Hi Tim - history at this time - 1500 - 1700 was greatly controlled and contrived. Even in Scotland where you'd imagine they mighta escaped the probing eyes of the ever present spies of the the 'crown' There was in Britain during these times a great uprising initially in that grand old country Scotland. The Irish in Ulster allied with the Highlanders of Scotland. This is the source of the present troubles in N Ireland. The Scottish made a deal but England reserved a special punishment for Ulster for betrayal. The Scots did not suffer any penalty other than mass murder of certain families. Something like Bosnia I guess. The Ulster Irish however got the shaft. Not only did they ban the Pib Mor in Ireland -all counties- but they aslo disposessed the natives of their land and gave it to families from Scotland who had betrayed their own King and country. So much for Celtic solidarity. Yes there were many hangings of Pipers untill the Irish found a new way to survive. The hangings continued even after the Cuishlean Pipes were invented. In these latter times the crime was 'seditious tunes' Hope that helps.