NPU Tionól is a pipers' gathering with a series of concerts, lectures, workshops and classes on traditional arts, organised by Na Píobairí Uilleann.
By the 1960's very few people in Ireland were playing the pipes and far fewer, perhaps only five, were engaged in the making of the instrument. It was a matter of grave concern that the art would decline further and so The Society of Uilleann Pipers known as Na Píobairí Uilleann (The Uilleann Pipers) was founded in 1968 at grassroots level by pipers themselves.
The main aims of the society are to perpetuate the spirit of the music, in particular the playing of the pipes and the production and maintenance of the instrument itself. Each year, NPU holds a Tionól (pipers' gathering) where pipers and musicians from all over the world can get together. They run a series of concerts, lectures, workshops and classes on piping and traditional arts. This year's Tionól will be in Listowel, Co. Kerry.
