Meet the South Wales Uilleann Pipers
Who do you want to see?
Eddie Meirion Jethro Richard Sian Paul Nicola Jim Martin
Eddie Brophy
Our chief piper and guru who has been playing since the year dot.
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Meirion Williams
I got into the pipes by accident. Always wondered what "that nice noise" was on some Enya tracks.
Went to Belfast the same time as "Feile an Earraigh / Festival of Spring" was on. On the programme was
a piping demo where I saw Cormac "Buzz" O Briain playing the Uilleann pipes and Kathryn Tickell playing
the Northumbrian Small Pipes. In the night I saw Michael "Blackie" O Connell playing a set and I was
hooked. And here I am, a piping anorak.
I helped set up the club as I needed someone to help me learn
the pipes and not to learn in isolation .........and here we are today with a small but happy and
dedicated bunch of pipers.
Jethro Evans
Hello all, I'm Jethro and am learning the pipes (with some difficulty!) and I can play the tin whistle. It's been an intresting experience meeting new faces and recieving a warm welcome in the piping community. Love listening to "The Chieftains" though Gavin Whelan is fast becoming a great sound for me! Anyway, Good luck with the piping!
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Richard Mordey
This is Richard from Cardiff, a founder member of the South Wales Uilleann Pipers.
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Sian Moran
When I was growing up, our house was filled with the sound of the records my father played of Irish traditional music, Irish Ballads and Irish Rebel Songs. So I could sing all the Dubliners songs but had never heard of The Beatles or Simon and Garfunkel. I then discovered the Chieftains, Planxty, the Bothy Band, and Baker's Well and through them the Uilleann and other pipes and pipers, like Carlos Nuñez, the amazing Galician gaita player. While I was learning to play classical Bach on the organ, I taught myself to play my favourite Irish traditional tunes on the tin whistle - by ear and left handed (although I'm not a "leftie"). I eventually decided I just had to learn to play the Uilleann pipes after hearing the tune Farewell to Govan being played by Liam O'Flynn. I couldn't find a practise set until 3 years ago and bought a second hand Shaw set. I couldn't manage more than a note out of it, so I ended up disappointed and packed it away. I didn't know of anyone around in South Wales to help or to teach me to play until last Nov when I accidentally came across an ad for the first South Wales Tionól. I went along, had my reed and chanter bore problem sorted on the day and now I can actually play Farewell to Govan left handed, thanks to Meirion and the SWUP! Favourite tunes : An Droichead, Cailíni an Fhactory, The Coolin, Fanny Power, Carolan's Concerto, Roches Favourite, Planxty Irwin, The Muñeira Marcha do Entrelazado de Aallariz and Aires de Pontevedra (both traditional Galician) and of course Farewell to Govan.
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Paul Taff
He does exist!
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Nicola
Nicola is a classically trained violinist who one day hopes to be a proper fiddler! We hope that she can be tempted into the ways of the pipes.
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Jim
Jim plays the bodhran, but one day may graduate to master piper.
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Martin Palmer-Smith
Originally from civilisation (Derby), I moved to South Wales in 1992 to further my glittering career. Still waiting for that one to happen. At the time I was messing around with the penny whistle after failing to be any good on the guitar. I'd seen the Uilleann pipes a couple of times and thought 'that looks easy, I'll give them a go one day'. First set (pile of rubbish!) bought in 1995ish but got nowhere with them, so traded them for a 2nd hand flute. Current set bought in 2003ish, all I need now is the time to practice. Favourite tune - God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols version), but can't get it to work on the pipes.
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