Hi there ! Welcome to the Cuil beat Cajons website.
 
 
Located in Ireland and shipping worldwide, we manufacture high quality hand-crafted Cajons (and other percussion instruments) for beginners and experts alike. We have developed a product range which we know through experience will meet the vast majority of our customers needs right out of the box. However we also recognize and value the individuality of musicians, and much of our focus is on listening closely to individual needs and tailoring / customizing our product to suit. Nothing gives me a greater buzz, both as a musician and a craftsman, than to interpret and “realize the dream instrument” for fellow musicians. As a result we have received glowing testimonials from many satisfied customers, leading artists and groups with whom we have worked closely to achieve exact requirements.
 
 
MY STORY
Music, Percussion and Woodworking have always been my passions, and I feel very privileged to be able to combine these into a lifestyle/business which keeps me in daily contact with a wide range of fellow musicians who seek to express themselves in unique ways, across a wide variety of different musical genres.
 
 
I was fortunate enough to be brought up in a home where music was pretty much a way of life. We always had a song or a dance or a tune going on, no matter whether it was day or night. Set dancing was a regular event in the house and often went on all night until dawn. Both my parents and their respective families were very big into music and dance. My dad Sean played the accordion and sang, and my mother Marie was a set dancer and dance teacher with 9 All Ireland titles. There were just so many other strong musical influences around me locally that I couldn’t possibly have escaped having such a passion for music.
 
 
Percussion and rhythm generally have always appealed to me. I have played the Bodhran for most of my life, winning competitions at a Regional and National level and eventually teaching it in schools and privately. My love for woodwork comes from both parental families – My dad was a renowned local tradesman, as was my maternal grandfather. It is said that “The apple never falls far from the tree”, and with the two combined passions, along with a lot of craft knowledge passed on from both sides, it was inevitable that I would end up becoming involved in a project like Cuil Beat Cajons. The ingredients and the hunger were there all along !
 
 
Some years ago, I came across the Cajon accidentally on the Internet – I became fascinated by what the instrument had to offer in terms of the variety of tones and rhythms that seemingly could be achieved from what looked to be a glorified wooden box. So, straight away I started looking for one, but found it difficult to source it locally. A friend of mine, who owns a music shop, ordered one in for me and after weeks of waiting impatiently, the day finally came when I collected it. I played around with it for a couple of hours and was bowled over by its tonal qualities and general versatility. Natural curiosity eventually got the better of me and I took “the box” apart to see how it worked. Naively, I concluded that it should be easy enough to make one of these gadgets myself and got stuck into it the next day, but boy was I ever wrong!. A lot of timber, unrepeatable expletives, cigarette butts, time and money went into the dumpster before I got anything close to a sound or finish that was in any way acceptable to me, or that I would eventually be prepared to offer to others. Understanding the dynamics of what it takes to produce the right sound in a Cajon, in terms of materials, construction techniques, finishes, know-how, and the ability to be able to repeat the process reliably and efficiently to a high standard every time is the eventual art of the Cajon Maker.
 
 
So, if like me, you are passionate about rhythm and percussion, and want to achieve a particular sound or look for your band without having to re-invent the wheel, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll be happy to work with you.
 
 
Thank you for taking the time to visit my web site today and allowing me to share my passion with you. If you haven’t done so already, please check out our Product Range. I am confident that you will find something to suit your needs there, and we certainly would appreciate your business. If you have specific queries, or customization needs that you would like to discuss, please feel free to contact me through the Contacts page and I will respond to you personally and promptly.
 
 
Thank You.
 
 

 
 
Paul Higgins