Kieran hits right note as music shop turns 20
A passion for music, a background in instrument-making, and a desire to provide an unrivalled range of instruments prompted Kieran Moloney to open a specialist music store in the heart of Galway 20 years ago this month.
As Moloney Music celebrates its 20th anniversary at 17 High Street, Kieran admits that there were a few “scary moments” after he decided to go out on his own in October 1996.
But since then, the shop has built up a loyal customer base across the local, national, and even international music scene. Thanks to the expansion of his online presence, Kieran has seen his customer base expand across the globe.
However, his main focus remains very much on the local market, helping the youngster who might be in search of his or her first instrument or catering to the needs of the many professional musicians in the West of Ireland.
Kieran was in his late 20s when he decided to take over the shop which had been run by violin-maker Kevin Sykes at High Street since 1984. He had worked for Kevin for a while before taking the plunge, after Kevin decided to relocate to Mayo. They still work together on a regular basis.
“It was a bit of a scary moment, but I felt I had nothing to lose. I had been with Kevin here for one year and he was moving away, so the place was going to be vacant,” he says.
“Although I was a craftsman, I had never really considered myself as a businessman before. This was an opportunity to bring in a new dimension, in terms of providing other instruments.”
Music was always Kieran’s passion. A devotee of the flute and the mandolin, he can trace musicians back through five generations of his father’s family.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.