Mick, when I do Uilleanns I use a Beta 57 facing 45% down the pipes, towards the regulators and the end of the pipes. Facing up the pipes will pick up wind sounds, and sometimes the bellows. For the chanter I use another series of Beta 57s in a vertical X-Y pattern with the X mic phased 180% from the Y mic. This allows the complex sounds from the apron (or pad on the knee) as well as the chanter to be picked up without having the sound fade from one mic to the other. You can, however, do a really neat stereo effect by slightly panning the X mic to one side with the Y going to the other and then using a slow Leslie effect back and forth on both mics. At that point it's easy to pick out the dopers in the audience... they lean over 'till they fall out of their seats.

But frankly I don't use condensers, (I have Shure BG 4.1s and AT MB 4000s) as the crisp highs actually put out a harsher sound. In fact, over some twenty years, I don't use condensers unless proximity is a problem, I need sizzle to "sell" the instrument, or the Sound Rider specifically calls for one. I use an insert into the mains which uses a BBE to drive a Behringer Tube enhancer to clean up my highs, and then condensers become nothing but "noisy children." But hey, piddle in the puddle until you find the middle of the muddle, and then fix it.