Great Northern Irish Pipers’ Club to Hold its Fifth-Annual Tionól
The Great Northern Irish Pipers’ Club (GNIPC) held its fifth-annual Tionól May 20th and 21st, 2006. Tionól (pr. “chuh-nole) is Irish for “gathering” - in this case- a gathering of uilleann pipers. A full two days of workshops were planned with this year’s guest pipers/instructors featured Jerry O'Sullivan and Patrick D'Arcy. We will also had a reed making workshop with Joseph Smith and a studio tour with David Boisvert of Greenwood Pipes.

The 2007 Great Northern Irish Pipers' Club Tionól was supported in part by a grant from Na Píobairí Uilleann (NPU).

Video coming soon!



   


 


   


 
The beautiful and historic Landmark Center in St. Paul -- the site of the 2007 tionól.


Instructor Bios

Jerry O'Sullivan
 

Jerry O'Sullivan has been widely hailed as America's premier uilleann piper. His reputation for technical and melodic mastery of the instrument, an Irish bagpipe known for its subtlety and expression, is unsurpassed in the United States, and is demanding considerable attention overseas. Jerry is also widely recorded on the tin whistle, the low whistle, the Highland bagpipes, and the Scottish smallpipes.

Jerry has appeared on more than 90 albums and has performed or recorded with artists such as The Boston Pops, Don Henley, Paul Winter, James Galway, Dolly Parton, The Colorado Symphony Orchestra, The Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Eileen Ivers, and many others. He was a featured soloist on Paul Winter's GRAMMY winning album, Celtic Solstice (Living Music, 1999). His first two solo albums, The Gift (Shanachie,1998), and The Invasion (Green Linnet, 1987) have both received critical acclaim, quickly finding their way to the top of a number of best albums of the year lists. Jerry has just recently released a new solo album, O'Sullivan Meets O'Farrell (Jerry O'Sullivan Music, 2005), which features music from the 200 year old O'Farrell tutor and tune collections. Jerry has also recorded a number of film soundtracks including From Shore to Shore, The Long Journey Home, Far and Away, Africans in America, and Out of Ireland, and has appeared on numerous television commercials.

Jerry has toured extensively in the United States and Europe and has even played as far afield as Japan and Israel. He has been a featured performer and instructor in numerous Folk Festivals, including: the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, the Milwaukee Irish Festival, the Catskills Irish Arts Week in East Durham, Boston's Gaelic Roots Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the National Council for Traditional Arts National Folk Festival, and the Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, North Carolina. He has performed at such reputable venues as New York's Lincoln Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and on the mall in Washington D.C. His symphonic concerts have included selections from John Williams Far and Away (performed and recorded with the Boston Pops), O'Sullivan's March from Rob Roy, Main Title Theme from Braveheart (both performed and recorded with the Boston Pops) Patrick Cassidy's The Famine Symphony (performed at the world debut at St. Patrick's Cathedral), Paul Winter's Pipes Peace (performed with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra), and excerpts from Titanic (performed with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra).

Born in New York City to an Irish-American mother and a father from Dublin, Ireland, Jerry first learned to play the Scottish highland pipes. During summer visits to family in Dublin, he learned the uilleann pipes from listening and asking questions to experienced players such as Peter Carberry, Matt Kiernan, Dan Dowd, Peter McKenna, Fergus Finnegan, Mick O'Brien, Gay McKeon, and others. In New York, uilleann piper Bill Ochs was a major help and inspiration to Jerry.

   

Patrick D'Arcy
  Patrick D'Arcy hails from Dublin, Ireland. Regular trips to the Willie Clancy Summer School as well as tionóil around America have enabled him to learn from many of today's great players. Touting Tommy Reck, Seamus Ennis and Willie Clancy as great influences, Patrick now enjoys passing on his knowledge to students at his home, at meetings of The Southern California Uilleann Pipers Club and at tionóil whenever the opportunity should graciously arise.

Comfortably settled in his new habitat of California, he is a founding member of the Southern California Uilleann Pipers Club and its annual Southern California Tionól, which is currently celebrating its eighth year. He is also the host of the UilleannObsession.com website, soon to celebrate its tenth year.
   


© 2008 Minnesota Uilleann Association & The Great Northern Irish Pipers Club