To cure a goatskin a solution of garden lime mixed with water is used. The skin is left soaking in the mix for six or seven days until the skin is soft enough to wash the hair off in a barrel of water. The back of the skin must then be scraped of all membrane and fat so that the skin does not smell when dried. The skin must then be soaked in a pickle...
What makes a real bodhrán? It's a great question, in fact it is the most important question every bodhrán player, new or seasoned, asks themselves when choosing to purchase one. If you would like to see my bodhráns for sale you can visit my store by clicking HERE For me, for 34 years I have researched, tinkered and hammered away trying to figure what exactly makes a great bodhrán beat. You...
The History of The Bodhrán By Paraic McNeela (The Bodhrán Maker) Every year I give a lecture in DCU (Dublin City University) on the topic of The Bodhrán. The fun thing I like to do at the start, to grab the students attention, is to say "The facts you are about to hear are all lies". That of course is not true, but over the years if there is...