Story of the Bagpipe


Okay, okay, I'll jump on the bandwagon here: (ahem) Flood is not to be trusted, his work is naive and just plain wrong in places. That being said, I've never before had to thank an individual who is no longer with us. William H. Grattan Flood penned a book back in 1910 called the Story of the Bagpipe. Luckily, my local Library had this book as it is no longer in print and hasn't been for a while. The images in the book are great (although the text misleading in places) and gave me the first old Uilleann pipe pictures I've ever seen! I put them on display here for you. I'm assuming this is okay as the book is long out of print.

Click on the images for information and to reveal the full picture.

The caption reads "Ancient Highland Pipes, with the date 1409 and initials R. McD carved on the stock". However, this set now resides in the Piping Centre Museum in Glasgow and has been shown to be a 19th century fake, not an authentic medieval bagpipe.



This isn't from Flood's book but is instead the cover of another book, "The Magic Bagpipe". I'd say they used the previous image as a model though.

Angelic Bagpiper c. 1440 Rosslyn Chapel, Midlothian, Scotland

Sculptured piper in Melrose Abbey, long since disappeared. Believed to be 15th C.

Brian Boru War-Pipes made by Henry Starck

From Derrick's Image of Ireland 1578

Title page of Poems by Michael Drayic Esquyer, 1637

A Player on the Musette by C. David, engraved by Leblond. 17th c.

From Glen's Historical Sketch of the Scotch Bag-Pipe

Mr. Colclough a celebrated performer on the Uilleann Pipes about 1800

Paddy Coneely, the Famous Galway Piper (Oct. 3rd 1840)