A Great Irish Warpiper: AKA, Actor Peter O'Toole
Did you know? The famous Irish actor, Peter O'Toole, best known for his role in the 1962 epic film Lawrence of Arabia was also an accomplished Irish Warpiper.
Famous Irish Actor Peter O'Toole, plays the Piob Mór / Great Irish Bagpipes. Aside form spending his youth learning to be an actor and dancer, Peter played with Irish music and dance groups as well as Irish Bagpipe bands in Leeds and Ireland.
Born in Ireland in 1932, Peter Seamus O’Toole was one of Hollywood’s most highly regarded actors. O’Toole’s rise to stardom began in 1962, when he played the lead role in Lawrence of Arabia. He went on to appear in such critically heralded films as Becket, The Lion in Winter, My Favorite Year and Venus.
Early Life: Introduction to Bagpipes
Having an Irish father and a Scottish mother, it was going to be hard for him to avoid bagpipes. So it was through the strong Irish community and Irish traditional arts groups in Leeds, where Peter was introduced to the performing arts and The Great Irish Bagpipes.
When Peter was a boy, he joined an Irish cultural association in Leeds. One of the groups taught Irish Warpipes and Irish dancing. The group had the unusual name of "Lord Kolmorry’s Own Hibernians".
Irish Dancers from Leeds Association with Fianna Padraig Pipers from Manchester pictured in 1975. Similar to the group Peter O'Toole would have been piping with during his youth.
It is not clear how long Peter was with this group but it was certainly a few years. The group was also important for Peter as it helped introduce him to the entertainment world. They had several years touring and performing at festivals of performing arts in Leeds, all around England, France, and on many trips to Ireland. Peter played solo piping and also was the piper for the Leeds Irish Dancing Group at the time.
Love of Irish Culture and Music
O'Toole had a fascination for the arts, drama and music. He especially loved his Irish connections and spent many hours learning Irish tunes for the bagpipes. He was also a very capable Irish dancer. His trips to Ireland were frequent and included performing at Irish music, dancing and piping festivals.
Peter, at one stage, played in full Irish kilt and uniform with an Irish Boy Scout pipe band. Above is a rare photo of him playing at a Scout Jamboree in Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland in 1948.
Peter Seamus O’Toole announced his retirement from acting in 2012. After battling a long illness, O’Toole died peacefully at the age of 81 in a London hospital on December 14, 2013.
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