"Pipes in the Closet" rumor

[Lorenzo]

About 10 years ago, when I first moved to the Columbia River Gorge (Oregon/Washington) for a life of windsurfing, I met up with some old-time musicians, and one in particular who had a remote interest in Irish music. This fiddler, who was facinated that I played the uilleann pipes, called me up the next morning (after driving around the block about a hundred times where my house was located--too shy to stop and knock ) and told me that a Father McBride (?--I think that was the name, since I associated it with the ballad about the same) who was a priest in The Dalles, Oregon parish, had a set of old irish pipes in his closet at home that use to belong to his brother who had passed away. She said that they were made by some famous pipemaker, but couldn't remember the name. When I mentioned some, she thought it must have been Rowsome.

I finally caught up with this priest at a party in The Dalles, and asked him about it. He said it was true but that he had given them away to some highland piper that he never really knew too well, but wanted them to go to a piper, so he passed them on.

I've never been able to find out who this Highland Piper was, and he couldn't remember because it was an incident like myself--someone who just stopped through and moved on. He thought this piper was from around the Portland area. If anyone knows any of the Portland Highland pipers, you might inquire from them to see who got the set.

[Kevin L. Rietmann]

Lorenz:

California piper Sean Folsom assembled a list of every piper he knew of in America in 1974; among them was a Father Quigley (I think that was his name) in Baker, who had a Brown set - Boston maker Patsy Brown. Father Quigley's uncle Tom Morrison, brother of much recorded fiddler James Morrison, had owned them; Tom lived in Boston and wasn't the flute playing Tom Morrison who recorded lots of 78s as well, he was a Galway man, James and this other Tom were from Sligo. James Morrison was kind of a competitor of Michael Coleman, who he grew up with. Father Quigley is quoted in the liner notes of James Morrison: The Professor, a two cassette compilation of his music.
Father Quigley later settled in the Dalles. I called the Baker number, it was still valid, they gave me his number in the Dalles. He'd taken his uncle's set back to relatives in Sligo; Charles Roberts wrote an article for An Piobarie in 1995, I think it was, about two P. Brown chanters he'd worked on. Amazing that two priests in the Dalles of all places would have anything to do with pipes, never mind owning sets. Father Quigley has also organized some festivals in the Dalles with Peter Riley, a ballad singer.
I haven't heard of a Highland piper with any antiques. Any chance of jogging Father McBride's memory a bit more? Also, Ivan Donaldson was a piper of various sorts who lived in Stevenson, and owned sets by Taylor and Rowsome at various points. Tom Creegan plays the Rowsome he used to own, Ted Anderson owns the Taylor now. Ivan played Highland and Northumbrian pipes as well, I believe. His son Greg is on the uilleann pipes mailing list.

[Lorenzo]

Thanks Kevin, for that story. The name McBride may not be correct, it may actually have been Father Quigley that I talked to, but the story he told me about giving his pipes to some highland piper is the right story. McBride may have been another musician at the party.

Ivan Donaldson was a piper of various sorts who lived in Stevenson, and owned sets by Taylor and Rowsome at various points. Tom Creegan plays the Rowsome he used to own, Ted Anderson owns the Taylor now.

When did Ivan live in Stevenson and own these two sets? I can't believe he was there with them while I was around. I use to tend to snoop around alot, that's how I got my R&R flute in Sacremento (40 years in the closet of the owner of an old music store). I'd be putting the barrel to my head if Creegan got his set right out from underneath me. Tom told me a few years ago that I had gotten the set he wanted because he didn't have the $$$ at the time. What A story! A Rowsome and Taylor set in Stevenson!

Anyone have any other "closet" stories?

[Harry]

The flute playing Tom Morrison (Galway) took to the pipes later in life. I often heard the set that he used to own played around Galway by their most recent owner, piper and singer Eamon Brophy.

Are they Taylor? They are certainly in that style.

Regards, Harry.

[Guest]

About 10 years ago, when I first moved to the Columbia River Gorge (Oregon/Washington) for a life of windsurfing, I met up with some old-time musicians, and one in particular who had a remote interest in Irish music. This fiddler, who was facinated that I played the uilleann pipes, called me up the next morning (after driving around the block about a hundred times where my house was located--too shy to stop and knock ) and told me that a Father McBride (?--I think that was the name, since I associated it with the ballad about the same) who was a priest in The Dalles, Oregon parish, had a set of old irish pipes in his closet at home that use to belong to his brother who had passed away. She said that they were made by some famous pipemaker, but couldn't remember the name. When I mentioned some, she thought it must have been Rowsome.

I finally caught up with this priest at a party in The Dalles, and asked him about it. He said it was true but that he had given them away to some highland piper that he never really knew too well, but wanted them to go to a piper, so he passed them on.

I've never been able to find out who this Highland Piper was, and he couldn't remember because it was an incident like myself--someone who just stopped through and moved on. He thought this piper was from around the Portland area. If anyone knows any of the Portland Highland pipers, you might inquire from them to see who got the set.

10 years ago a wealthy tourist bought a set and some pipers tools in the midlands of Ireland, having rooted them out
and convinced the owner to let go; anyways a while later in his own
country wasn't the tourist's own house broken into and the contents including the pipes stolen. They say in that part of Ireland that the travelling people claimed their own back.

Some things are simply not meant to be and are as well left alone. My own folks a couple of generations ago had a set which they made but was again stored and to this day nobody would allow them to be disturbed, I guess let the dead rest in peace.

Now I own and play a practice set, not that it was that hard to learn to knock a few step dances out of them but I do know this, I would far rather a new set than one owned and in some cases the cause of some poor person's misfortune to be in my home. IOW be very careful what you wish for, it may not turn out as you expect.

So reading discovery causes me to wonder that the Priest did not explain the misfortune of things the are left in their care, is something that makes me very suspicious about the whole thing; why, ask yourself, would a Priest keep such a thing about his home, and if you are catholic you would have known already something is not quite right there.

I suppose the Priest thinking you a non-believer had no reason to be concerned, let the devil take his own and all that.

[Lorenzo]

10 years ago a wealthy tourist bought a set and some pipers tools in the midlands of Ireland, having rooted them out and convinced the owner to let go; anyways a while later in his own country wasn't the tourist's own house broken into and the contents including the pipes stolen. They say in that part of Ireland that the travelling people claimed their own back.

Or keep a better watch on your pipes.

Some things are simply not meant to be and are as well left alone. My own folks a couple of generations ago had a set which they made but was again stored and to this day nobody would allow them to be disturbed, I guess let the dead rest in peace.

What a pipe dream...I mean nightmare.

...but I do know this, I would far rather a new set than one owned and in some cases the cause of some poor person's misfortune to be in my home. IOW be very careful what you wish for, it may not turn out as you expect.

I occasionally go out on superstition patrol.

So reading discovery causes me to wonder that the Priest did not explain the misfortune of things the are left in their care, is something that makes me very suspicious about the whole thing; why, ask yourself, would a Priest keep such a thing about his home, and if you are catholic you would have known already something is not quite right there.

Another good reason not to leave something with pipes in the privacy of a priest.

[Kevin L. Rietmann]

The flute playing Tom Morrison (Galway) took to the pipes later in life. I often heard the set that he used to own played around Galway by their most recent owner, piper and singer Eamon Brophy.

Are they Taylor? They are certainly in that style.

Regards, Harry.

Tom was good friends with Michael Carney, who also made pipes. I recently played a Carney chanter, it was like a Taylor but with more ornamental keywork. This chanter was one of the 6 that were on sale on Ebay recently. Also note that Carney apparently put zigzag edges in the reg keys of Patsy Touhey's Taylor pipes -


There's a group picture taken in the early 30s of Carney with Tom Busby, Carney's daughter Anna, and Paddy Lavin, who came back to Roscommon later. I know Paddy played a Carney set. The photo's in NPU's book Ceol Eireann 1.

[kenr]

Harry,

I met Eamon a few years back when Pat Mitchell was still organising the odd pipers gathering in Galway. Eamon said they were a copy that Morrison had made of a Taylor, can't remember if he said who actually made them. They played really sweetly.

Ken

[Harry]

Kenr,

Yes, Michael Vignoles reeded the set for Eamon to his prefered specifications. They played very sweetly and light to the touch- quite different from the tone and response of the Touhy (now Mac Ciarnan) set pictured above.

Regards, Harry.

[Kevin L. Rietmann]

When did Ivan live in Stevenson and own these two sets? I can't believe he was there with them while I was around. I use to tend to snoop around alot, that's how I got my R&R flute in Sacremento (40 years in the closet of the owner of an old music store). I'd be putting the barrel to my head if Creegan got his set right out from underneath me. Tom told me a few years ago that I had gotten the set he wanted because he didn't have the $$$ at the time. What A story! A Rowsome and Taylor set in Stevenson!

Don't worry, Tom bought them from Ted Anderson after Ted bought them from Ivan. I think. I forget the details. I remember that Tom had to drive a hard bargain, start crying etc. etc. When Ted told me in 1996 (I think) about this Taylor set in Stevenson I seriously thought about buying a cat burglar getup, all black, ski mask...

Actually in re: your Highland piper with an antique set of pipes, that describes Gail Gibbard...

One night the piper I was learning from told me a friend of his had found some pipes in an antique shop that were labeled "Coyde" or something. It was hard to get to sleep that night! Turned out to be a double chanter, a nameless boxwood regulator, a Coyne regulator (middle regulators I think, with missing or replacement keys), and some drone pieces, all for $500. I passed on those, they found a good home soon enough though! They'd been on display at Fort Vancouver for a long time, and belonged to an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company!

Someone told me once Chicago piper Kevin Henry used to find the occasional double chanter at yard sales, presumably next to egg poachers and barcaloungers. Interesting if it's true.

[Ted]

Ivan Donaldson was a fisheries biologist at the Bonneville dam and lived in Stevenson since the late 30's. He ordered and got a concert set from Leo Rowsome in the 50's. He did not learn to play it and it showed signs of work by M. Kennedy of Cork. Sean Folsom, and most west coast pipers, tried to obtain the set from Ivan. After I had bought the Prof. John Cummings Taylor set from Bill Heaton, (who had gotten them from Dan Sullivan), I contacted Ivan about the Rowsome set. He had seen the Taylor set during a visit by Bill Heaton and was keen to have them. He explained that he had a terminal illness and had only a year or so to live.I worked out a trade with him that gave me the Rowsome set and enough money for a Wm. Rowsome set which was available from Denny Hall. I was given the option to buy back the Taylor set after Ivan passed away. Meanwhile he ordered a C set from Geoff Wooff, a musette and a set of smallpipes from John Addison, to pass on to his son. These were later sold, after Ivan passed, and I got the Taylor set back. The Wm. Rowsome went back to Denny, who sorely missed it. I sold the Leo R. set to Tom Creegan, who claimed right of first refusal, as Rolf Kunsell in Switzerland had offered considerably more from the set than I ended up selling it for to Tommy. I still have the Taylor set. Kevin R. told me about the double chanter and parts which I bought. The double chanter went to Mark Walstrom, and the boxwood Coyne 5 note barit. reg. went elsewhere. I still have the fruit wood 5 note baritone reg. and the drone bits. Thus ends this saga of UP trades in modern times on the west coast of the USA, at least the ones Kevin R. knows about. There are others as well.

Ted

[Patrick D'Arcy]

Keep em coming Ted... this is great stuff. It must all be Northern Californian stuff... we'd never partake of such dealings in the Southern Counties

Patrick.

[Royce]

Don't speak to me of "Travellers" so close to 11 September. While I used to feel quite simpatico with Paddy Keenan and company in relating the generations of bigotry toward "Tinkers," particularly in the "Gentleman Piper" world, It was on this day two years ago that a so-called "Tinker" named Patrick O' Hare not only took something *not* his own, but something he was paid well to repair.

At one time I imagined that when one paid a Tinker to fix a pot, he actually fixed the pot--even if he ended up camped out in your back woods for a week and some of the garden vegetables and minor livestock disappeared in the meantime. You ended up with a mended pot. It just cost you a few more chickens than you figured it would cost you.

Apparently what really happens is they steal the pot too.

Royce

[kenr]

"Don't speak to me of "Travellers" so close to 11 September"

Who the f*** mentioned tinkers?

Get off your soapbox Royce and keep to the topic!

Ken

[Steampacket]

There are indeed a number of old quality pipes "hidden away" in private collections, and in the homes of people in Ireland. There is a lovely full Taylor set in Co. Wexford purchased in the US during the 1970's, two Michael Carney sets north of Kerry, and a Leo Rowsome set in Denmark still owned by the original owner who took lessons from Leo, He has now started to pipe again. I've also seen a lovely blackwood and silver deluxe Leo Rowsome set still played by an old piper, also a former pupil of Leo's, down in the south west of Ireland.

In the 1960's Felix Doran stayed at the White Lion, Uxbridge Road in Shepherds Bush. The next morning after Felix had left a full set of pipes were found in the wardrobe by the barmaid who was cleaning the room. The publican kept the pipes hoping that Felix would turn up. He never did return, so after a few months had passed the pipes were thrown in a skip, remember this was during the 1960's when pipes didn't have much value, people, non-pipers, just didn't know what they were.
They were not Felix's own set, he'd never leave those, probably a set he'd brought off someone whilst down in London. The Doran's brought and sold pipes as well as horses. J.C., then an electrician, wired the pub, lived in the area at the time told me this.