Waltons Music - About Us
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About us

About us

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Learn more about one of Ireland’s oldest music companies

Waltons Music offers a wide range of services to meet your musical needs. From our retail store which has been operating since 1922 to our online store, music school, manufacturing, publishing, and wholesale trade departments.

With nearly one hundred years of expertise to offer our customers, we have always found the best service we can provide our customers with is a friendly, knowledgeable person to speak to. So for more information about any of our services or queries you might have please contact info@waltonsmusic.ie or see the following contact details below.

Learn more about one of Ireland’s oldest music companies

Learn more about one of Ireland’s oldest music companies

Our Mission

The Waltons Music team is dedicated to serving the musical community both in Ireland and worldwide and providing them with world class customer service and product offerings.

Together we make music.

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World class customer service
Wide range of products and services
Irish owned, family run business
100 years of experience serving Irish customers

Our History

1920's
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1940's
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1950's
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1960's
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1980's
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1990's
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2007's
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2013's
2013
Martin Walton Founds Waltons Music & Dublin College of Music in Dublin City
1920's

Martin Walton Founds Waltons Music & Dublin College of Music in Dublin City
Waltons starts expanding publishing business and domestic business
1930's

Waltons starts expanding publishing business and domestic business
Waltons starts manufacturing instruments
1940's

Waltons starts manufacturing instruments
Waltons music radio programme begins broadcasting on RTE
1950's

Waltons music radio programme begins broadcasting on RTE
Waltons expands operations in Ireland and worldwide
1950's

Waltons expands operations in Ireland and worldwide
Waltons store in Camden street opens
1950's

Waltons store in Camden street opens
Waltons distributing and operating as a wholesaler domestically
1960's

Waltons distributing and operating as a wholesaler domestically
Expanded harp manufacturing
1960's

Expanded harp manufacturing
Expanded school to include a wider range of instruments
1960's

Expanded school to include a wider range of instruments
Manufacturing tin whistles and bodhrans
1980's

Manufacturing tin whistles and bodhrans
Waltons begins Exporting products worldwide
1980's

Waltons begins Exporting products worldwide
Waltons store in Dún Laoghaire opened
1980's

Waltons store in Dún Laoghaire opened
Large expansion of publishing, recording and international distribution
1990's

Large expansion of publishing, recording and international distribution
New school of Music founded to reach wider range of students and instruments
1990's

New school of Music founded to reach wider range of students and instruments
Waltons Music store in South Great George’s street featured in Oscar winning movie ‘Once’
2007's

Waltons Music store in South Great George’s street featured in Oscar winning movie ‘Once’
Waltons Music stores consolidated into superstore in Blanchardstown Retail Park
2013's

Waltons Music stores consolidated into superstore in Blanchardstown Retail Park

Waltons Music

Waltons Music was founded in 1922 by Martin Walton and is still to this day a family run business celebrating four generations of tradition and a mission to bring music to homes all across Ireland and the wider world.  Our founder, Martin Walton, was an accomplished violinist and Feis Ceoil winner as well as a revolutionary figure in Irish history in the early part of the 20th Century. At the age of fifteen Martin, already a member of the Irish Volunteers, took part in the Easter Rising of 1916 and later fought in the Irish War of Independence. During the war Martin was arrested and imprisoned in Ballykinlar internment camp in Co. Down, where he founded and ran the camp orchestra.

Martin

In 1922 Martin turned to his love of music and opened Waltons first Music store on North Frederick Street, Dublin 1, which would remain in that location until 2013. Martin also established the Dublin College of Music during that time and in the 1920’s and 30’s began manufacturing musical instruments and publishing collections of music, including our hugely popular songbook series, laying the foundations of our music company which has become an integral part of the music industry in Ireland today. Waltons, in the early years also became a mecca for visiting Irish immigrants who brought these instruments and songbooks back to their growing Irish communities overseas, and began our tradition of exporting our traditional Irish music and instruments worldwide.

Waltons Music

At home in Ireland however, Martin was most commonly remembered for the Waltons radio programme, which was first broadcast in 1952 and featured recordings from the Waltons Glenside label. The programmes which always ended with the line “if you do feel like singing, do sing an Irish song” continued to be broadcast and presented by Leo Maguire until 1981.

history 2

Waltons New School of Music which was opened in 1994 on South Great Georges Street, not only provides musical classes and workshops, but runs numerous external programs such as The Waltons World Masters Series, Waltons Music for Schools Competition, Music at work programs. Additionally, Waltons New School of Music offers outreach programs, that attract over three thousand students each year of all ages and skill levels, and offers tuition in the widest range of instruments and music genres of any school in Ireland.

history 2_1

In the interim years the Waltons Music company has been expanded and grown from that first shop on Frederick street to include stores in, Navan, Camden street, Blanchardstown and South great Georges street, which in 2007 appeared in the movie Once where Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová perform the Oscar-winning song Falling Slowly. These stores were later consolidated into our superstore in Blanchardstown.

history 3

Today, through our Blanchardstown store and our online music store, the largest Irish online music store, we continue to serve the musical needs of the Irish community. We also continue our proud tradition in music publishing and manufacturing of musical instruments and have continued to export traditional Irish instruments, music books, and tutors to Irish music lovers in Europe, Australia, Japan, North and South America as well as to over three hundred music and gift shops throughout Ireland.

We are proud to say that nearly one hundred years after we first opened our doors, Waltons Music is still an independent family-run business that remains dedicated to offering our customers the best possible service and widest range of musical products in Ireland.

From all of us at Waltons Music, we would like to thank all our customers for their continued support through the years and look forward to many more together.

Our History Part 4

Hear from our Customers

  • Samuel
    I have to say that was quick! Fantastic Service!! Wish other online shops could be as efficient and speedy as you! I will keep an eye out for the package arriving via the Carrier in the next few days! Great Service! Looking forward to receiving the Guitar. Just want to Thank You Very Much for all of your help and assistance! If anything crops up or if I need help or advice, I’ll drop you a line. In the mean time, Take Care!
    Samuel
    Electric Guitar
  • W T
    I've just been back to your website to order a new GS mini. I was really happy with your customer service the last time, so just wanted to say a big thank you. I'll be back again soon!
    W T
    Acoustic Guitar
  • P Byrne
    I ordered a Slow Airs CD for my husband on the 13th of this month, by Monday the 18th it still had not arrived. I rang your Rosemount dept. I spoke to a lady called Isabell, she was so helpful and said she would look into the tracking with the courier for me. I was so surprised and delighted, as she said she would drop the CD into me on her way home. My husband and I thought this was really the best customer service ever. Please thank Isabell for me as I was not there when she arrived. My husband said she was a really lovely lady. Thanking you for fantastic service.
    P Byrne
    Music CD
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