In search of the closed 'C': A Piper's Odyssey

The Holy Grail, the Loch Ness Monster, the Abominable Snowman, the Tom Owens. Just some examples of myths and legends, the storied histories of which have been told and retold down the years around Stanley ranges and the dying embers of sitting room fires because nobody wanted to go out in the rain for the turf.

To these legends can be added the fabled closed 'C'.

To understand the legend, we felt we must first discover what the closed 'C' truly is. Aware that we had no choice but to go straight to the top, we approached Dooagh Pipe Band, winners of Achill Island's "Best Band on the Island" competition for seven consecutive years. Sadly, finding someone in the band who would demonstrate the closed 'C' proved unexpectedly difficult, and at every turn we met a determined resistance to its delivery.

But what was the reason for this resistance? As publishers of some renown, we understand the principles of copyright, and how protecting trade secrets can lead to an advantage over competitors. So, is the closed 'C' the secret to success for Dooagh Pipe Band? Is this why nobody would share the technique?

If we couldn't get a demonstration, perhaps we could start with some clues as to what the closed 'C' means to a pipe band.

With some trepidation, given how the ranks closed against us thus far, we approached Brian Gielty, the 2025 winner of the Founders' Cup. Surely the band's ambassador would be keen to promote and share knowledge. But when we said we were looking for his help in finding the closed 'C', all he said was: "it's OK thanks, I've got one already".

We then asked the band's chairman, David McNamara, who said: "If I've told him once, I've told him a thousand times - there's no such thing as ambassador for the band!"

Slightly taken aback by this unexpected divergence from the topic at hand, we felt it would be prudent to change tack, and went undercover to try and work out - from within - the secret of the closed 'C'.

Posing as untrained musicians (which wasn't much of a stretch, truth be told), we joined a group of learners on the practice chanter. Lesson one introduced us to note 'A'. One week later in lesson two, we became acquainted with note 'B'. At that stage, we felt that lesson three would be next and, provided the teaching pattern was consistent, we could expect note 'C' and our quest would be complete.

The fateful night arrived. Nervous with anticipation, we joined the circle of practice chanter players. At last, the many, many, minutes of research and investigation were about to bear fruit.

But an unexpected development meant that the full band was in the hall. With bated breath, we watched the band prepare. The time had come when we could observe, at close quarters, the band performing the warm-ups which would no doubt reveal what the elusive closed 'C' actually is.

Part way through the first tune of the evening, the Pipe Major called a halt and spoke eloquently of the closed 'C'. We could see the fingering of perhaps half of the band from our position, but when the band restarted we saw no change as to how the 'C' was being formed. This puzzled us greatly until we realised that the pipers we were observing so closely could see us, the under-cover reporters, in plain view. Clearly, though we don't know how, we had been exposed and those band members, always one step ahead, were deliberately playing a regular 'C', obviously to confound our plans.

There was nothing for us to do but retreat, licking our wounds and reflecting on how close we had come that evening to witnessing the Dooagh Pipe Band playing the closed 'C'.