The History of Uilleann Pipes

Pipes

10/10/2008, Daniel Hendrix

The bagpipe has been around for quite some time, but no one is exactly sure when and where it was first created. Based on some carvings that date back to roughly 1000 BC, many believe the ancient Hittites were the first to develop the instrument, but whether or not the instrument was developed earlier or by someone else is left up to the imagination! Like many instruments, it may have been created simultaneously in different parts of the world. It is my personal opinion that the bagpipe developed from some form of reed pipe (the ancestors of the oboe). Just for your information, two examples of ancient reed pipes are the Greek aulos and the Armenian duduk (which is still played today). The similarities between the reed pipe and the bagpipe are obvious; in both instruments there is a double reed that sits inside a pipe that has finger holes drilled on one side. I believe that someone thought of attaching a bag and blowpipe to these pipes when people started playing two of them at the same time (either with a melody pipe or a drone pipe). Perhaps someone discovered that they could attach reed pipes to some type of air reservoir and play them all at the same time. This is my personal opinion, but it is based on my own independent research (and it makes sense)!

The Irish uilleann pipes are relative newcomers to the bagpipe world, compared with some other forms of bagpipes. The basic concept of the uilleann pipes originated sometime around the middle of the seventeenth century with the creation of the pastoral pipes. It is not precisely known what country first developed this instrument, but the idea was most likely first entertained in the border region of Scotland and England. Based on what little information we have, the pastoral pipes evolved with the input and craftsmanship of pipe makers from Ireland, Scotland, and England. It was developed as a quieter, more mellow, bellows-blown bagpipe to be played indoors and with other instruments, as opposed "warpipes," which overpower most other instruments. The pastoral pipes had a foot joint on the end of the chanter, which allowed it to play one note below what would be the bottom note on the uilleann pipes. Since the chanter was played in an open fashion, the pastoral pipes were played in a legato-only style, just like most other bagpipes. In other words, the sound of the chanter was continual and could not be stopped during play.

After several changes to the instrument, such as removing the foot joint, and some modifications to the chanter and reed, the instrument changed into what people began calling the "union pipes." It is during this stage that Ireland began making more complex changes to the instrument by adding another drone and two more regulators. Also, the union pipes were played with the chanter rested on the knee in order to seal off the chanter, which allowed for staccato playing. After these modifications, the term "uilleann," which comes from "elbow" in Irish gaelic, began being used. It is obvious why they used this term; the piper uses his elbow to not only squeeze the bag, but also to pump the bellows! Three factors make the uilleann pipes Irish; the instrument, as it is today, was modified by the Irish from the original pastoral pipe design, the instrument was played predominately by Irish people throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and much of the repertoire of uilleann pipers are tunes composed in Ireland. Another interesting fact is the concert-pitch D sets, the most common sets today, were created by the Irish (the Taylor brothers, who immigrated to Philadelphia).

The popularity of the uilleann pipes actually began to wane sometime during the nineteenth century, perhaps from the difficulty of tuning the instrument compared to the accordion, which started taking over the music scene in Ireland. The aforementioned Taylor brothers actually saved the instrument by coming to the United States and promoting their newly created D sets. Later on in Ireland, in the early twentieth century, the instrument experienced revival on a grand scale, thanks to individuals like Leo Rowsome, Seamus Ennis, Willie Clancy, and several other individuals dedicated their lives to playing and promoting this wonderful Irish instrument. Today, thanks to the love these men had for the uilleann pipes and the rich history behind them, there are uilleann pipe makers in Ireland, the United States, Scotland, England, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, and several other countries. There are also uilleann pipers spread all over the world, many of them carrying on the tradition of playing the Irish tunes that have passed down from generation to generation! Yes, the uilleann pipes are here to stay, and as long as there are people willing to put in the time, energy, and patience to learn them, they will be thrilling the hearts and souls of countless people for generations to come. Don't worry, Rowsome, Ennis, Clancy, and the Taylors; your legacies will live on!

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