Any ancient Celtic led different communities world-wide to relish bagpipes as part of their musical heritage. The howl, swaggering thrum and proud skirl of the bagpipes has been played right across the globe largely due to the extent of the 19th century British Empire. The English military appropriated the Scots use of bagpipes as a tool of enemy intimidation. Military pipe bands which accompanied their troops throughout 'the colonies' evolved. Small wonder the sun never set on the Empire. Each of the three great piping traditions - Scottish Great Highland, Irish or Uillean and English Northumbrian small- pipes - are exquisitely celebrated on one of the enclosed CDs with outstanding performances by acknowledged masters of their art. Listen and be awed. Bagpipers occupy a rarefied world inhabited by devotees and connoisseurs as well as the pipers themselves. But the glorious music they make can never be ignored anywhere it's heard.