Thanks for the link, Jack, it puts it in a bit of context. In the 50's it's quite conceivable that the fiddler was referring to neither the Uilleann pipes nor the Highland pipes, but to the somewhat hybrid Brian Boru pipes- with regularised intonation and chromatic keys which extended the compass both upwards and downwards. Being deliberately loud for outdoor marching music, but lacking the poignant discords of the Highland pipes, they might well deserve disparagement as a vehicle for subtlety.