Timothy Kenna's pipes?

A forum about Uilleann (Irish) pipes and the surly people who play them.
Post Reply
Steampacket
Posts: 3076
Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2002 6:00 pm
Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
Location: Sweden

Timothy Kenna's pipes?

Post by Steampacket »

Posted this first on the flute forum by mistake: Saw the videos that Pádráig Keane put up on facebook's Uilleann piping page a couple of days ago. Pádráig is playing a Timothy Kenna set that has a very nice tone emanating from the chanter, drones and regulators. Is anything known about the history of this set? Is this from Ken McLeod's collection of pipes? Did it belong perhaps to a well known piper?

Are there other two, or three regulator sets made by Timothy Kenna being played, or on display, today other than Pádráig's set with two regulators, Tommy Reck's full set and the Garech de Brún full set?

In reply to Mr. Gumby:
No, it's another set with two regulators and what looks to be a fully keyed chanter. Can't see all of the chanter as the camera is so close. The chanter has a small key above the C natural key. The bellows are by Geoff W.

This is the set although you can't see much of it. In the video you can see the part of the chanter and the regulator keys, but not the drones or the bottom part of the chanter:
https://www.westcorkmusic.ie/artists/20 ... aic-keane/

This is the set Pádráig is playing. Bill Haneman was given this link on fb: http://www.seanreidsociety.org/SRSJ2/a% ... KBDqYM36C8

Bill has also made the chanter reed, a new chanter cap, restored the bass drone slide and deducted that the wood used to make the set is most likely plum wood, not pear wood as stated in the above SRS article.
Last edited by Steampacket on Thu Sep 26, 2019 10:27 am, edited 3 times in total.
chaos97
Posts: 162
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2009 5:49 pm
antispam: No

Re: Timothy Kenna's pipes?

Post by chaos97 »

There were four or so videos of him playing the set on NPU's site a few months ago. I believe he talked about the set and its history a bit, but the site seems down at the moment.

Here it is: http://pipers.ie/source/media/?searchTe ... 12&sPage=3
User avatar
RenaissanceGuy
Posts: 227
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2018 9:00 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I am interested in various forms of traditional and folk music. I've been interested in Uilleann pipes for many years. And now I'm finally learning them!
Location: US West Coast

Re: Timothy Kenna's pipes?

Post by RenaissanceGuy »

Steampacket wrote:Posted this first on the flute forum by mistake: Saw the videos that Pádráig Keane put up on facebook's Uilleann piping page a couple of days ago. Pádráig is playing a Timothy Kenna set that has a very nice tone emanating from the chanter, drones and regulators. Is anything known about the history of this set? Is this from Ken McLeod's collection of pipes? Did it belong perhaps to a well known piper?

Are there other two, or three regulator sets made by Timothy Kenna being played, or on display, today other than Pádráig's set with two regulators, Tommy Reck's full set and the Garech de Brún full set?

In reply to Mr. Gumby:
No, it's another set with two regulators and what looks to be a fully keyed chanter. Can't see all of the chanter as the camera is so close. The chanter has a small key above the C natural key. The bellows are by Geoff W.

This is the set although you can't see much of it. In the video you can see the part of the chanter and the regulator keys, but not the drones or the bottom part of the chanter:
https://www.westcorkmusic.ie/artists/20 ... aic-keane/

Here's the fb link: https://www.facebook.com/padraic.keane. ... ater&ifg=1

This is the set Pádráig is playing. Bill Haneman was given this link on fb: http://www.seanreidsociety.org/SRSJ2/a% ... KBDqYM36C8

Bill has also made the chanter reed, a new chanter cap, restored the bass drone slide and deducted that the wood used to make the set is most likely plum wood, not pear wood as stated in the above SRS article.
Hello Steampacket, it appears that your links may have been broken in the process of reposting here.
User avatar
Mr.Gumby
Posts: 6606
Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 11:31 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Location: the Back of Beyond

Re: Timothy Kenna's pipes?

Post by Mr.Gumby »

My initial thought was of the other Kenna he plays:

Image

but the video brought back the memory of the one Thomas meant , the two reg one. I have some memory of seeing it when Ken had it, the horn mainstock cup is a stunning piece of work.
My brain hurts

Image
Steampacket
Posts: 3076
Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2002 6:00 pm
Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
Location: Sweden

Re: Timothy Kenna's pipes?

Post by Steampacket »

Thanks Renaissanceguy. I've updated the link and removed the fb link.

Yes, did you get to play it Peter? Interesting that the Dorans borrowed the set when passing through back in the 1930's. I wonder what happened to the original Kenna bass regulator if there was one before the Willie Rowsome bass reg. Ken didn't want to say in the SRS article who glued the main stock cup on after Bourke.
User avatar
PJ
Posts: 5884
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2005 12:23 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: ......................................................................................................
Location: Baychimo

Re: Timothy Kenna's pipes?

Post by PJ »

Steampacket wrote:Interesting that the Dorans borrowed the set when passing through back in the 1930's.
I remember reading (or maybe it was a recorded conversation) that Seamus Ennis (?) went back to Johnny's wagon one evening, and after dinner, Johnny took out and played a flat set.
PJ
User avatar
Mr.Gumby
Posts: 6606
Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 11:31 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Location: the Back of Beyond

Re: Timothy Kenna's pipes?

Post by Mr.Gumby »

A friend of mine recorded an interview with Martin Talty, as far as I remember Talty spoke of Doran playing a flat set in the street and attracting a crowd.

There's also the photo of Doran at St.Bridget's Well that Eugene Lambe got from the Carrucan family of Fanore, which shows him playing a flat set.

Image

As an aside, looking for the Carrucan pic I came across this one, not one I remember seeing before. Top tie chanter.

Image
My brain hurts

Image
Steampacket
Posts: 3076
Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2002 6:00 pm
Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
Location: Sweden

Re: Timothy Kenna's pipes?

Post by Steampacket »

The flat set Johnny has in the Bridget's Well photo, that Lambe got hold of, would that be a Willie Rowsome or a Coyne? Johnny looks to have big hands compared to the older man on the right. I can't place the set in the second photo with the wide ferrules on the regs and chanter
User avatar
PJ
Posts: 5884
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2005 12:23 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: ......................................................................................................
Location: Baychimo

Re: Timothy Kenna's pipes?

Post by PJ »

How certain that the St. Brigit's Well photo is Johnny Doran? The piper's face is much thinner than other photos of Johnny I've seen, and his hair is parted on the right (when other photos of Johnny has his parting on the left). Could it be Felix?
PJ
m4malious
Posts: 174
Joined: Fri Nov 16, 2007 6:23 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Location: Blue Mountains, NSW, AU.

Re: Timothy Kenna's pipes?

Post by m4malious »

...always thought that it is the man seated on the left looking away from the others that is Doran.
Look at the facial features - much more resemblance to the squared, "leonine" shaped face both Dorans shared, than the person holding the pipes.

And - perhaps even more solid evidence of the piper not being Doran - http://vrwc.org.au/carrucan-pics/picture.php?/498
M
User avatar
Mr.Gumby
Posts: 6606
Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 11:31 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Location: the Back of Beyond

Re: Timothy Kenna's pipes?

Post by Mr.Gumby »

That makes sense. The problem with attributions like that is always that people will name someone they know or who is wellknown in their identification. I have a similar problem with George Pickow's photo of the piper at the Lammas fair. I don't think that man looks like Johnny Doran much at all, and I am not alone in this, but as someone (who agreed with me) said 'Doran's children think it's him and how can you argue with that?'

Good they have reconsidered this one.
My brain hurts

Image
Steampacket
Posts: 3076
Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2002 6:00 pm
Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
Location: Sweden

Re: Timothy Kenna's pipes?

Post by Steampacket »

"...always thought that it is the man seated on the left looking away from the others that is Doran. " m4malicous
I think it's an elderly lady on the left wearing a long skirt, probably Agnes Mary Carrucan.

Johnny would have been 23 in 1930, a young man. I think it's him going by the hands which resemble the hands of the piper in the second photo.
Post Reply