ABOUT
CUILLINN CRAFT
or, HOW I GOT INTO
THIS RACKET:
A LONG TIME AGO
(about forty years or so) IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR
AWAY... (Connecticut) I lived and spent my time
in school and pipe band, learning fingering,
keeping those Taorluaths on the run, and enjoying
the fact that good quality Highland dress stuff
was relatively cheap. In following years I lived
in Arizona, Colorado, and other points West and
East, including some time mis-spent in Scotland
working for Robert Allan in Edinburgh and John
Fraser in Inverness. My natural inquisitiveness
led me to learn a great deal about Highland
Dress, Celtic art, jewellery making, and piping.
As my father had trained me to be a machinist
from the age of six, I fell into the 'craft' end
of things quite easily.
Over the years I
amassed a small but carefully selected collection
of goodies, some of which were made by friends;
some were lovely antiques. I was rather proud of
what I had - dirks, sgians, brooches, all that
neat sparkly stuff that looks so great - until
most of it was stolen from me by a drug-addled
acquaintance of mine some twenty years ago.
Needless to say I was not amused. When I finally
acquired the funds to start collecting again, I
ran into several problems:
Anything
of any quality and age was sky-high in
price.
You
just couldn't get good jewellery from
Scotland anymore without paying through
the nose, and
what
was commonly available was rhodium-plated
pewter junk.
So I put my
Smithing Cap on and started making things. I
still have my first Plaid Brooch (shudder - made
after almost twenty years of inactivity out of
nickel silver). I then started making
functioning-cantle sporrans, belts, plaid
brooches, and other items for my friends. I soon
decided that I might try making a buck, and sold
a few things at a couple of Games.
Hooda thunkit.
In 1994 I began
representing Sharp & Co. bagpipe makers, and
since then the Bagpipe end of the business has
utterly dominated my sales. I sell very little
jewellery any more, but I'll be happy to make you
something special...I've currently got several
dirks and sgians in production for Pleasanton...
Call me at
510-569-1689 or email
pipey@netwiz.net
with your enquiries.
Now, this is what
we're all about:
CUILLINN CRAFT
makes the finest Highland Dress accessories
available today in Sterling Silver and 14 Karat
Gold. Dirks, Sgians, Belt Buckles and Sets, Plaid
Brooches, Buttons, Sporrans, and belts are all
custom made for the discriminating collector on
an order-only basis. We also now carry the
prestigious Ola Gorie line of sterling and gold
jewellery from Orkney. In addition, we offer a
search service for fine antique jewellery pieces,
and weapons.
CUILLINN CRAFT imports Highland Bagpipes by
Kintail, David Glen, J&R Glen, and Drumran,
and is the West Coast agent for Sharp and
Co.,Bagpipe Makers in Glasgow, Scotland. We are
also representatives for Inveran House of
Newburgh, and Ian Murray of Forfar.
CUILLINN CRAFT sells the finest bagpipe
accessories: L&M, ROSS, MARK BENNETT, and
HAMILTON pipe bags, Wygent Synthe-Drone IITM
and DuatoneTM
Reeds, HARRIS,
APPS, MEGARITY-ROSS, LUMSDEN, and our own
CUILLINN chanter reeds, and Drums by PREMIER and
LEGATO.We also sell a wide variety of the latest
bagpipe books, CD's and Tapes.
CUILLINN CRAFT is
the distributor for
"The
Highland Emigrant's Piping Tutor"
by Iain Sherwood,
the best piping tutor written in the last forty
years.
CUILLINN CRAFT
also represents Peter Macdonald, Tartan Weaver of
Crieff, Scotland. Mr. MacDonald makes the finest
reproduction 18th and 19th century Tartan cloth
today. We also carry a limited line of Period
Accessories for Re-Enactors, and, occasionally,
army surplus kilts.
CUILLINN CRAFT are
the Left Coast agent for The Kilter Co., makers
of THE unique and practical highland dress
luggage, "The Kilter." We also carry
custom-knitted kilt hose, Victorian Gordon
Highlanders pattern garters, Ultimate
eighteenth-century pattern garters, and we're
adding new items all the time.
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