Ten Facts...

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Don't tell me...They sound completely different to bagpipes, right?   hehe

Actually, they do.  Much softer and sweeter (cover two full octaves) and are more suitable for whaddyacallit...music.

Seriously, Irish pipes have a much broader range of notes - you can do sharps and flats, which you can't really do with Highland pipes (well, you can, but it's a fraud). Uilleanns are generally played indoors, sitting down, and people are less likely to beg you to stop playing. Additionally, you can sing while playing, whereas with the Scottish abomination, if you stop blowing for even a second, it sounds like someone has sat on a gas-filled hedgehog (generally an improvement).

Boru

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Don't tell me...They sound completely different to bagpipes, right?   hehe

One sounds like a dog with his balls stuck in a bear trap.

The other sounds like a group of cats with their balls caught in a bear trap.

Haven't you got a boat to go buy, woman?

Boru

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In fairness, I should give a comparison between the two.  Here's proper pipes,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZTHs7eQSKc

And Scottish pipes,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em4mcHyO_bQ

Boru