One blustery afternoon I was walking through the market square of Cambridge where within the wind a sound was carried, the sound of the UILLEANN PIPES. With their crystal clear melodic keys and heavy bass drone, the sound drew me over. Dicky and myself spoke for a while and we later arranged for him to play Palimpsest. He's a traveller, a veteran pipe maker and player and will make a hugely welcome sound to open this year's festival.
"One young piper who made a great impression is DICKY DEEGAN, now back in Tasmania. Dicky amazed a room full of pipers at the Sheffield Irish Centre; had some threatening to throw their pipes, and themselves, into the river in despair. He's assimilated Seamus Ennis' style and technique so easily and so totally that sometimes he sounds more like Ennis than Ennis does. He plays with such authority and confidence, and he has an insight into pipe-making too". Brian Howard, Uilleann Pipe-maker