Earliest maker of anglo concertinas in Ireland

[Snedder]

Do we know who the first person in Ireland to make anglo concertinas was?  I've seen some mention of Joseph Scates producing English concertinas, but couldn't find mention of the first Irish makers of anglo concertinas. 

 

Thanks for any info! 

[Stephen Chambers]

The answer is very simple, there weren't any.

 

Inexpensive German concertinas were originally made in Chemnitz (where they were first invented, in 1834), and then even-cheaper models started to be made in Klingenthal from 1853 onwards.

 

Anglo-German concertinas (with German fingering, but of English construction) started to be made in London, in the 1850s, and George Case sold some of them in Dublin.

 

 

 

Edited February 28 by Stephen Chambers
Edited to add more material

[Peter Laban]

Concertinas are being made in Ireland now so someone must have been first. Even if they only emerged in the 21st century.

Edited February 28 by Peter Laban

[Stephen Chambers]

On 2/28/2025 at 4:01 PM, Peter Laban said:

Concertinas are being made in Ireland so there must be a first maker of them. Even if they only emerged in the 21st century.

 

We'd need to compare dates on that Peter, and what qualifies someone as a "maker" of an instrument? The term has been used very broadly over the centuries, and lots of famous "makes" have been assembled from parts made by other people, or even entirely by others (like John Crabb for C. Jeffries, or Louis Lachenal for C. Wheatstone).

 

I suppose I might even be a contender myself - having designed and done the final assembly on my own-brand Triskel hybrid concertinas (made out of English and German-made parts) starting in 2001, when my business was still in Dublin;                                                                                                                                  

                                                                    

 

 

or building 7Mount concertinas (with my name on them) when I was in Miltown Malbay... 😉

 

                              

Edited March 2 by Stephen Chambers

[wes williams]

'Maker' is not an exact term, but to quote from Chris Flint:

It is also uncertain how many George Jones concertinas he [Scates] imported, but George Jones said that he received a ‘large’ order for Anglo concertinas in the early 1850’s, after sending Scates the first Jones Anglo.

and also:

Instruction Book for the Improved German Concertina, London: J W Moffatt; and
Dublin: Joseph Scates c 1852-55.

You'll find that here.