Jamie and Martin's pipes were made by Neil O'Grady of Carbonear, Newfoundland, Canada. They decided to purchase Neil's pipes for many reasons, as explained below:

1) Price: to be honest, we didn't want to spend a fortune on an obsession without knowing if it would pan out. Neil's pipes were priced within the range of what we wanted to spend. Also, being Canadians, we wanted to purchase in Canada to avoid the terrible exchange rate and possible duty charges from the U.S. We did not order from Ireland as we had read that Irish reeds are usually useless on this side of the pond. Jamie also notes that Neil was very flexible on the schedule for paying the down payment.

2) Research: We contacted as many as we could find who played Neil's pipes. We managed to contact quite a few people. In all cases, we heard very positive comments about his work, and his follow-up support. What particularly impressed Jamie were comments on the longevity of Neil's reeds. We learned that players found his pipes easy to tune and to play. We also read that they had a nice, mellow tone.

3) Delay: When Jamie ordered his pipes, Neil estimated that the half set would be completed within 12 to 14 months. This was reasonable to Jamie and allowed him the time to hide money away while the set was being built.

Patrick has a half-set. The chanter was made by Kevin Thompson of Malahide, Co. Dublin, Ireland. The drones were made by Nick Whitmer of Ithaca, New York. The bellows were made by Seth Hamon of Texas.