Brendan Matthews is a Community Historian, who has spoken and written extensively on the origins, progression and/or decline of Communities & the Social History of the Irish People. He has appeared on many television & radio programmes across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia. Brendan resides in the village of Stamullen, Co. Meath, situated 10km (6 miles), to the south of Drogheda. He works independently and is a member of the Old Drogheda Society and the Drogheda Museum.

Whatever Happened to Willie & Charlie Taylor?;
Uilleann Pipers Extraordinaire and natives of Drogheda.
The story of Willie & Charlie Taylor and how, through their engineering and experimental skills, made huge advancements in the popularity of the Uilleann Pipes in the later 19th century. Leaving Drogheda in the 1860`s, the two brothers travelled across the Atlantic, settling first in New York City before moving to Philadelphia. The Drogheda natives are still renowned by Pipers and other musicians around the world for the adaption and changes they made to the Uilleann Pipes, but whatever happened to Willie & Charlie Taylor? Brendan Matthews has been researching the life and times of these extraordinary brothers from the Boyneside: this talk is the result of his findings.