Richard Ennis is a craftsman who makes musical instruments at his workshop in Tralee.
Richard Ennis originally from Boston has set up a workshop on Friary Street in Tralee. In the premises above a granary he has been making flat-backed mandolins, cello mandolins, dulcimers and the occasional guitar.
He became interested in making instruments about ten years ago when he wanted to learn to play the mandolin. Instead of buying one, he made a mandolin himself. After a visit to Tralee, three years ago he decided to make the town his home. He began making instruments from scratch, cutting and shaping the raw wood to fitting the frets. The instrument is then sanded, varnished and finally strung.
It takes Richard Ennis a full week to make a mandolin as the craft is quite labour intensive. He has developed his own mandolin designed specifically for traditional Irish music. Having studied forestry at university, he finds it helpful for understanding timber.
Richard has been supported to pursue his dream job by his wife who works as a clerk in the council.
This episode of 'Summerhouse' was broadcast on 29 July 1980. The presenter is Áine O'Connor.
'Summerhouse' was a summer magazine series on RTÉ Television. First broadcast in the summer evening time slot on RTÉ 2 on 13 June 1979, it ran until to 1981. Other presenters and reporters were Liam Nolan, Áine O'Connor and Vincent Hanley.
