The Cork Folk Festival makes a welcome return next weekend with a series of concerts from the 8th to 11th of October. We are proud to present the Pipers Concert on Saturday 10th October at 12.30pm in The Merchant on South Mall, T12 TC96. This features Néillidh Mulligan, Naoise Marron, our very own Nicola Ui Aodhgáin and Stevie O’Brien as well as Muireann O’Connor and Feargus Walsh.

Tickets cost €15 which can be booked in advance on the PROC website. We’re looking forward to seeing you all there. Beidh craic agus ruaille buaille againn!

With the return of the Cork Pipers’ Club in 2026, we are celebrating with a new logo competition.

There are cash prizes with categories for adults, post-primary pupils and primary pupils. We also welcome in-class efforts by accepting group submissions, which can be photographed or scanned and emailed as a folder.

All submissions should be sent to info@corkpipersclub.com by Nov 2

Special imagery for the club has been created at various points, including from our centenary celebrations in 1998 as well as some historic imagery from much further back. Enjoy the following images for inspiration below!

You can also read more about the long history of the Cumann na bPíobairí Uilleann Corcaigh here and explore many photos of the instrument from the facebook page and website of Na Piobairí Uilleann, an organisation which is dedicated to the promotion of our national instrument in Ireland and also internationally. Uilleann Piping is protected by UNESCO as part of Ireland’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Be sure to check our competition poster for the details and download the full guidelines for our special logo competition.

Cumann na bPíobairí Corcaigh

COMÓRTAS DON SUAITHEANTAS NUA

An féidir leat na píopaí uilleann a tharraingt? Tá Cumann na bPíobairí Corcaigh á do lorg chun cabhrú le suaitheantas nua a dhearadh.

Cuir na nithe seo a leanas san áireamh:

• Ainm an chlub i nGaelainn agus i mBéarla: Cumann na bPíobairí Uilleann Corcaigh, Cork Pipers’ Club
• Na píopaí uilleann a thaispeáint
• Bunaithe 1898

SONRAÍOCHTAÍ:

• Glacfar iarrachtaí idir lámh tarraingte (ard-gléine png) agus digiteach (2000px .eps, .ai nó .svg)
• Pé dathanna atá uait

Beidh buaiteoirí roghnaithe óna h-aicmí seo a leanas: scoláirí bunscoile, daltaí iarbhunscoile, daoine fásta

Duais de €200 airgead tirim don bhuaiteoir iomlán Iarrathóirí sa tarna háit de réir aimce: €25 (bunscoil); €50 (iarbhunscoil); Buaiteoir Ranga: Seisiún ‘TRIALAIGH NA PÍOPAÍ’

Breis eolais ag corkpipersclub.com agus seol d’iarracht chuig: info@corkpipersclub.com

SPRIOCDHÁTA Samhain 2ú

Instructor: Anthony Ruby
Level: Intermediate
Date and time: Tuesdays 7:30-8:30 Sept 22-Dec 1 inclusive
Fee: €100/term
Location: Ballyphehane Presentation Secondary School

Many thanks to our partners Club Ceoil Ballyphehane, who will be hosting us so be sure to check out all the classes and instrument instruction they offer: https://www.facebook.com/clubceoil/ 

Club Meeting

Following on from the first two meetings to reinvigorate the Cork Pipers’ Club, our next meeting will be on March 22 at 3pm in the Corner House. If you have an interest in the uilleann pipes or trad music in Cork, please come along to support this initiative and shape what we do as a club for the future. Come for the chats and stay for the tunes after!

AGM

The AGM will take place on April 2, also at 3pm in the Corner House. We will be electing a new committee and welcome new and returning members to play your part in the next stage of the club.

We have a WhatsApp group with more communications so message us on Facebook to get added to that. Alternatively, you can email donal@corkpipersclub.com if you’re not on Facebook.

Contact the NPU directly to enquire about events: info@pipers.ie.

Saturday 2nd October
Music Workshops on Zoom Classes are free, to book send your email to infocorkfolk@gmail.com / lindaquinlan74@gmail.com
10.30am -12pm Traditional Song: Máire Ní Chéileachair, Flute & Whistle: Karl Nesbitt
12-1.30pm Sliabh Luachra Tunes: Matt Cranitch, Uilleann Pipes: Leonard Barry

Sunday 3rd October
St Peters Church at 1pm: A Celebration of legendary traditional singer Margaret Barry and her grandfather, piper Robert Thompson. With Eoin O Riabhaigh, Johnny McCarthy & Tim O’Riordan and Marty Barry & Cathal Ó Curráin.
Tickets €15

I will be contacting people on our waiting list this evening regarding club sets. If you are still eager to join, leave a comment here, on Facebook or by texting me. Details on our Contact Us page. We loan out club sets when available to let students try out the pipes with a view to purchasing their own set once they know they want to continue. This costs €100 for 12 months.

Finally, if you have a spare set of uilleann pipes gathering dust at home, we would gladly pair them with a student to learn. We are very grateful for all the sets we have received in this manner so far as it has meant new students can join our classes without a big financial outlay.

Michael (Blackie) O’Connell

Lives in Ennis and nowadays ranks as one of Ireland’s most outstanding uilleann pipers, with an exuberant & fast-flowing performance style. He also fits in a teaching / tutoring role at the University of Limerick’s Irish World Academy of Music & Dance. Both of the following two performers are past pupils of his.

Eoin Ó Briain

Hails from Cullen, Co. Cork. Later when his family settled in Killarney, Co. Kerry he began attending tin whistle lessons with Pádraig Moynihan. In recent years Eoin has taken up the pipes. He currently attends the University of Limerick where he is studying for his Master’s Degree in Irish Traditional Music Performance – (for part of which he has researched the life and times of the late Jim Dowling, in whose honour an annual Uilleann Pipe & Trad Festival is held in Glengarriff.)

Simon Pfisterer

Originally from Bavaria in Germany, Simon started to play various kinds of bagpipes from the age of 8 before falling in love in 2011 with Irish music & especially with Uilleann Pipes. He is currently studying uilleann piping in the BA programme at UL under the tuition of Blackie and various guest tutors. Simon has been performing with his bands, projects and as a solo artist at festivals & concerts throughout Europe, in China and in the United States. You can listen to samples of his piping on his Youtube channel.

Le cabhair ó Comhairle Cathrach Chorcaí. This concert is part funded by the Cork City Council Arts Office who support us each year.

For those of you with club loan sets longer than a year, please consider purchasing a set soon to allow other beginners the opportunity to take up the pipes.

If you have a spare set of pipes at home gathering dust, we’d be delighted to loan them out to class participants. Please get in touch!