Celtic Roots Craic 76 – George, myself and the Lowden Guitars story

A couple of weeks ago I got a phone call from an old friend – a now retired chef – who used to host a regular radio show two afternoons per week on our local Down FM 105 station. Unfortunately, the local college, who hosted the station ran out of funding and the station closed down several months ago.

But Big G was calling to let me know the people involved had done some fundraising and were re-launching the station from the former BBC sound studio in the St. Patrick’s Centre, inviting me along to the launch. I was intrigued because the station had previously showed some interest in broadcasting this show on their station. 

Unfortunately, nothing had come of this – probably my own fault for not pushing it a bit! But my friend had again mentioned my show and the new organisers seemed keen to include it – if you’re listening to this on Down FM 105 then you’ll know that this time I was successful!

As part of their fundraising they’d had a draw for a brand new Sheeran by Lowden acoustic guitar, with the winner being selected live on Facebook at the launch. I actually got to play that Sheeran guitar! In case yo  u are not familiar with this instrument, it is produced by our major local employer, the George Lowden guitar factory – which is now based just a couple of miles from my house.

I’ve known George Lowden since the seventies, when we were free and single, sharing a house in Bangor,  and George worked as a manufacturer’s agent for a clothing company. When a new clothing range was introduced we got our pick from the now obsolete range – so in those days I always had some trendy gear to wear!

Well, George decided one day the would give up the clothing business, become a luthier and make high quality acoustic guitars. We had a large room at the rear of our rented house and I helped George to make his first workbench. Later, when he and Flo were married I completed the building work on his house in Groomsport, Co. Down. Needless to say, the rest is history! Lowden Guitars have gone from strength to strength and have become a household name in the music business.

Although a Sheeran guitar is machine built and relatively inexpensive, the actual George Lowden guitars are hand built from start to finish and cost considerably more. Thankfully, I was able to do a deal with George way back then in payment for some of that building work. The guitars were then being made under licence by a company in Japan, but later production moved to Bangor, Co. Down, and then to a growing collection of small business units outside Downpatrick.

Outgrowing this, and with the Ed Sheeran connection requiring a great increase in production and personnel, the factory moved to new premises near Crossgar, a few miles from Downpatrick. I happened to call in on the day that George and his team were testing out the expensive new CNC equipment on a new Sheeran guitar – the result was quite impressive.

George’s latest claim to fame is the recent portrait of him painted by celebrated local artist, Colin Davidson, known for his paintings of such celebrities as Liam Neeson, the aforementioned Ed Sheeran, local singer Duke Special, and international figures such as the late Queen Elizabeth II and former US president, Bill Clinton. It seems that after 50 years of guitar making George has now joined the ranks of the rich and famous – though he still speaks to me!

And we’ve been listening to an authentic Galician whistle tune from Efraim Diaz – in Spain, of course – ‘Muiñeira de Piadela e Sarasate’ , from the album, ‘Pito Galego’.  A Muiñeira, by the way, is the Galician equivalent of an Irish jig and Pito Galego is the Galician flute.