Kieran Maloney is an awesome resource and has a great sense of how to help people. The store is…read moreupstairs so we walked past 4 times before we found it. Whoops. Even though there are lots of signs... But I'll use the excuse that we were strangers in a strange land. We spent over an hour trying instruments out, talking with him, walked out for lunch, then came back after having mulled over the choices. The universe was leading us that day because each small choice we made lead us to this shop, talking to Kieran about many different Irish flute options, we heard 2 amazing flamenco guitarists as we came out of lunch and then... We bought a flamenco guitar (made in Spain, of course), with a hardshell guitar case to be shipped home, and an Irish flute. The guitar came in case in perfect condition all the way across the ocean. It made us nervous to buy and ship, but now I can say it was worth shipping. OMG it was such a steal too. In Portland, Oregon and TBH most of the decent music shops on the West Coast of the USA you can't get a decent flamenco guitar for under $1000 and even if you do, it's not as good as this one that's from Spain! We have been looking for years... Even at handmade instrument shows! The guitar sounds and plays amazing and it's a joy to hear. The flute is great too - I'm just horrible so I will keep practicing. Lol. I am so glad the universe smiled on us this day and we were able to meet the wonderful Kieran!

Clearly the musician's stringed instrument shop in Dublin. No attitude, professional demeanor,…read moregood range of guitars, violins, mandolins, banjos, ukes, etc. Something for a rich and poor musicians alike. Lutherie repairs on site. I'm still thinking about the transcendent Mcilroy cedar top parlor guitar.

You know you've walked into a Trad shop when next to the musical instruments, sheet music, and…read moreIrish tapes and CD's you encounter a huge glass case filled with tobacco pipes, a selection of macs and a bucket of walking canes. This shop has an assortment of musical instruments including concertinas, accordions, mandolins and even wooden spoons. They have a huge selection of sheet music with many contemporary songs as well as old favorites. I didn't find out much about the history of this shop while I was there, but I found this little blurb on Travelmuse.com: "This shop is steeped in history, located on the site of the Church of St.John of Jerusalem. This church was inhabited by the Jesuits until Cromwellian forces took it over in 1650. One possible explanation for why this spot is called the Four Corners is that this area was previously the only crossroads in Galway.The shop has been owned by Powell and Sons since 1918, when the family began selling snuff from the premises. They now specialize in traditional Irish and classical music, selling a varied range of musical instruments, tapes and CDs. Upstairs there are various painting implements such as paintbrushes, oils and charcoal."