My name is Stephen McClenaghan and I am the craftsperson behind Hawthorne Lutherie, a brand that embraces the beauty and legacy of traditional Irish instruments and combines it with sustainable Irish tonewoods and repurposed timber. All instruments are designed and built at my home workshop in the heart of East Belfast.

My career in instrument making modestly with the building of my first instrument at an evening class in 2008. From there I was inspired to retrain and went on to become one of the first full time students under master of craft Sam Irwin at his Lagan Lutherie School. As part of our tuition we were tasked with making every part of the instrument from linings to headstock. Under Irwin’s guidance I was able to flourish and develop love of the craft completing ten instruments within twelve months. In the following years I worked with Catherwood guitars learning how to build mandolins, octave mandolas and bouzoukis and then with Lowden guitars becoming a supervisor in the assembly department and teaching others within a few years. In 2020 I felt the time had come to take a leap into making my own instruments full time and Hawthorne Lutherie was launched. Alongside this I have also been fortunate to become a tutor myself at the same Lagan Lutherie School where I found my own career. At the school we teach students from all over the world how to build beautiful and fantastic sounding instruments at every stage. Many of our students have gone on to become luthiers themselves.

Hawthorne Lutherie stands for the highest quality of raw materials put together with care, precision and artistry. I work closely with local timber merchants to reduce impact and bring a rare character to each instrument. In developing my own range I have experimented with a number of different timbers that are not usually used for instrument making to develop sounds and design that set my instruments apart. Working with sustainable Irish woods can be complex but the hard work results in instruments that have a look and sound completely their own. My fifteen years experience and dedication has allowed me to produce what I believe are truly unique, beautiful Irish instruments.