If we go by the New Langwill, the address would probably be 148 Capel St. (which resembles what the eBay seller has interpreted), Dublin from 1834-1840. John McNeill, Exhibited a flute in 1841. Looks like he apprenticed under Isaac Dollard (Military Bugle Maker, flutes) and was succeeded as apprentice under Dollard by Butler.
Jon - could you buy this, restore it, and sell it to me for $300 please?
Pat
P.S. If it weren’t for the offset crack through the embouchure, I’d go for it!
Jon - could you buy this, restore it, and sell it to me for $300 please?
It will likely go on ebay for a little more than $300.
@Lorenzo - that was the reason for the - it was a joke (except for the humor part, I guess)
Pat
I know I know
I have just spoken to Steve Chambers who is the proprietor of J. McNeill’s music shop, presently in Miltown Malbay. He said he had owned one of these in the past and also that when he first bought the premises on Capel st there was a stack of tools and offcuts from tenons etc still present in the building.
Looks like a fun restoration! It would be a long weekend…
I wonder if it is moldy?
McNeill’s in Dublin on Capel st re-opened a few years ago; I assume it is not owned by the same person anymore. I was in the shop a couple of months ago and they had one of these McNeill flutes behind the counter and told me it was made there. They even let me try it out but it wasn’t for sale. Not a bad flute either although it did suffer the tuning anomalies of 19th cent. instruments. I wonder if that was the same flute Steve Chambers used to own.
I was in McNeil’s last March! Wish I’d noticed the flute… I played with a banjo guy and a guitar guy (can’t remember names).
McNeill’s in Dublin on Capel st re-opened a few years ago
I know, Steve however continued to trade under the McNeill name when he left the Dublin business and moved to Clare.
Damn, I must have gone past that shop 100 times when I lived in Dublin for a few months in 1974!
Terry
I played the McNeils flute today at the shop on Capel street. One thing that got my attention was the makers mark - a unicorn head. I was suprised to see it.
The flute here on ebay does not appear to have such a mark.
I am sure the Unicorn head was a flute makers guild mark, but I have never read anything of the matter. If you were a guild member, it would give you access to more resources. So to get in the British market it probably would have been helpful. Terry might have some history of this unicorn cabal…