From the early years of the Willie Clancy Summer School, which was founded in Miltown Malbay, Co Clare, in 1973, Na Píobairí Uilleann, the Dublin-based organisation for uilleann pipers, has played a central role in organising the teaching, refurbishing and playing of the pipes at the School.

From the 1980s, uilleann pipers played for their fellow pipers on an organised basis after morning classes at their centre on the Ballard Road, and in recent years these lunchtime recitals have moved to take place in Halla an Phobail, the Miltown Malbay community hall, for the wider audience of all those attending the School.

Presented here are Halla an Phobail performances, recorded by Irish Traditional Music Archive staff,  by two of the leading contemporary pipers who featured at the July 2011 recitals: Mickey Dunne of Limerick and Jimmy O’Brien Moran of Waterford.

With thanks to the performers for permission to upload recordings of their playing here, and to Na Píobairí Uilleann and the Willie Clancy Summer School for facilitating ITMA in making the recordings.

Nicholas Carolan & Treasa Harkin, 1 February 2014