana, Co. Donegal. Might even still have a recording somewhere, must have a search.

Thank you, Kenny. Appreciate the inclusion of these 3 pipers.

Thank you, mp1996.

The Portlaoise Quartet [Joe Byrne, Alain Carroll, Kurt Dineen, Fiadh Fitzpatrick]

http://pipers.ie/source/media/?recent=true&sectionId=5$pageIndex=0&pageIndex=2&pageSize=72&sPage=3&mediaId=31397

Just now found this.