The best resource in learning the pipes is that of a piper, or ideally pipers, near you. Unfortunately there are many 'isolated pipers' who rarely have the opportunity to listen to and learn from other pipers. For those outside Ireland, the standard of local piping may be such that, while vital comraderie is available, inspiring piping of the highest standard is not.
While I plan to add links/pointers to the various contemporary sources of piping instruction and inspiration, in the meantime I've posted some information on learning the pipes which I think is of both historic and practical interest.
Reading the following instructional treatises, from the turn of the 19th and 20th century respectively, it seems that piping instruction has always been scarce. While a few technical details in O'Farrell's treatise may seem outdated, Touhey's admonitions seem very much on-target in the context of 21st century piping.
Even rarer than 'Irish Minstrels and Musicians', this volume was published by O'Neill in 1910 and contains some anecdotes not included in IMM. From "Irish Folk Music, A Fascinating Hobby" I reproduce the following: