THE PIPES ARE CALLING!
THE magnificent sounds of the Uilleann Pipes filled Stamps recently as pipers from all over the county gathered there to celebrate International Uileann Pipes Day. An instrument which has seen somewhat of a resurgence in recent years, the idea of Uilleann Pipes Day is to promote the instrument and it sees pipers take over venues all over the world from America to Japan.
In Enniscorthy, a talented bunch of pipers put on a great show for the assembled crowd in Stamps, keeping the music going for nearly four hours.
‘We had a brilliant crowd in,’ said Padraig Sinnott, one of the organisers. ‘We had lads in from all over the county. Of course Wexford is known as the home of piping! It was great craic though and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. Stamps is a great venue and a few of us would play regularly at the Trad Sessions there of a Friday, so the customers would be used to that kind of music. In general we only have the one get together a year, but we’re thinking we might try and do another one over the Christmas period because everyone enjoyed it so much.’
Padraig says that there has been a recent surge in popularity for the Uilleann Pipes and anyone interested in playing should come along to a trad session or get in touch with anyone involved in the local music scene to get a few tips on how to get started and where to source their instruments.