'Uilleann Pipes of Fanore'

[Chris Bayley]

Way back in the early to mid 80's a series of programs called 'Irish Angle : Patterns' were shown on UK TV. One of these featured pipemaker Eugene Lambe at work making a set of pipes (don't expect too much to be given away) and includes appearances by Dan O'Dowd. It also features Eugene and Dan Playing a couple of tunes together including "Garrett Barry's". The title of the program was "The Uilleann Pipes of Fanore"

Have found I still had the program on video and have transferred it to DVD. Quality is reasonable especially considering the age of the tape and best viewed on the TV screen rather than a high definition PC monitor

I am quite happy to make and send a few copies out but my workload is such that I just do not have time to do this for everyone who would like one. The suggestion would be that a few 'volunteers' have a copy who in turn copy it for others.

[Cayden]

The program was shown on RTE only months ago, the hwole Hands/Patterns series was digitally restored and aired again.
I visited Eugene shortly after the film was made and seeing it now made me realise just how much things have changed since.
Nice film.

[teirw]

Hello Chris,
You can send me one when you get round to completing my order.

[Roger O'Keeffe]

seeing it now made me realise just how much things have changed since.

Not least Fanore which has been "developed" to death, or as the Germans would say, zerbaut!

[Kevin L. Rietmann]

Oh, have they smothered it in little houses made of tickey-tack? That stuff is just wrong.
Pipes of Fanore is a nice little bit of film, I forget but is Eugene's friend sewing a bag cover out of this really heavy fabric? Maybe in green, maroon, stuff like that? A friend of mine has a Lambe set from that era and the bag cover looks a bit Rasta, mon!

[Patrick D'Arcy]

Yes, she was his wife at the time. She "was a dandy weaver and she came from...." etc... Hand made woven textiles... lovely stuff... Made his bellows too if I remember the programme rightly.

The Dan O'Dowd bits are great as are the postman segments.

B-bye,

Postman Pat.

[sean an piobaire]

I remember seeing the Eugene Lambe video when it came out in the 1980s, I remember his wife was refered to as his "American companion" as they were not officialy "hitched" and there were still some"lace curtain" people at RTE who were worried about that sort of thing, and at that late date. It wouldn't rate a yawn nowadays! I remember meeting Eugene, for the first time, at a session in Cullen's bar at Galway City, in 1975, Kevin Keegan who was visiting from San Francisco, was leading the session with his accordion, and we 2 pipers went off to the main part of the pub, and had an hour of tunes together.
In 1984, Eugene stayed with me at my house in Oakland, California, and entertained us for the better part of a week. A good time was had by all!
I'd love to get a copy of the video myself, do you think that N.P.U. could do the reissue? Or RTE themselves?
Regards!!! Sean Folsom

[bradhurley]

The thing I always wanted to know about Eugene was, who made his sandals?

When he was in the States in the '80s I spent some time with him one summer when he was hanging out with Chris Abell and Bill Thomas, and he had the most beautiful leather sandals I'd ever seen...they looked like the kind you would see in Willy Pogany's illustrations of the Greek heroes from the time of Homer. I did ask him once and he told me they were made for him, but I never did find out by whom. Those sandals, among other things, made me feel like Eugene was a man from a different century.

[djm]

I remember his wife was refered to as his "American companion"

I hear he is now hanging out with a hooker from Galway.

Chris, I would love to get a DVD copy if your burner is set to country code=0.

djm

[Chris Bayley]

DJM

Have contacted the company I brought the copier from and this is their reply

Chris

Christopher Bayley,

All DVD writers will create disks suitable for use in the UK and US as there will be no region locking in place as the DVD created will be multi-region.

The problem you may have will be down to the software used as UK operate a 25 fps frame rate and the NTSC standard is 29 fps.

I would advise that you look at the following website:

http://www.dvdrhelp.com

as they shall have guides on how to convert from one standard to the other as well as other useful information and tools.

Regards,

Carl Horan
Scan Computers

[taupe]

seeing it now made me realise just how much things have changed since. Nice film.

Incredible that this is showing life only twenty years ago - looks like it could be a hundred years ago. Makes me feel like throwing everything in and heading for the wild open spaces of Fanore. Pity that the news is things have changed

Thanks for sharing this gem Chris.

[teirw]

For those of you who have asked me to pass on the DVD when I get a copy from Chris, I will do so as soon as I have it. He has promised to send it 'this week' with a chanter cap I have been waiting for for some time. Watch this space.

[Oleg]

Hello,

four years have passed ...

I was 8 years old when I watched this short documentary by David Shaw-Smith on Soviet TV in June 1985. And I remember Eugene and his family well. Could I ask you to send me a DVD copy of it?

Go raibh maith agat!

[MTGuru]

Oleg, you should contact the original poster (Chris Bayley) by PM or e-mail. Cheers.

[pancelticpiper]

Is this the same programme which was sold commercially as The Pipes of Fanore? I have a VHS copy in its original box. Isn't it illegal to copy a film and distribute it? Maybe the law is different in the UK and Eire.