Over seven years have passed since the release of Volume II of the Journal, and much has changed in the interim. We are now pleased to announce the release of Volume III.
The release of Volume III marks not only our first "internet edition" release, but the first edition of the Journal dedicated to a single topic or personage. We hope to make the online edition of Volume III, along with the subsequent commentary and addenda, the ultimate source for information on piper and pipemaker R. L. O'Mealy. We've even got a YouTube clip!
For more discussion of Volume III and why Richard Lewis O'Mealy is such an important figure, please see the editorial introduction, and O'Mealy preface - the first two articles in Volume III of the Journal itself.
Today the publication of the bound edition of the first two volumes of the Seán Reid Society Journal was officially launched at the headquarters of Na Píobairí Uilleann at 15 Henrietta Street, Dublin.
We wish to express our great appreciation to NPU for their central role in the publication of the bound volume, and for their past and continuing efforts in distributing the first two volumes in CD-ROM format.
Welcome to the Seán Reid Society official website, and the Seán Reid Society online community. This website serves as the primary home of the Seán Reid Society Journal, and a repository for news and information of interest to the Society, readers of the Journal, and other devotees of the Irish Union or Uilleann pipes.
To help you make the most effective use of the site, we have prepared a page entitled "using the site", which we aim to expand as our new site grows.
The primary activity of the Society over the past ten years has been the publication of the Journal, which, although infrequent, has been successful and well-received. However the initial publication medium, CD-ROM, chosen to reduce costs and facilitate multimedia content, has not been without its downside. The physical process of disk duplication and distribution has been labor-intensive and at times prone to error, and the media themselves have proven to be less than archival. The upcoming publication of the Journal in print form by Na Píobairí Uilleann promises to improve this situation substantially, but does not address every concern.
As it was never the mission of the Society to make a profit, the decision was made to make the Journal freely available in electronic form via the Internet. We foresee multiple benefits: it reduces both publication delay and distribution costs to near zero; it enables convenient public references to Journal content via hyperlinks; and hopefully encourages a wider audience to avail of the information which we seek not only to preserve, but to disseminate.
This website will initially serve primarily as the electronic publication portal for the Journal. Later plans include an online forum where specific Journal articles can be discussed, and an Archive where registered users can upload relevant content such as drawings, photographs, measurements, and other media.
As with all new endeavours, there are inevitably errors, omissions, and technical problems; website questions, issues, and comments may be directed to postmaster AT seanreidsociety DOT org.
Special thanks go to Liam McNulty for the lovely photo of Seán Reid that graces our home page.