A complete set of handmade
Uilleann pipes.

Michael Vignoles, piper and craftsman from The Claddagh part of Galway City, has been hand-making traditional Uilleann pipes for over 20 years. His pipes are played by some of Ireland and America's most talented players. 

Every set of pipes is custom made to order  from top-quality materials to very exacting standards.  Your satisfaction, and the workmanship of the pipes is unconditionally guaranteed.

One of the treasures of Irish traditional music,  the Uilleann Pipes are a wind-reed instrument that are only manufactured by hand. The word "uilleann" is Irish Gaelic for "elbow." Unlike most other variations of bagpipes, the Uilleann Pipes are inflated by means of a bellows, operated by the elbow of one arm with the bag being held under the other arm. The chanter is the main melody instrument and has a range of two octaves. The drones, of which there are usually three -- base, baritone and tenor -- when turned on, supply a continuous 'drone' accompaniment to the melody. The regulators are keyed chanters, usually three on a full set, which are operated by the musician when various chords as accompaniment are required.

A practice set of Uilleann pipes with chanter, bag and bellows

It is common to start with a practice set of pipes and to add drones and regulators at later stages as the piper gains experience.

Claddagh manufactures three types of pipes for different experience levels:

• Practice Set consisting of a bag, bellows and chanter
• Half Set consisting of a bag, bellows, chanter and three drones
• Full set consisting of a bag, bellows, chanter, three drones and three regulators

Contact Claddagh Pipes for options and prices for these pipe sets 

The making of the pipes -- a pictorial visit to the Claddagh workshop!

Photos from the 2002 Milwaukee Irish Fest, where Michael was the featured pipes maker in the Cultural Village.

Wood, Wind and Brass Listen to the pipes on  Michael's own CD of pipe tunes, played on a set he made himself, of course!
Professional, tunable bodhráns Michael also makes these high-quality bodhráns.

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Michael Vignoles,  Owner, Craftsman and Piper michaelvp@iol.ie The Claddagh, Galway City, Ireland phone: 353(0) 868177837 Fax  353 91589094

Last updated: 02 Jul 2006