Bagpiper brings sounds of Scotland to Central Texas
Posted On: Friday, Oct. 24 2008 05:45 AM
By Hayley Kappes
Killeen Daily HeraldSounds from the Scottish Highlands can soon be heard reverberating throughout the hills of Central Texas.
Nationally acclaimed bagpiper Patrick Regan will return to his home state for a string of performances in early November.
Regan, who was born and raised in Dallas, grew up around the sound of a bagpipe. His parents emigrated to the United States from England and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. His father would give him 30-minute bagpipe lessons every day, beginning at age 11.
"Bagpipe was the first instrument I took too," Regan said. "I always liked the sound. I think God just needed another bagpiper."
Regan's performances will culminate at the Cultural Activities Center Nov. 8, where servicemen and women will be honored. He will play notable bagpipe songs including "Scotland the Brave," "Amazing Grace" and "Garryowen," which is the marching song of the 7th Cavalry Division, aka Custer's Theme Song.
Regan now calls Pennsylvania home and brought his love of the historical instrument with him. He was the first person in the country to graduate from Carnegie Mellon University with a bagpipe music performance degree.
When he's not performing, Regan teaches bagpipe at Carrick High School in Pittsburgh and is the director of bagpiping at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
For Regan, playing the bagpipe commemmorates his Celtic heritage and celebrates the cultural diversity of how immigrants like his parents made the United States what they are today.
"I consider myself 110 percent Texan," he said. "I'm very pround of my British heritage. My mom is still a British subject. She's proud that I've continued this tradition of playing the bagpipe."
Terri Matthew, executive director of CAC, introduced Regan to the area when he initially performed here in 2001. He held an educational residency in Killeen and Temple.
The timing of his visit couldn't be more fitting as it coincides with the Gathering of the Scottish Clans Festival in Salado.
"It's an appropriate presentation since there were so many Scottish people who settled this area," Matthew said. "Everyone loved him when he performed here several years ago. He has an ability to read his audience and play off them."
Regan prefers to play with his audiences instead of for them. He jokes with them, tells traditional Scottish folk tales and touches them on an emotional level.
"When I play songs like 'Amazing Grace,' you can see people in the audience literally crying," Regan said. "It's such a powerful instrument."
Regan's extended family would gather during his youth for c?ilidhs (pronounced kaylees), a Gaelic tradition where people would play instruments, sing, tell jokes and stories of life back in the British Isles.
After his performance at CAC, Regan will hit up O'Brien's Pub in Temple to mingle with audience members and bagpipe aficionados alike.
The gathering affords an opportunity to chat, interact and enjoy a pint, much like in days of yesteryear.
"Playing the bagpipe is a way to reach into the past," Regan said. "I'm living my dream of playing and teaching this instrument. How much better can life get? Music allows people to fly above everything else they have to go through."
Contact Hayley Kappes at
hayleyk@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7559.
Performance Times
Nov. 5, 7 a.m. for the Temple Sunrise Rotary Club for a breakfast meeting at Tres Mageyes Restaurant in Temple.
Nov. 5, 4:30 p.m. at Scott & White Child Life Center in Temple
Nov. 6, 5 p.m. Regan will lead the pledge and perform a song at the Temple City Council meeting.
Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m. at Central Texas College
Nov. 8, 7 p.m. at the Cultural Activities Center in Temple. O'Brien's Pub in downtown Temple will welcome Regan after the show for a special guest appearance. Receive free admission with the CAC show ticket and a free appetizer.