Cycle to the willie clancy summer school
Na Píobairí Uilleann (NPU), the Society of Uilleann Pipers, today launched their 6th annual Reels on Wheels Challenge, a 250km fundraising sponsored cycle from Dublin to Clare. Held over two days from Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th July and aimed at cyclists of all abilities, an overnight stop in Birr, Co Offaly affords the opportunity for some great music and plenty of sport before arriving into Miltown Malbay, Co Clare to coincide with the start of Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy.
The Reels on Wheels Challenge builds on the funds raised over the last five years for NPU’s Sharing the Sound of Ireland programme and supports great projects such as the uilleann pipemaking training programme at NPU’s PipeCraft Training Centre, Clonshaugh, Dublin 17. Since opening the PipeCraft Centre NPU have delivered training to over 140 people on a variety of courses including 10 people from throughout Ireland who recently completed a full time three year course in the craft.
The outcomes are excellent and the craft of uilleann pipemaking is now beginning to grow and develop further in Ireland in a more sustained way. The pipemaking training initiative to date has created jobs, economic activity and exports. Most importantly young people are now able to get practice sets of pipes in a much shorter time frame that had been the case and they will experience dramatically reduced waiting time to get full sets of pipes to fulfil their potential as musicians,
We invite you to join us to get fit, get on your bike and help Na Píobairí Uilleann to Share the Sound of Ireland by hitting our target of €15k for the event.
More information from info@pipers.ie or call 01-8730093
Na Píobairí Uilleann
Na Píobairí Uilleann (NPU), the Society of Uilleann Pipers was founded in 1968 when there were less than 100 uilleann pipers remaining. Now, over 45 years later, NPU is a thriving arts organisation dedicated to Sharing the Sound of Ireland through Access, Education, Performance and Preservation, delivered through the organisation's commitment to excellence in values, governance and processes.
Based at number 15 on Dublin's historic Henrietta Street , Na Píobairí Uilleann now have a unique opportunity to support ever-growing, worldwide demand for services by developing the award-winning design for the adjacent site of no. 16 creating an International Uilleann Piping Centre, Theatre, Training Facility, Museum and Archive showcasing this truly unique sound of Ireland - the Uilleann Pipes.
NPU recently launched a new look web site and two innovative new mobile apps Moving Cloud and Pipecraft, the first of their kind within the Irish traditional arts world.
Na Píobairí Uilleann's primary funding agencies include the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, The Arts Council / An Comhairle Ealaíon and Dublin City Council.