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Bagpipe chanter for the Irish war pipes or 'Brian Boru' bagpipe

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by R.M. O'Mealy, Belfast, early 20th century

Postcard of Bagpipe chanter for the Irish war pipes or 'Brian Boru' bagpipe.
000-000-579-648-C
© National Museums Scotland

Bagpipe chanter for the Irish war pipes or 'Brian Boru' bagpipe

Bagpipe chanter with four keys for the Irish war pipes or 'Brian Boru' pipes by R.M. O'Mealy, Belfast, early 20th century.

Following the Irish Famine of 1847 - 1849 and the depletion of the population through the high rates of mortality and emigration, Irish piping went into decline. A Piper's Club was founded in Dublin in 1900 to encourage the playing of the Uilleann pipes and the Irish War Pipe was revived according to traditional accounts of the instrument (suggesting close similarities with the Great Highland Bagpipe). Different forms of the instrument were created such as the 'Brian Boru' pattern, adopting the name of the heroic king who united all Ireland under his rule but was killed fighting the Vikings at the Battle of Clontarf in AD 1014.

The 'Brian Boru War Pipe' was introduced by the London wind instrument maker, Henry Starck, in the first decade of the 20th century. An interest in the 'War Pipe' of Ireland, its history and music, led to the adoption of an instrument that was more distinctive than the surviving 'War Pipe' of Scotland - the Great Highland Bagpipe. A new model of bagpipe was designed and patented by Starck, extending the scale of the chanter with key work and varying the drone intervals and using the name significantly of the 12th century Irish king or Ard Rì, Brian Boru, traditionally the first King of all Ireland.


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Online ID: 000-000-579-648-C
Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
Project: 0869: The Bagpipe Collection
Project description | View all records in project
Ref: National Museums Scotland  H.1995.779
Date: Early 20th century (date of manufacture)
Material:
Dimensions:
What: Chanter
Subject:
Who: Brian Boru (King of Ireland after whom the pipes are named)
R.M. O'Mealy (manufacturer)
The Museum of Piping, Glasgow (place of display)
Where: Northern Ireland, Belfast (place of manufacture)
Event:
Description: Bagpipe chanter for the Irish war pipes or 'Brian Boru' bagpipe.
References:
Translations:
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