The GHB tends to be a bit loud for session playing and they are in an odd key B flatish (although Hamish Moore now makes sets in A). However I have played them in a session to great effect - they shut the melodian players up! Practically every county in England had their own distinctive pipes at one point in history. And there are hundereds of different continental types.

Hurdy gurdy's sound great when accompanying or just playing along with scottish smallpipes other than that I don't know much about them.

The Uillean pipes are very difficult to play but I don't think that they are the daddy of all pipes rather a recent invention in fact.(being deliberatly obtuse)