MacKenzie, William

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These pictures came to me from long-time friend and contributor, Ronan Maguire of SLOT Pipe Band. The bagpipe originally came out of the Dalkey Pipe Band, played by the current owner’s father. They are said to have been made by William MacKenzie of Dublin. Not much is known about MacKenzie other than he than he was piper to The Mackintosh at Moy Hall, seen in the picture to the right. He was also composed the piobaireachd, “Mackintosh’s Banner” and competed at Inverness from 1881 to 1890. MacKenzie moved from Inverness, Scotland to Ireland to make bagpipes and reeds for Scottish troops that were stationed there.

He opened a bagpipe shop on Bolton Street in Dublin in 1911 however the business closed in 1916 at the time of the uprising. He is said to have moved to London and may have continued making bagpipes. The bagpipe pictured here has very interesting profiles and details not often seen together. It would be good to have other corroborating verification, however for the time being, based on the information at hand, these are believed to be the work of William MacKenzie. The maker’s skill as a turner is obvious.