The myth that the dreaded English banned the bagpipes in Scotland is so embedded in American "lets pretend to be Celtic" culture that it will never die. It is comparable to the well-known fact the the Victorians were so prudish that they covered up the legs of pianos. It's a sad fact that most people prefer to believe what they would like to think might have happened, rather than take a bit of trouble to find out what did. Which is I suppose understandable, given that it is well known you can never be absolutely sure about anything. But surely people could take a little trouble to do their best, truth can be stranger than fiction and much more interesting.