anyone know the maker?:
Doesn’t look like a Wooff set to me
Not to me either 
Curious mount
It looks more like a Wruff set!
RORY
Rough set…
The home made repairs are dog rough but it still may be an ok chanter with some work.
I’ve seen that white vinyl covered leather before and the corduroy covering was popular among some makers for a time too (80’s - early 90’s)
The mount for a F ring key is rare in concert pitch chanters. W Rowsome would have done it and a few modern makers with W Rowsome sets would have copied it. It could also be a request from a random customer too.
It all looks like the early work of the generation of makers who learned from Dan Dowd or Matt Kiernan.
Rogge, Thompson, Lambe, Bourke, Du Ve, De Keyser, etc.
If I were a betting man I’d put a tenner on Kevin Thompson.
He used that white leather stuff (among others), the bellows is like his shape of paddles, he owns a W Rowsome set.
If it’s for sale I wouldn’t offer a huge amount. You basically buying a potentially restorable chanter. But a very nice chanter at that. It’ll need a new bag, new leather on the bellows, new mounts and maybe a new top. There might be mould on the ebony too. $500 to $1000 in repairs depending on the state of the bellows.
My 2c.
Tommy
thanks tommy for your valuable input.
i know its difficult from just a couple of photos but would you be prepared to hazard a guess at a value?
the only other info i have is that they are approx 60 years old.
thanks
ib#1
Where are the pipes located (country/city)? This might help identify the maker.
mullingar, westmeath
So who was making pipes in Ireland approx 60 years ago?
Leo Rowsome (usually stamped his name on his chanters)
Matt Kiernan (usually stamped his name on his chanters)
Tadgh Crowley
John Clark
James Mulcrone (died in 1948 but was still making in 1942 when Ennis interviewed him)
Who am I missing?
Who am I missing?
Dan O Dowd, Mossie Kennedy?
Frank McFadden, Sean McAloon?
A friend of mine has a Kiernan stick, pretty rough and beat up, it looks very much like this one, don’t quote me on that though..
Hmmm, 60 years ago.
Well if there’s no stamp you can eliminate Rowsome, Crowley, Kiernan, Dowd,
I don’t know if McAloon was making pipes then.
it’s not McFadden or Mulcrone.
Clark seems plausable.
Value?
Well if it doesn’t work it’s not worth anything,
What ever you offer is a gamble so it depends on how much you are prepared to lose.
Personally I wouldn’t risk more than $100.
Tommy
Was there any part time makers within the Walderstown Pipers Club?
Tommy
Well if there’s no stamp you can eliminate Rowsome, Crowley, Kiernan, Dowd,
FWIW I recall a very old looking unstamped boxwood set that came out of an English antique shop during the early 90s that was later identified as an early Dan set.