Cairdin Accordion

Cairdin Accordion

Cairdin Accordion

What's the best Irish accordion? Cairdin, Paddy Clancy or Kincora?

What's the best Irish accordion? Cairdin, Paddy Clancy or Kincora?

Just wondering about the "state" of these boxes as they are all made by one man bands (Searson, Clancy and Connolly) so to speak rather than family run factories etc. I'm thinking of purchasing a new box and was considering one of the above mentioned but i need more info than just the pictures on their website. Does any one have any good feedback or bad points about them and is there any one who owns all three?

# Posted on January 24th 2008 by upmine3

Re: What's the best Irish accordion? Cairdin, Paddy Clancy or Kincora?

I don't know anything about these boxes, but in addition to the quality of the instruments I would be interessted in knowing the price, it seems that only cairdin give information about this on their website.

So if anybody have information about price and also time of delivery of these accordion, please let me know.

I would also be interesseted in the price and delivery time of the french galliard accordions (wich seems very popular nowadays). Gaillard don't seem to have a webpage (?)

Martin Connollys (Kincora) webpage also seem to be down at the moment?



# Posted on January 24th 2008 by TradLad

Re: What's the best Irish accordion? Cairdin, Paddy Clancy or Kincora?

I have an older Cairdin and I've tried (briefly) a couple of Kincoras and if I were in the market for a new box I'd be much more interested in a Kincora.

Kincoras appear to be closely modelled on Gaillard accordions, externally at least. How closely internally I would be very interested to know. A good model to copy anyway.

TradLad, Kincora’s website was up just now: http://www.kincoraaccordions.com/

If you're really interested why don't you call the makers and ask them yourself? Any information you get from people here may be out of date.

Here is some such out of date info: Gaillard's waiting list is approximately two years.

His 2007 export prices were approx €2.1K for a 21-button 2-voice and €3K for a 23-button 3-voice. You'd have to add VAT at what, 20%? if you were taking delivery in the EU. Drop the man a line, he'll be happy to send you a current price list and some info.

A fellow I met last summer had a fairly recent Kincora 3-voice. He told me he paid €2800 for it (again, I think, without sales tax). But if you really want to know, call Martin Connolly!

# Posted on January 24th 2008 by Jeeves Tones

Re: What's the best Irish accordion? Cairdin, Paddy Clancy or Kincora?

You forgot Castagnari and Saltarelle.

# Posted on January 24th 2008 by mcdevincabe

Re: What's the best Irish accordion? Cairdin, Paddy Clancy or Kincora?

Upmine is obviously referring to Irish-made accordions, mcd.

# Posted on January 24th 2008 by Jeeves Tones

Re: What's the best Irish accordion? Cairdin, Paddy Clancy or Kincora?

my 2004 Cairdin mini deluxe is a great box. Other Cairdins I've seen of about the same vintage have also been very good

# Posted on January 24th 2008 by millionyears_bc

Re: What's the best Irish accordion? Cairdin, Paddy Clancy or Kincora?

Hmm some interesting comments there and cheers Jeeves Tones i should have worded this question better (Irish-made) for mcdevincabe. The recent pound falling against the Euro doesn't help things either £1= €1.29 where as it was £1 = €1.40 when i got my Castagnari from Italy. Anyway on looks it's got to be Paddy Clancy's box but i need to try out all three really.

# Posted on January 24th 2008 by upmine3

Re: What's the best Irish accordion? Cairdin, Paddy Clancy or Kincora?

Cairdin have got some great sound sample videos on their website which really helps and i've heard a Kincora on myspace just waiting to find a link to a Paddy Clancy sound sample.

Cairdin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2tCfB6eRHY

Kincora: http://www.myspace.com/kincoraforsale

# Posted on January 24th 2008 by upmine3

Re: What's the best Irish accordion? Cairdin, Paddy Clancy or Kincora?

Another good place to hear a Kincora in full flight is on Damien Connolly's CD (Martin's son). Samples here:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/damienc

# Posted on January 25th 2008 by Jeeves Tones

Re: What's the best Irish accordion? Cairdin, Paddy Clancy or Kincora?

Des bons accordéons, il y en a de différentes marques :
Saltarelle, Castagnari, Bertrand Gaillard...
ci-joint l'adresse d'un site où l'on peut voir sur quels types d'instruments jouent les stars de notre instruments...
http://lgendrot.club.fr/musiciens/musiciens.htm
Joe Burke, Joe Derrane ---> B.Gaillard
J.Daly, A. Coffey , M.O'Connor ---> Saltarelle
P.Brock ---> Paolo Soprani
S.Shannon ---> Castagnari
and me... ---> Saltarelle (C#-D-C)
Le lien vers les accordéons Saltarelle :
http://www.saltarelle.com/sterling_range_accordeon.htm

Bye Bye
Jean-Marc

# Posted on January 27th 2008 by Jean-Marc

Re: What's the best Irish accordion? Cairdin, Paddy Clancy or Kincora?

Paddy Clancy without a shadow of a dout. I have one and wouldn't use anything else

# Posted on December 1st 2008 by treas

Re: What's the best Irish accordion? Cairdin, Paddy Clancy or Kincora?

I have a Paddy Clancy, 3/4 voice version.

It's absolutely gorgeous, really playable. He is an expert tuner and uses the very best reeds.

On purpose I let him tune the accordion the way he likes it himself, and it's ended up sounding great. Fairly wet tuning but doesn't sound out of place in a session or a small band.

I have played some Cairdin's and they have felt stiff compared to the clancy.

I used to have a castagnari, that was also gorgeous; not quite as playable as the clancy. I can't put on my finger on it but just prefered playing the clancy.

He's a great chap to deal with also, full of funny stories!

# Posted on April 20th 2011 by The Free Reed

Lovely playing. The CD has an accompanying booklet about West Limerick traditional music and musicians.

# Posted on May 28th 2007 by dogbox

Accompanying players

Derek Hickey - Accordion
Dónal Murphy - Accordion
Dan Brouder - Accordion
Mick Mulcahy - Accordion
Donie Nolan - Accordion
Pa Foley - Accordion
Gerard Culhane - Accordion
Domhnall De Barra - Accordion
Willie Larkin - Accordion
Brian McGrath - Piano
Jerry Macnamara - Bouzouki, Guitar

The album is called Diarmuid O'Brien - Cairde Cairdín and is my first. It is fiddle and accordion duets from west Limerick. I'm performing on the fiddle with each of nine accordion players from the west Limerick area that I grew up playing with. The album is dedicated to Martin Mulvihill RIP as he was the bigest influence in my music. The album contains many of his compositions and many other tunes only common to the West Limerick area.

There's more info at www.diarmuidobrien.com, where you can download some free sound clips

# Posted on May 28th 2007 by dogbox

The information above was copied from Diarmuid's CD cover.

# Posted on May 28th 2007 by dogbox

John Egan's

As far as I can tell this is a nice setting of the old favourite: "Drag her round the roads"

# Posted on March 19th 2008 by Brown Creeper

Martin Mulvihill's Polka

I found a version called Jim Keeffe's which matches none of the Jim Keefe's on this site. sigh.

X:1
T:Martin Mulvihill's Polka
R:polka
M:2/4
L:1/8
K:D
dc/d/ ed|cA A2|dc/d/ ef|g2 fe|dc/d/ ed|cA Ae|f/g/a ec|1 d2 dA:|2 d2 de||
|: f>e fd|g>f ge|f>e fa|ge ce|\f>e fd|g>f ge|f/g/a ec|1 d2 de:|2 d2 dA||

# Posted on August 30th 2008 by airport

Track 4

First tune is not "Cock Your Pistol Charlie" (which is a slide not a polka) but is in fact one the Ballydesmond polkas: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/238

# Posted on October 24th 2008 by timmy!