Bagpipes??

[raibeart_dubh]

I agree with the police and fire department pipe bands assessment and also I believe I read on here somewhere that St. Patrick's mother was a Scot. Besides, there are great pipe bands from all over the world and I rather enjoy hearing them no matter the occasion, whether it be a holiday of Irish origin or just because.

[BroosterB1]

Ah. brother Hawk, according to my Ya-fu, the pipes were first seen in the tombs of Egypt. This of course means that nobody really knows how old they really are. Suffice to say the pipes are one really old instrument, there should be no wonder why they stir the soul as they do.

The Romans used the pipes to signal their infantry, and there is good information that Phillip of Macedonia did the same. As the Celts were moving from Hindo-Eurasia to the Alps they certainly were exposed to the pipes, and when pushed farther north they carried them (the pipes) with them.

Our spiritual fore-fathers (druids) would have been familiar with the pipes, whether from their own use, or from others. The ancient world was a lot more connected than we want to believe. You are correct in the assertion that the Celts paved roads; where do you think the Romans got the idea?

At one time the Romans had two big problems; the Celts and the Carthaginians. the bigger and more dangerous of which had elephants. They fought delaying wars with the first and direct ones with the second, by the time that they turned their attention to the Celts, they (the Celts)had moved north.

The biggest difference between the Celts and the Romans was the one of adaptation to local culture vs. imposition of foreign culture. The Romans built cities, roads and baths, the Celts blended into the culture of the area, adopting and adapting to the local.

As a result of all this, Celtic heritage is still with us, pure Roman has been relegated into the history books. Of course, this is just my opinion on the subject, but the pipes? Of course, to stir men's souls and raise the temperature of the blood, there is nothing like the pipes to evoke those memories past....ith:

[Bugbear]

And Nighthawk will perfect playing the bagpipes while bungy jumping into a pool of mustard.