I wanted to inform you about our trip in Ireland looking for bodhrans.
We started in Thurles . We met Charles Byrne but he is sick for 5 years and doesn’t make bodhrans anymore.
I tried a few tunables but they were very hard and looked really “handmade”. He still has 3 tunable bodhrans and a few non-tunable. His wife did all the talking and it was a very nice visit. The way he played the bodhran with his knuckles and the singing he performed was wonderfull. It was a kind of old Irish : damdiddidam. Very special. He sang what he beated.
I really want to learn more about it. His price for a tunable was 250 euro. But when I made clear that I was making a trip trying several bodhrans and I did not intend to buy right away, his wife made clear that our time was up. She gave us the good advice to look around and certainly only to buy a HANDMADE bodhran. Certainly no Waltons cause it is mass production. She was certain that we would be back after trying all those other bodhrans.
Mr Byrne told a story about a goat he went to kill and skin in the night but we couldn’t understand it very well.
However it was a special experience.
Paul Doyle - Hand Made Harps In Galway we visited Paul Doyle but he doesn’t make bodhrans since a few years. Only a few weeks ago he sold his last one.
We were welcomed very nice by his son or compnion and it was a very nice experience to look around in the atelier. I think it was his son because the “boss” was having a lunch. He makes very nice stringinstruments.
www.handmadeharps.com - 38a Dominick Street, Galway Mail:
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091 566948
Powells Music shop - shop street, Galway. In the music shop in Galway I tried a few bodhrans. They sold Vignoles, Waltons and HEDWITSCHAK from Germany. But only the basic version. Strange that an Irish shop sells German made bodhrans.
 Claddagh Michael Vignoles doesn’t have a shop in the Eyre Square center anymore. He works in Claddagh. We were welcomed by Paul, his son. It was wonderful. We could try a lot of bodhrans. Micheal was playing the pipes in the USA. Paul was very nice. He re-made a bodhran especially for me. I got a nice leather band with celtic signs on it. I would like to thank him again very much.
www.claddaghbodhrans.com
A relative of the Vignoles-family makes bodhrans in a craftvillage in An Spiddal, a few km further to the north than Galway. We were there on a Sunday-evening when it was closed. I couldn’t try the instruments.
Malachy Kearns - Roundstone - I was served by Patrick. I think it was the son of Malachy. I tried a few bodhrans but I was not satisfied. I like a deep, soft sound. After a while he showed me a 14 inch bodhran that he found in the atelier. It was full of wax and he said it was played by the bodhran player of the Chieftains. It had a fine deep sound in the shop. I had to wash my hands several times.
I don’t know if I can believe him that it was really played by Kevin Conneff. It is a pity that it became a very hard bodhran to play a few days later. The skin is too tight and that makes a very hard sound. Maybe I have to give it time to grow in tone. I spread water over it a few times like Patrick told me but it still is not what I expected. Strange that the sound changed so much.
Fiddlers trad Irish music shop in Ballyvaughan. I tried bodhrans made by a bodhranmaker in Doolin but I did not like those drums. Maybe I had to visit the maker in Doolin but we did not have enough time.
McDermotts pub doolin  We heard really good music in Mc Dermotts in Doolin . I think it was CAHER that played there. The young violinplayer was fantastic . Of course the whole band was great but she was always in the picture. On the pictures it is an older violinplayer.
In Westport , Matt Moloy’s , the music was poor. It is really just for the tourists. Not my thing.
In Dungarvan I played with Christy O’Neall in the Marine Bar. It was great. It was there that my Claddagh-bodhran was baptised.
I hope I gave you some interesting new information about bodhranmakers in Ireland.
We are looking forward to visit Ireland again. But when we would know where we can find the same “craic” somewhere in Scotland , we would like to know where it is to be found. We were in Scotland 7 times and found no such atmosphere. But maybe you can give me advise about it. If not we look forward to visit Ireland again as soon as possible.
Patrick en Suzie Engelen - Van den Broeck
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