The World of Bagpipes : British Isles

Meagher Bagpipe 

This style of chanter was designed and patented by Edward Joseph Meagher of County Cork and was chromatic over an octave an a fifth with a minimum of keywork. The chanter was of normal highland pattern and size and was designed to be played in bb this being achieved by boring the chanter as the normal highland but omitting the top two tone holes completely - the g and a. The f was transposed to the rear of the chanter for the top hand thumb and so the hands were moved down the chanter which left the lower hand little finger free. A further tone hole was drilled below the low a¹ to give a g¹ and one of the vent holes omitted so that the bottom note of the chanter became F. A speaker key was fitted at the top of the chanter to allow easy access to the upper register. The keynote of the chanter became the three finger note b.

The drones were carried in separate stocks in the manner of the Great Highland but were similar in design to those of the Brian Boru Pipes of tenor, baritone and bass b - f - B , but with the added facility of valves which could be opened to raise the pitch by a whole tone to c - g - C when required.

A chanter appeared in the late 1920's based on Meagher Pattern having just a speaker key formed from sheet metal and folded around the top of the chanter that was left square to receive it in the same manner as the "Taylor" slab style keys on the Irish Union Pipes.

African Blackwood or similar exotic hardwood with mounts of  Ivory and nickel silver ferrules / keywork.

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