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Gerry Rooney is the founder and owner of Pipeline Bagpipes, LLC. He was born and raised in Uddingston, near Glasgow, Scotland. His piping tuition began in the 1970s at the College of Piping in Glasgow, Scotland with Fred Morrison, Sr., P/M Angus J. McClellan, and P/M Angus MacDonald, M.B.E.

In America, he studied Piobaireachd with James McIntosh M.B.E., Donald F. Lindsay and P/M George M. Bell. Between 1983 and 1985 he earned over 40 first and second place prizes in various piping competitions, including Piper of the Day at the Delco Scottish Games in 1985. He competed in the Open Grade Competition in Scotland in 1986, and was asked to join the Strathclyde Police, whose pipe band at the time was in the middle of a six year winning streak at the World Championships.

In 1987 he was forced into temporary retirement due to a serious hand injury (from a circular saw), and was told he would never play again. Despite the injury, he made a comeback in 1993 and took over 45 first and second place prizes including Piper of the Day at the Capital District Scottish Games in 1994. He has been interviewed by newscaster Jane Hansen, and has appeared as a featured bagpipe instructor on NBC’s ‘Today’.

For ten years, he served as the piping instructor at West Point Military Academy and continues to give piping tuition. In 2013 Gerry purchased Wallace Bagpipes, which he sold in 2016. The knowledge gained by the purchase and involvement with Wallace, plus his years of playing and distributing a wide range of bagpipes by the leading makers, gives him a vast insight as to what is quality of product in the bagpipe world.

In Gerry’s opinion, you cannot beat McCallum and MacRae Bagpipes for sound, quality of craftsmanship, and their unsurpassed back up service.