The Maker

The Maker

 

 

                                                                         ME_NPU

My name is Martin Gallen former Building Engineer and Safety Consultant I have been an Uilleann Pipe Maker since 2011 and have enjoyed a great deal of success in this business thus far having won 16 different Awards for the Business as well as the O Mealy pipemaking scholarship in 2012.

Having been shown a few basics by close friend, Martin Mc Intyre, the rest has been self taught and new designs for pipes and reeds have been developed. I have worked for and with a great many of my childhood heroes including Paddy Keenan, Liam O Maonlai and Finbar Furey.

I have forged some very treasured relationships with my peers in this field especially with my close friend Jackie Boyce, well known and highly respected bag maker, who has trained me in his trade, passing on a long standing family secret and enabling me to make bags to his first class standard.

All the products and tools I sell are of my own making. When I sell a set of pipes, everything I include has been hade made with care by me.

I had been inspired to become a pipemaker by my friend Finbar Mc Laughlin and the late great Leo Rowsome and I have a huge respect for the old masters Egan, Coyne, O Mealy. I am now the proud owner of an O Mealy full set in D made in Ebony and brass with original reeds, bellows and case.

I am always on the lookout for a new way to do things or at least a way new to me. 

I make pipes, reeds, bags, bellows, cases, pipemaking tools, reedmaking tools and piping accessories. I have published a book on reedmaking and I teach reedmaking and piping on a regular basis.

I try my best to keep waiting times to a minimum and this means me working long hours. I also keep my prices fair, low enough to be kind to pipers but enough to earn a living which is very hard but it's all about balance- keep the customer happy and keep myself alive. This is a full time job for me and although I am very passionate about piping and pipemaking I still need to make money from this. You all have jobs and earn money, pipemakers are people too.