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Ongoing Research
The Wicklow Pipes
 The
set of six pipes and fragments which
were recovered at Charlesland, Co. Wicklow in
2003 are being studied by Dr. Peter Holmes and
Prehistoric Music Ireland on an ongoing basis.
The first experimental reproduction so
beautifully made by Dr. Holmes allows for the
pipes to be sounded and relationships established
between notes.
It is not known, however,
if the fipples which are added to each pipe as
a tone generator are the correct way to generate
the note as only the pipes themselves were recovered.
It is also possible to speculate that the
originals were sounded by air from a bag and bellows
rather then from human breath.  A
further intriguing question arises when attempting
to identify the method employed to make the originals.
Essentially the pipes are cylindrical wooden
tubes. They were carved or drilled out
until an even internal bore was achieved along
the length whilst making the side wall as light
as possible. The age of the pipes at 4170
years ago places them in the transition from the
Stone Age into the Bronze Age. The tubes
were not split along the length, carved and then
joined again. Further, there is no evidence of
burning on the internal wood surfaces.
At present the Wicklow Pipes are being conserved
and this process may last for a year or more.
So we wait until we can look again closely
at how they may have been made.
Illustrations by Dr.
Peter Holmes.
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