"After the 9/11 World Trade Center terrorist attacks, an Irish American tradition of funeral bagpiping became the sound of mourning for an entire nation. Among the dead were 343 firefighters. In the months following the attacks, New York City's Emerald Society Bagpipe Band of firefighter-musicians took out their instruments and prepared to bury their dead - brothers in duty and in blood. Many firefighters alternated between playing their instruments at funerals and digging for the missing in the rubble of Ground Zero." "Bagpipe Brothers tells the story of four firefighters in the band, all of whom represent the larger stories of mourning and recovery that the nation experienced in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. In addition to the losses throughout the Fire Department, the bagpipe band lost one of its own, a beloved drummer, and also lost the respected brother of a member. The firefighters' stories include searching for the dead, struggling to bring peace to their families and themselves, coping with the endless round of funerals, and rethinking the meaning of faith. It is a moving experience to see this group of very strong men deal with unimaginable grief." "Kerry Sheridan has written the first book to cover the ordeal of the massive number of funerals, the importance of recovering bodies in Irish American culture, and the bagpiping ritual, both traditional and modern."--BOOK JACKET.