We just got back from Tara Connaghan’s Session Etiquitte Retreat. For years, we’ve been planning a trip to Europe, and it worked out perfectly that we could go to this for the week we had off.
I am so glad we got to attend this. Not only did we get to play in some fun sessions, but we learned all kinds of ancillary things about the history and culture that I figured it was going to take me years to pick up in bits and pieces. I remarked at one point that it felt like we’d crammed six trips to Ireland into 4½ days.
I of course brought my 3d printed practice set over, hoping people wouldn’t be too harsh about an American having the audacity to bring such a thing to Ireland. What I got was just the kindest, most considerate responses I could have hoped for. Some people were downright excited about it.
I don’t like to drop names, but several well-regarded pipers commented that an affordable set for younger learners was exactly what piping needs. One individual even went so far as to reassure me that any established pipe builder who felt threatened by what I’d made would clearly have some confidence problems. I’ve tried to make the design look nothing like the kind of artistry you’d see from a fine craftsman, and I guess that design work is paying off in something that’s clearly not trying to mimic a finely crafted instrument.