The World of Bagpipes : British Isles
Dungannon Pipes
The instrument was manufactured by the London based Pipemaker Henry Starck but to date I have been unable to trace a surviving example and the only records of the Dungannon Pipes seem to be the original patent and a promotional pamphlet with two photographs. From an interview with a friend of Henry Starck (grandson of the original) it was ascertained that possibly only three sets were ever made - if anyone out there knows the whereabouts I would be extremely interested.
From the patent and the leaflet it can be ascertained that the fingering system for the chanter was designed around the marching flute with simple system keywork and a speaker key to allow playing into the upper register.
The chanter which is around twenty four inches in length was made in three sections, the compass being b to g11. The drone system used was similar to the highland except that one of the tenor drones was replaced by a baritone drone sounding the fifth (Bass A, Baritone E & Tenor a). Although the drones are held in a common stocks they have the separate stocks used with the highland plugged into it as well making the drones seem longer to tie in better with the illustration in "Image of Ireland".
The choice of these drone tunings seems a little strange for an instrument with a six finger key note of D
Reconstructing the Dungannon Bagpipe
Technically this instrument belongs in the reconstructions section as no extant specimen has been traced . For a full description of how it has been reconstructed go to "Reconstructions, Dungannon BagpipeMaterials:
African Blackwood or similar exotic hardwood with mounts of ivory and nickel silver.
Go to "Price List"
