McNally

McNally Acoustic Guitars — Two of the World's Best Schools, One Workshop in Armagh

Ciarán McNally fell down the guitar-making rabbit hole at fifteen when his first guitar started giving him minor electric shocks. The repair took minutes. The obsession it sparked has never stopped. A year later he built his first guitar on the kitchen table. From that moment his path was set: the Lagan Lutherie School in Belfast, then London Met's College of Furniture for a diploma in musical instruments, then senior craftsman at George Lowden Guitars in Downpatrick, then Production Manager at Atkin Guitars in Canterbury. By the time he went independent in 2020, he had built or had a hand in over a thousand high-end acoustic instruments at two of the most respected workshops in the United Kingdom.

The pedigree is extraordinary for any luthier. For one still in his twenties, it is almost without precedent.

His tonal philosophy draws directly from both traditions he trained in: the warmth, sustain, and harmonic complexity of the Celtic guitar lineage, combined with the fundamental presence, note separation, and clarity of the American steel-string tradition. The result is a voice that players describe as immediately distinctive, sitting naturally in both traditions without being fully defined by either.

Transatlantic Soul, Northern Irish Craft

Every McNally guitar is built entirely by Ciarán in his workshop in Armagh, from tonewood selection through to final setup. Hot hide glue construction, baked European spruce bracing, bone nuts and saddles, ebony fingerboards and bridges, and meticulous hand-finishing are standard throughout the lineup. The rosette and inlay work, whether a geometric mosaic or a full-fretboard Celtic Ivy design executed in abalone and mother of pearl, reflects a level of visual artistry that very few builders at any price point can match.

Tonewood combinations across the lineup include German Moon Spruce and Swiss Moon Spruce tops over figured English walnut, figured koa, mahogany, Indian rosewood, and Madagascar rosewood back and sides, with Adirondack spruce available for players who want maximum headroom and projection. Every combination is chosen in service of a specific tonal character, with the visual result treated as inseparable from the acoustic one.

The Models

P (Parlor) — The most intimate model in the lineup, compact and comfortable, with the focused warmth and touch sensitivity that makes the parlor format a perennial favorite for fingerstyle and blues playing.

S — Ciarán's small-body 12-fret model and one of the most celebrated instruments in the lineup, available in both 12 and 14-fret neck join configurations. The short 24.9-inch scale brings warmth and elasticity to the playing feel, and the S has appeared in German Moon Spruce over mahogany, koa, and walnut configurations that consistently draw outstanding reviews from players and dealers alike.

OM — The model most widely associated with the McNally name and the one that first brought Ciarán to international attention. A 25.4-inch scale length, lightly braced soundboard, and Ciarán's transatlantic tonal philosophy combine to produce an instrument that Guitar.com described as representing exceptional value, with complex chords that ring with gravitas and grace and single-note lines that carry enough focus and power to make their point unaccompanied. Available in Standard and Presentation grades with the option of full Celtic Ivy fretboard inlay work for the most visually extraordinary version of the design.

D (Dreadnought) — A projection-forward dreadnought for players who need power, presence, and the full-voiced character that the format has always delivered, filtered through McNally's voicing sensibility and premium tonewood selections.

J (Jumbo) — The largest and most acoustically commanding model in the lineup, with a big, warm, bass-forward voice and the kind of acoustic presence that fills a room without amplification. Built with the same meticulous construction standards as every other McNally model.

A Builder at the Beginning of Something Remarkable

Ciarán McNally went independent in 2020 with more experience already behind him than most luthiers accumulate in a career. The instruments that have followed have attracted the attention of Eddie's Guitars, The Six-String Collective, Organic Sounds, and other respected boutique dealers who recognized immediately that this is a builder worth watching closely. Guitar.com concluded simply that it would be no surprise to see Ciarán rising further up the ranks in the acoustic lutherie scene. That prediction is already coming true.

Browse our available McNally inventory, and reach out to discuss a custom commission directly.