Donnchadha Mac Con Uladh was born on January 24, 1883 in Belfast. According to good friend Ronan Maguire (former PS SLOT and all-round awesome friend), Dennis and Daniel are both acceptable translations of the Irish name, Donnacha (Dunn-ach-a). You may find information regarding McCullough with both Dennis or Daniel as first name.
He was a piano tuner by trade and established a retail business at 12 Howard Street, Belfast in 1909. Three years later he moved to larger premises at 8 Howard Street where the company started making bagpipes. David Glen (Edinburgh) was said to have been involved, possibly teaching turning skills. This would explain the similarity of McCullough bagpipes to Edinburgh bagpipes (Glens). McCullough turners were trained or apprenticed by David Glen, who had been the main maker of Great Highland Bagpipes for Ireland. Apart from Glen’s long established Edinburgh workshop, they set up a branch in Belfast at the request of the Belfast solicitor and antiquarian, Francis John Biggar. They then set up another branch in Dublin. Piping tuition was given and pipe making began as youths served as apprentices.
The two Irish branches of David Glen’s businesses, (Belfast and Dublin, as partition was yet to happen), were taken over by Daniel McCullough around 1900. I don’t know if McCullough was an actual turner or just the company owner, (he had been “under instruction” from Glen but I can’t tell if that means pipe making or business practices), the main turner seemed to be a man called William Andrews, who played both uillean pipes and mouthblown bagpipes. Andrews was also P.M of the pipe band attached to Trinity College, Dublin. He was a prolific writer on the subject of piping, and compiled and wrote the book, “McCullough’s Irish Warpipe Tutor & Tune Book”, published in 1926. Andrews received his instruction from Pipe Major Willie Gray of the Glasgow Police.
McCullough’s pipe making side just didn’t seem to be able to survive against the Henry Starck company’s publicity machine, despite the huge surge of interest in Irish piping that began in 1903, with the consequent demand for instruments. McCullough’s Belfast branch closed. The Dublin shop still survives as the McCullough Pigott Music Shop, which is run by Joe Lynch, but sadly has nothing to do with bagpipes.
McCullough’s Irish warpipe tutor and tune book. Foreword by Francis Joseph Biggar, Preface by Liam Mac Andrieu. Published by 1st Ed Mc. Cullough’s Dublin and Belfast, 1924
One thing that is agreed on, the firm of McCullough started in Belfast with the encouragement of Francis Biggar, also known as the MP Joe Biggar. They began manufacturing bagpipes around the early 1900’s under the direction of the David Glen company of Edinburgh.
In 1926 the company published McCullough’s Irish Warpipe Tutor & Tune Book. By then the company is listed as having two addresses, Belfast & Dublin. The cover of the tutor is interesting. It features what would appear to be a member of the Black Raven Pipe Band. I’m guessing this because when the Black Raven PB formed in 1910 they wore a uniform partly based on an illustration from John Derrik’s 1581 book “The Image of Irelande”. (This was based on the assumption that Derrik made the illustrations, but he didn’t. The artist was probably an unknown Dutchman working for the publisher, John Daye. We can’t know how accurate the illustrations are, although the drawings of Sir Henry Sidney’s forces are remarkably correct in their detail).
McCullough bagpipes can be found as traditional two-drone Irish Warpipes or as Great Highland Bagpipes. Sometimes they show up in neglected or otherwise difficult condition. With the proper care and attention they can be brought back into playing condition. What strikes me about the McCullough bagpipes that I’ve seen is the very deep bells and the poor-quality of the metal. The quality of the wood and turning is first-rate.
