Droning On
Droning On

Droning On

Heritage Bagpipes

Overview
Episodes

Details

Casual conversations with pipers, drummers, and other bagpipe-adjacent folk.---Follow the show on Facebook/Instagram: @droning.on.podcasthttps://www.facebook.com/DroningOnPodcast/Write-in at:[email protected] the show on Patreon, just search, ”Droning On Podcast”, or by buying cool stuff at BagpipeSwag.com

Recent Episodes

138: Holiday Tunes with Andrew O'Sullivan
DEC 7, 2025
138: Holiday Tunes with Andrew O'Sullivan
<p>Andrew O'Sullivan is back to play through, (and talk through,) some more Holiday tunes!</p><p>Tune into this episode to hear Andrew talk about fiddles, smallpipes, and "fiddling around with smallpipes".</p><p>This episode features some piping from Andrew &amp; I, but also from:</p><ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://coigmusic.bandcamp.com">Còig: </a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://coigmusic.bandcamp.com/album/carols">https://coigmusic.bandcamp.com/album/carols</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://lomaxarchive.bandcamp.com/track/ta-ladh-chri-osda-christs-lullaby">Kate Nicholson and group - Tàladh Chrìosda (Christ's lullaby)</a> (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://lomaxarchive.bandcamp.com">Lomax Archive</a>): <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://lomaxarchive.bandcamp.com/album/songs-of-christmas-midwinter-new-year">https://lomaxarchive.bandcamp.com/album/songs-of-christmas-midwinter-new-year</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://timedey.bandcamp.com">Tim Edey (with Ross Ainslie &amp; others): </a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://timedey.bandcamp.com/album/a-celtic-christmas">https://timedey.bandcamp.com/album/a-celtic-christmas</a></li></ul><p>-</p><p>We're on Facebook:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/DroningOnPodcast"> https://www.facebook.com/DroningOnPodcast</a></p><p>And Instagram: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/droning.on.podcast/">https://www.instagram.com/droning.on.podcast/</a></p><p>-</p><p>You can write-in to the show with comments, ideas, requests, etc. at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p><p>-</p><p>Support the show via<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.patreon.com/droningonpodcast"> Patreon</a> (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://patreon.com/DroningOnPodcast">patreon.com/DroningOnPodcast</a>), or by buying cool stuff at<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.bagpipeswag.com/"> </a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://BagpipeSWAG.com">BagpipeSWAG.com</a></p><p> - </p><p> - </p><p> - </p><p>And now, some keywords:</p><p> Bagpipes, bagpipe, bag, pipe, pipes, pipe, band, pipeband, Scottish, small, drone, droning, chanter, highland, lowland, uilleann, smallpipes, trad music,</p>
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107 MIN
137: Robert Macdonald on "Music From the Dead"
NOV 24, 2025
137: Robert Macdonald on "Music From the Dead"
<p>Robert Macdonald came on the show back in January of 2024. We talked then about his bagpipe journey, his music making with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://pennyland.bandcamp.com/album/pennyland">Pennyland</a>, and more -- including the fiddle playing &amp; tune-making of Cape Breton fiddler John MacDougall.</p><p>The most recent episode (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://rss.com/podcasts/droning-on/2318836/">136: Music from the Dead, The Tune-Making of John MacDougall by Robert Macdonald</a>) was an, "audiobook," you might say, of what Robert wrote about John MacDougall's work after spending time with him in Cape Breton in 2009.</p><p>Tune into this episode to hear a dude who's never been to Cape Breton ask a dude who has been there what it's like...</p><p>Here's a link to the Thesis we discuss in this episode: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1407&amp;context=etd">https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1407&amp;context=etd</a></p><p></p><p>Here's a link to the previous interview (Ep. 098) with Robert: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://rss.com/podcasts/droning-on/1289665">https://rss.com/podcasts/droning-on/1289665</a></p><p></p><p>And here's a link to John MacDougall playing the fiddle (this is the performance heard at the beginning &amp; end of the episode): <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://youtu.be/P2K7nvmnb_k?si=Ck-M36CpkGBorsfA">https://youtu.be/P2K7nvmnb_k?si=Ck-M36CpkGBorsfA</a></p><p>-</p><p>We're on Facebook:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/DroningOnPodcast"> https://www.facebook.com/DroningOnPodcast</a></p><p>And Instagram: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/droning.on.podcast/">https://www.instagram.com/droning.on.podcast/</a></p><p>-</p><p>You can write-in to the show with comments, ideas, requests, etc. at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p><p>-</p><p>Support the show via<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.patreon.com/droningonpodcast"> Patreon</a> (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://patreon.com/DroningOnPodcast">patreon.com/DroningOnPodcast</a>), or by buying cool stuff at<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.bagpipeswag.com/"> </a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://BagpipeSWAG.com">BagpipeSWAG.com</a></p><p>-</p><p>-</p><p>-</p><p>And now, some keywords:</p><p>Bagpipes, bagpipe, bag, pipe, pipes, pipe, band, pipeband, Scottish, small, drone, droning, chanter, highland, lowland, uilleann, smallpipes, trad music,</p>
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75 MIN
136: Music from the Dead, The Tune-Making of John MacDougall by Robert Macdonald
NOV 10, 2025
136: Music from the Dead, The Tune-Making of John MacDougall by Robert Macdonald
<p>Robert Macdonald came on the show back in January of 2024. We talked, then, mostly about his music making with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://pennyland.bandcamp.com/album/pennyland">Pennyland</a>.</p><p>We talked a bit about his scholarly work on the compositions of fiddler John MacDougall, though, and ever since I've been wanting to dig a bit more into that.</p><p>This episode is an, "audiobook," you might say, of what Robert wrote about John MacDougall's work after spending time with him in Cape Breton in 2009.</p><p>Tune into this episode to hear an abrupt (but hopefully pleasant) change in sound quality.</p><p>Here's a link to the document read in this episode: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1407&amp;context=etd">https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1407&amp;context=etd</a></p><p></p><p>And here's a link to the previous interview (Ep. #098) with Robert: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://rss.com/podcasts/droning-on/1289665">https://rss.com/podcasts/droning-on/1289665</a></p><p>-</p><p>We're on Facebook:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/DroningOnPodcast"> https://www.facebook.com/DroningOnPodcast</a></p><p>And Instagram: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/droning.on.podcast/">https://www.instagram.com/droning.on.podcast/</a></p><p>-</p><p>You can write-in to the show with comments, ideas, requests, etc. at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p><p>-</p><p>Support the show via<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.patreon.com/droningonpodcast"> Patreon</a> (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://patreon.com/DroningOnPodcast">patreon.com/DroningOnPodcast</a>), or by buying cool stuff at<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.bagpipeswag.com/"> </a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://BagpipeSWAG.com">BagpipeSWAG.com</a></p><p> - </p><p> - </p><p> - </p><p>And now, some keywords:</p><p> Bagpipes, bagpipe, bag, pipe, pipes, pipe, band, pipeband, Scottish, small, drone, droning, chanter, highland, lowland, uilleann, smallpipes, trad music,</p>
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48 MIN
135: Halloween Special: "Pipers and the Supernatural" with Stuart McHardy (Author of The Silver Chanter)
OCT 27, 2025
135: Halloween Special: "Pipers and the Supernatural" with Stuart McHardy (Author of The Silver Chanter)
<p>With around 40 books published to date, Stuart combine the roles of writer, storyteller and lecturer in Scottish history, folklore and geomythography. Additionally, Stuart has had a fair amount of poetry published and for many, many years worked as a musician. For 30 years he has been teaching at the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Open Learning and has also been visiting schools as a storyteller, as well as focusing as a writer on history, folklore and the Scots language. I was the first Director of the Scots Language Centre in Perth and am a founding member and past-President of the Pictish Arts Society. Over the years Stuart has worked extensively in radio and more sporadically in television. In the theatre, I have produced/directed and performed, in shows on Radical Song, Songs and Stories of the Jacobites and others. Stuart has appeared at many book (and storytelling) festivals and events in Scotland, England, Ireland, Sweden and Australia.</p><p>Tune into this episode to hear us liken hills &amp; restaurant logos to human anatomy.</p><p>Stuart's books are all over the internet, including Amazon and other retail sites. Here's an option: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://booksfromscotland.com/bfs-author/stuart-mchardy/">https://booksfromscotland.com/bfs-author/stuart-mchardy/</a></p><p>-</p><p>We're on Facebook:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/DroningOnPodcast"> https://www.facebook.com/DroningOnPodcast</a></p><p>And Instagram: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/droning.on.podcast/">https://www.instagram.com/droning.on.podcast/</a></p><p>-</p><p>You can write-in to the show with comments, ideas, requests, etc. at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p><p>-</p><p>Support the show via<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.patreon.com/droningonpodcast"> Patreon</a> (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://patreon.com/DroningOnPodcast">patreon.com/DroningOnPodcast</a>), or by buying cool stuff at<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.bagpipeswag.com/"> </a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://BagpipeSWAG.com">BagpipeSWAG.com</a></p><p> - </p><p> - </p><p> - </p><p>And now, some keywords:</p><p> Bagpipes, bagpipe, bag, pipe, pipes, pipe, band, pipeband, Scottish, small, drone, droning, chanter, highland, lowland, uilleann, smallpipes, trad music,</p>
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120 MIN
134: Tunes for the Soul with Sean Patrick Reidy
OCT 12, 2025
134: Tunes for the Soul with Sean Patrick Reidy
<p>Sean is a woodworking, re-enacting, tunesmithing multi-instrumentalist &amp; delightful conversationalist. In this episode we talk about, (and hear samples from,) their recently-released album, <strong>Tunes for the Soul</strong>.</p><p>Tune into this episode to hear Sean say, "when I do number two..." (that's a poop joke, I can't help myself).</p><p>Check out Sean's album: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://seanpatrickreidy.bandcamp.com/album/tunes-for-the-soul">https://seanpatrickreidy.bandcamp.com/album/tunes-for-the-soul</a></p><p>-</p><p>We're on Facebook:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/DroningOnPodcast"> https://www.facebook.com/DroningOnPodcast</a></p><p>And Instagram: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/droning.on.podcast/">https://www.instagram.com/droning.on.podcast/</a></p><p>-</p><p>You can write-in to the show with comments, ideas, requests, etc. at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p><p>-</p><p>Support the show via<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.patreon.com/droningonpodcast"> Patreon</a> (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://patreon.com/DroningOnPodcast">patreon.com/DroningOnPodcast</a>), or by buying cool stuff at<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.bagpipeswag.com/"> </a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://BagpipeSWAG.com">BagpipeSWAG.com</a></p><p> - </p><p> - </p><p> - </p><p>And now, some keywords:</p><p> Bagpipes, bagpipe, bag, pipe, pipes, pipe, band, pipeband, Scottish, small, drone, droning, chanter, highland, lowland, uilleann, smallpipes, trad music,</p>
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66 MIN