http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2550463367&category=624
opening bid $9,200US
Looks like a nice 'un, popping valve and all. I know a guy with a Willie “Rousome” set-this being the family’s original spelling, “a national school master of the mid 19th century changed the spelling of his own accord” according to Willie’s grandson Liam. Anyway, this other “Rousome” set is in brown ebony-one of the related specie of the black stuff-but with very modest toneholes, basically a flat set, playing sharp of D actually. So, this may be an early wide bore set for Willie. Looks like wide bore anyway, judging from the size of the chanter’s bell end or the bass drone exit, or the popping valve-influence of the Taylors-Willie’s first role model wide bore was said to be a Taylor, natch, only role model around then.
Any opinion’s on Willie’s pipe making skills? Looks like a nice complete specimen, but of course looks without sound can be deceiving, eh.
Willie sets are as valued as his son Leo’s stuff. Mick O’Brien plays a set Willie made.
whatever that means 
:roll:
The Irish PA system! There was a picture of a guy on a motorcycle with a T Shirt that said “Loud pipes save lives.”
Here is a photo showing a Willie Rowsome set made from striped ebony, possibly like this one: http://www.uilleann.nl/pipes/pictureGallery/rowsomes/middle/middle_DSCN0676.jpg
Pardon my ignorance but why “Rousome” or “Rowsome”??
The Rowsomes were huegenots from France there was a set by the first pipemaker of the family Samuel that was signed ‘Rousome’. Apparently Willie used that for a while though I have a pupil that has one signed W.Rowsome, Dublin. The french named was anglicised at some point in time, alledgedly by a schoolteacher who couldn’t abide with all that foreign carry-on.
Tommy McCarthy had a set of Willie’s that used to belong to Paddy Taylor, it had EGAN, MADE BY EGAN!!!’ [it really looked it wanted to drive that particular point home]engraved all over it very prominently. Unfortunately the dates given in the engraving were from long after Egan’s death. From the style, use of materials and general workmanship [not quite Egan] one could draw the conclusion it was in fact a product of W.Rowsome’s pipemaking. Willie apparently sometimes used other ‘pen-names’ to sign his pipes.
Pen names? How do you come to learn such things? Please provide authenticated verification otherwise you are impuning the reputation of a man who has living relatives involved with uilleann piping today.
It is interesting that this particular set, currently in Ireland, is listed for sale in USD. Why not in euro…the currency of the land? The truth of the matter is that ,unless there is firm evidence that it is over 100 years old, it will not be accepted into the US by customs in any formal sort of way due to the ivory adornments.
Peter lives in Clare, he probably knew Tommy McCarthy. I don’t think the Rowsomes are going to be insulted by the odd dig at Willie. I’ve come across a few stories like this just by reading about piping in books and publications.
Such as:
The first NPU Ceol Eierann book had an article, basically a transcription of Tommy Kearney talking about learning the pipes. After getting a start from one piper, he became a student of the Waterford piper Liam Walsh. One story of Liam’s was how he’d come to the Rowsome house and Willie would be playing away, and Walsh would hear all this fantastic staccato fingering in the music. But the minute Liam walked in the room and Willie saw him, he cut out all the staccato! It was top secret stuff, you see.
Or:
The friend of mine with the “Rousome” set had a terrible time dealing with an enormous leak every time he turned on the drones. Eventually he thought to take the ferrule off the stock - and discovered that a drill had gone through the side when Willie was making it, he’d covered it up with waxed string to compensate. Not too professional, most guys would have chucked that one into the fire; but then, the Rowsomes weren’t exactly rolling in money at that time.
The “EGAN MADE BY EGAN” story is pretty funny, actually. More proof of how the old boys would beg, borrow, steal for something by him.
OK Fair enough, even though I had a close look at the set there’s no way we can be fool proof 100 percent certain it was actually Willie Rowsomes work I apologise to Kevin Rowsome for the confusion.
Peter,
Sorry, I’m OT here, but do you know the whereabouts of Billy Browne? If so can you mail or pm me or something.
Cheers
Alan
Auction ended with no bids. What is this set really worth (pre-restoration)? 
That is a great question! Most of us make purchases to have instruments that we can play. They are not worth much if the reeds are not going. Those with a little more experience in maintenance and reedmaking saavy are more willing to take a risk and purchase such a set that needs restoration and reeds. For most, however, the prospect of paying a large sum of money for a set of pipes that does not work is frightening if not preposterous. It is quite likely that this set will be as nice sounding as are other Wille Rowsome sets I’ve heard…Mick O’Brien’s and another I heard in Drumshanbo this year, for example. On the other hand, it hasn’t been played in 40 years, and thus, possibly has not been played by a living active member of the Uilleann Piping community. Therein lies the problem. My advice to the seller would be to commission a well know reputabl;e maker to make reeds and the springs and pads, etc, while keeping mits off the actual bores, soundholes, etc. then, prove they work, perhaps with an endoersement, then attempt the sale. Short of that, I cannot imagine a sale taking place without a pre inspection by the buyer, sale on condition that they can indeed be reeded, etc. This is rather important as, for example, one of the two WR sets I saw in Drumshanbo had had post manufacture irreversible enlargement of the A tonehole by someone without an obvious clue as to what they were doing and now the instrument is in need of major repair. How would a potential buyer know tht such hasn’t been the case with this particular set? I, for one, would not part with over $9K until I knew the set could be made to work to suit my tastes unless, of course, there was an opportunity to obtain a refund in return for exchange if dissatisfied.
Glands,
If memory serves me right, this is the same seller who had the Leo Rowsome greenheart practice chanter up for sale a while ago. Peter Laban identified him as David Power (the man behind the Tommy Kearney CD) so I would guess he has access to good pipers/ pipemakers who could give an opinion on the state of the chanter.
On the other hand, and to answer the previous question, it can’t be worth $9000 or somebody would have bid for it. You could spend up to $1000 on a new bag, bellows and new reeds, pads and springs. Weigh this against a decent set from a current maker and $10,000 looks like a hell of a lot to pay for a set of pipes, whoever made it. A fully working Wooff in B flat is very slow to sell at $15,000 so maybe there’s a upper limit for any set of pipes (Keenan’s Crowley apart if rumours are to be believed).
Ken
“A fully working Wooff in B flat is very slow to sell at $15,000”
Actually, the asking price is 15,000 Euros or an equivilent US$17,000, which make it a greater hurdle (given exchange rates) for those of us dealing wom pum on this side of the pond.
" It was top secret stuff, you see."
Hmm an interesting idea. The implications are a little hard to
prove, and if true then explain the
very early settings - often hand written - with stiff phrases a plenty, these same papers found far far from the east coast..
All due respects to Tommy
Ooops! - Looks like I’ve been outed -
Hello everyone on the Uilleann Pipe Forum. Just to let you know
the story of the William Rousome set of pipes.
They belong to an elderly lady in Dublin who had learned to play
for a few years under Leo Rowsome. They were her fathers set
of pipes, he bought them from another man, ie., not W. Rousome
in 1922, and he won the Oireachtas playing them.
She wished to sell the set, but not in such a way that 20 prospectors
would march through her home. She had been pestered by
people trying to get their hands on the set in the past, making
paltry offers of one hundred pounds etc. I offered to help to sell
them, particularly since I had access to Ebay - seemed like the
perfect choice under the circumstances.
I didn’t have the facility to get them reeded, even though as someone
pointed out, it would have been the best thing to do.
Anyway, the pipes sold to a buyer in Ireland, not for quite as much
as the asking price on Ebay, but we put a Leo Rowsome reed in the
chanter which we knew to play well in another Willie R. chanter, and
the result was superb! They are a gorgeous set, very petite, and I
have the suspicion that they will be great.
Regs
David P.
Another closet set outed! Let’s hope the new owner gives them many years of good playing, and that others will be able to hear them and form their own judgement.