Directory of Irish Pipe Brands

Directory of Irish Pipe Brands brings together, in alphabetical order, pipe names made in Ireland or marked as Irish-made in their stampings. Pipe making in the country has been largely centered on Dublin, and each of the three names on record is associated in some way with Peterson. The entries below summarize only documented facts, and points left unclear by the sources are noted separately.

Brands

• B.P.L. — The name is short for Briar Pipes Limited. This Dublin-based company's pipes found buyers chiefly in airport duty-free shops during the 1970s and 1980s, and the record includes a line stamped "Shannon Airport" as well as a series bearing the name Killarney. Because Peterson also sold pipes named "Shannon" at the same airport, a widespread belief arose that the two firms had a sub-brand relationship. No document confirms this belief; the records on hand show Briar Pipes Limited as an independent company.

• Irish Seconds — This stamping tells the story of bodies that developed flaws while being finished on the same line as Peterson pipes in Dublin. Pipes that could no longer be sold under the Peterson name were pulled from the line, given a roughly finished surface, and fitted with an ordinary vulcanite mouthpiece instead of the brand's signature P-Lip. They carry no brand name, only the markings "Irish Second" and "Made in the Republic of Ireland." A far more affordable series than the models bearing the Peterson name, production of these pipes as new stock is now considered to have ended.

• Kapp & Peterson — This is the official name of the Dublin firm that makes Peterson pipes, carrying the corporate identity behind the brand name. Two recent announcements are on record for the company: a new website was introduced in 2020, and production moved to a new factory in 2022.