Inglis Collection of printed music > Printed text > Story of the bagpipe

Irish Pipers in France
Whilst King Edward I. was in Gascony during the
vears 1286-89 he sent for some Irish troops,
and, as a matter of course, pipers, being lrisn
"the musicians of the kerne," followed in ipers in
the train of the native and Ansrlo-Irish ,
cind
soldiers to enliven them to deeds of daring. 1 Flanders
In 1297 Irish kerne were again availed of in
the Flanders campaign, and again did the strains of
the Irish war-pipes make the welkin ring.
One of the earliest drawings of the Irish bagpipes
is in a manuscript copy of the Dinnseanchus — an
Irish topographical history — in the British
Museum, dated 1300, describing the Irish r *?, ar
kerne who accompanied King Edward to r \ •
Calais in 1297. In this manuscript there is
an illuminated initial letter with the quaint device of a
pig playing with all-becoming gravity on a set of bag-
pipes. The royal proclamation ordering "all the
King's lieges in Ireland to supply arms and horses and
to go with them in company of the King in the present
war with the King of France" is dated May 4th, 1297,
and was sent to Sir John Wogan, Viceroy of Ireland.
The truce with France was proclaimed in Ireland in
the following October, as appears from the State
papers.
It is remarkable that the Irish and their brethren of
Scotic Minor should be found in opposite camps at
1 Previously, in 1243, King Henry III. had a large body of
Irish troops in France, who, no doubt, had their war pipers with
them.