Come to the Hills

 

 

With a heritage deep in Scottish ancestry, Michael McClanathan started playing bagpipes at the young age of 10. His family came from the Isle of Tiree, off the west coast of Scotland, to Canada and then down to Michigan.

 

During the summers, Michael would travel to Kincardine Ontario to visit relatives that had settled there. Michael's love of the bagpipes began when, during the local parades, he would follow the pipe band around town every Saturday night. The music touched him so deeply that it was then that he wanted to take up the pipes and begin to play. Never could Michael have envisioned that one day playing the bagpipes would go beyond his passion and evolve into a business. Given his passion for the pipes, Michael has also passed this craft on to his son, Wheaton.

 

There is no finer set of pipes in the State, and perhaps in the country, than those Michael uses. They were made in 1860 by the legendary pipe maker, David Glen of Edinburgh. The pipes are beautiful in tone and have mellowed with age. Though many have tried, the full, rich bass sound of Michael's pipes have yet to be duplicated by modern pipe makers. Mr. Glen's superb craftsmanship has been enhanced by the recent refurbishing of both inside and outside of the pipes resulting in a sound that will long be remembered.