I was just looking through an old stack of An Piobaire from NPU. I saw on the cover of the issue from May 2000 vol. 4 no. 5 that there is a picture of Leo Kelly playing a Geoff Wooff Bflat 3/4 set made in 1982 and numbered 31. The set I am selling are a full set and dated 1982 and numbered 37. That may indicate that Geoff produced at least 5 part or full sets in 1982. I know a number of people around the south and east coast of Australia with old sets from Geoff which are being played. There is quite a legacy here in australia from Geoff Woof and the time that he spent here making pipes.
Unfortunately these pipes are leaving Australia but I am using some of the proceeds of the sale to restore another set of pipes that will ultimately stay in Australia. I am aware of quite a number of old sets that have left Australia in the past. I also think that it is important to make sure that there are a good amount of sets that stay here in order to make piping viable here.
Good to hear that the proceeds are going towards the restoration. I think the state of piping in the west is alive a quite healthy given the isolation and lack of general interest in the public.
When pipes are sold here they tend to leave the state though, shame.
I know there are few of you in SA. Have you ever given any thought to a interstate get together? It would be a fine thing to do some time.
It would be a fantastic idea to have an Australian get together of Uilleann pipers. I suppose the vast majority would be inexperienced beginners like myself (no value for good pipers) but I am sure the experienced players would benefit from spending time with each other too. With VirginBlue now it would certainly make a get together much more affordable. I know there is the Celtic Music Camp in Tasmania but thats about it for piper gatherings as far as I am aware. There certainly appears to be nothing over here in Sydney.
How many known players are there in the Adelaide area? What about Perth/Fremantle area?
Hi, if your interested in pipers gatherings. Last year the Lake School of Celtic Music in Koroit Victoria held a mini tionol. The teacher was Jack Brennan. I understand that Jack was invited to teach at another music school next year. However I’m not sure what the dates are. Here’s the link to the school’s website for those interested.
For those in mind of going to the Lake School for sessions. Koroit is very friendly to beginners wanting to join in. You do not have to be an experienced player to join in. All levels are welcome.
A few of us here in Brisbane (BrisVegas) get together on a fortnightly basis if ever anyone is in this neck of the woods, although I’m off to Jakarta to work for two or three years. So if your’re ever in that neck of the woods. There’s one guy from Brisbane who works in Malaysia but pops down to Jakarta every now and then so we’re going to try and get together. How 'bout that - the inaugural Jakarta Tionol!!!
Aparently the Music Under thr Mountain thingy that has been held in Tasmainia the last few years is moving to somewhere in Victoria. I don’t know this for sure but I heard that the site where it was being held changed hands and they can no longer afford to have it there.
I think it would be great to get Uilleann Pipers in Australia together, somewhere, regularly, perhaps Koroit would be the place, perhaps we could talk to the organisers there about it (wouldn’t want to hijack their thing with a bunch of squealing pipers unless they were ok with it now) and maybe get a couple of others there to teach also
There used to be a pipes gathering in Wagga on the October long weekend (I think it was). It was for all types of pipes. There was also a folk festival nearbu at Uranquinty the same weekend and it was handy to pop over there for tunes in the evenings. I remember it was there that I first met Pat Lyons and Dicky Deegan, both great pipers, who were super encouraging and very helpful and who both, in different ways, went on to teach me quite a bit about the pipes and playing them. I heard some great GHB players there as well as Border, Small and Northumbrian players and there were always the goat (Gaita)players who sounded great around the fire in the paddock at 2am as well as various other Eastern European pipes, Shawms and Bombarde’s that would be there, fun times for all.
Trouble is, we’re all a bunch of apathetic ol’ sods. So long as ‘Big Brother’ is on the tele each night to watch with a VB in our hands, what else is there worth doing?
I don’t watch telly myself but one thing that I know a lot of people do find difficult is the distance, but Joe’s right, we should try and get something going again, any ideas? Does anyone have any details for the mob running things in Koroit?
Koroit and Port Fairy (they’re about 25 miles apart if I remember right) in South West Victoria and the whole area around there is an interesting and very beautiful place. Both towns were mainly Irish speaking at one time and Koroit was the largest settelment of Irish Catholic people in Australia with Port Fairy coming second. There is still a lot of music, of all types, that comes out of this area.
I really do think Someone ought to get things going inAustralia. I know there are events in New Zealand, but that’s just a bit of a ways from OZ. Oz needs it’s own piping events. It must be super difficult for a newbie piper to get going without the advantage of tionols or piper’s gatherings.
Depending on where in Oz you live, it can be easier to get to NZ than to many parts of Oz.
I live 4 hrs North of Sydney.
I have been to the Wagga pipes years ago and to Music under the Mountains in Tasmania and also to the NZUPA tional at Otaki North of Wellington. Believe it or not, it was cheaper and easier to get to NZ than to Tasmania.
Music under the Mountains has moved to Victoria and the piping class for 2007 is full.
