[Innes Rothach - Preseantair] A Ghallaibh a-nise, far a bheil fear air dòigh inntinneach fhaighinn airson a bhith a’ dèanamh airgead à bloighean fiodha o thocasaidean uisge-beatha agus bàtaichean eachdraidheil, mar an SS Politician. Tha an gnìomhachas aig Màrtainn English air a bhith cho soirbheachail ‘s g’ eil fiu ‘s an Prionnsa Teàrlach a cheannach bhuaithe. Tha tuilleadh aig an fhear-naidheachd againne Donald Lamont.
[Dòmhnall Lamont – Neach-aithris] Gàrradh ann an Gallaibh. Sealladh a chithear gu tric, duine a’ cur seachad tìde ann an seada, ach chan e DIY a tha fa-near dha. Tha an stuth anns an t-seada seo mar thaigh-tasgaidh iongantach. Thòisich e le beachd pinn a dhèanamh a-mach à seann bharail uisge-beatha.
[Màrtainn English] I’d been making pens for about seven or eight years. In September 2010, I started to go on the internet and I’d just got the old Pultenay cask and I put it on the internet, these pens, and suddenly, literally all over the world, especially America and Canada, I was getting orders, literally overnight. I realised that, obviously, there’s a market for it and it sort of, in the last two years, grown from there.
[Dòmhnall Lamont – Neach-aithris] Chan e a-mhàin an t-eadar-lìon a tha Màrtainn a’ cleachdadh airson reic an stuth aige. Bidh e a’ siubhal gu margaidhean-ciùird cuideachd, mar am fear seo ann an Inbhir Nis. Ach ‘s e an neach-ceannachd as ainmeile a bh’aige am Prionnsa Teàrlach a thachair air obair Mhàrtainn air turas ann an Gallaibh.
[Màrtainn English] We actually got a phone call the following week asking, from Clarence House, asking for some broader nibs and he’s actually using it, which I thought was quite nice to know that he’s actually using it rather than just sort of stored away somewhere.
[Dòmhnall Lamont – Neach-aithris] Coltach ri Màrtainn tha barrachd, is barrachd dhaoine air a’ Ghàidhealtachd a’ feuchainn obair-chiùird, le obraichean traidiseanta a’ dol à bith.
[Aonghas Mac a’ Mhuillear] Tha gnìomhachasan crafts gu leòr ann. Tha daoine gu leòr a’ dèanamh crafts aig na taighean aca. Tha iad a’ dèanamh rudan mar pottery, a’ togail dhealbhan, a’ peantadh is rudan mar sin, ach tha a’ mhòr-chuid dhiubh pàirt-ùine. Ach tha Màrtainn eadar-dhealaichte a chionn ‘s gu bheil e làn-ùine.
[Màrtainn English] That’s the propeller from a 1944 spitfire.
[Dòmhnall Lamont – Neach-aithris] Tha uiread de dhaoine a’ sireadh an stuth aig Màrtainn ‘s gu bheil duilgheadas aige cumail an àirde ri òrduighean agus chan ann a-mhàin bhon phoball.
[Màrtainn English] The best thing is people actually contact us now. The Titanic White Star Memories actually contacted us asking us to make them a special pen from the cured blocks and the engine blocks and we did a deal where we were allowed to keep the material that was left over and we get signed certificates.
[Dòmhnall Lamont – Neach-aithris] Bho bhith reic peann no dhà bho chionn dà bhliadhna, am- bliadhna, reic Màrtainn còrr air dà mhìle peann air an dèanamh a-mach a òmar, tosg mammoth is sgèith rionnaig. Dòmhnall MacLaomainn, BBC An Là
[Innes Munro - Presenter] To Caithness now, where a man has come up with an interesting way to make money from planks of wood to old whisky casks and historical boats, like the SS Politician. Martin English’s business has been so successful that even Prince Charles is a customer. Our reporter Donald Lamont has more.
[Donald Lamont – Reporter] A garden in Caithness. A sight that you often see, a man spending time in a shed, but it’s not DIY that interests him. The stuff in this shed is like a fascinating museum. He started with an idea to make pens out of an old whisky barrel.
[Martin English] I’d been making pens for about seven or eight years. In September 2010, I started to go on the internet and I’d just got the old Pultenay cask and I put it on the internet, these pens, and suddenly, literally all over the world, especially America and Canada, I was getting orders, literally overnight. I realised that, obviously, there’s a market for it and it sort of, in the last two years, grown from there.
[Donald Lamont – Reporter] It is not only on the internet that Martin has been selling his goods. He travels to joinery markets too, like this one in Inverness. But his most famous customer was Prince Charles who came across Martin’s work on a tour of Caithness.
[Martin English] We actually got a phone call the following week asking, from Clarence House, asking for some broader nibs and he’s actually using it, which I thought was quite nice to know that he’s actually using it rather than just sort of stored away somewhere.
[Donald Lamont – Reporter] Like Martin, many more people in the Highlands are trying joinery, with traditional jobs becoming redundant.
[Angus Millar] There are plenty of crafts businesses. Lots of people are making crafts in their houses. They are doing things like pottery, taking pictures, painting and things like that, but most of them are part-time. But Martin is different as he is full-time.
[Màrtainn English] That’s the propeller from a 1944 spitfire.
[Donald Lamont – Reporter] The number of people requesting Martin’s objects is such that he has trouble keeping up with the orders, and they are not only from the public.
[Martin English] The best thing is people actually contact us now. The Titanic White Star Memories actually contacted us asking us to make them a special pen from the cured blocks and the engine blocks and we did a deal where we were allowed to keep the material that was left over and we get signed certificates.
[Donald Lamont – Reporter] From selling a pen, or two, two years ago, to this year, Martin sold more than two thousand pens made from amber, a mammoth tusk and a fallen star. Donald Lamont BBC An Là.
[Innes Rothach - Preseantair] A Ghallaibh a-nise, far a bheil fear air dòigh inntinneach fhaighinn airson a bhith a’ dèanamh airgead à bloighean fiodha o thocasaidean uisge-beatha agus bàtaichean eachdraidheil, mar an SS Politician. Tha an gnìomhachas aig Màrtainn English air a bhith cho soirbheachail ‘s g’ eil fiu ‘s an Prionnsa Teàrlach a cheannach bhuaithe. Tha tuilleadh aig an fhear-naidheachd againne Donald Lamont.
[Dòmhnall Lamont – Neach-aithris] Gàrradh ann an Gallaibh. Sealladh a chithear gu tric, duine a’ cur seachad tìde ann an seada, ach chan e DIY a tha fa-near dha. Tha an stuth anns an t-seada seo mar thaigh-tasgaidh iongantach. Thòisich e le beachd pinn a dhèanamh a-mach à seann bharail uisge-beatha.
[Màrtainn English] I’d been making pens for about seven or eight years. In September 2010, I started to go on the internet and I’d just got the old Pultenay cask and I put it on the internet, these pens, and suddenly, literally all over the world, especially America and Canada, I was getting orders, literally overnight. I realised that, obviously, there’s a market for it and it sort of, in the last two years, grown from there.
[Dòmhnall Lamont – Neach-aithris] Chan e a-mhàin an t-eadar-lìon a tha Màrtainn a’ cleachdadh airson reic an stuth aige. Bidh e a’ siubhal gu margaidhean-ciùird cuideachd, mar am fear seo ann an Inbhir Nis. Ach ‘s e an neach-ceannachd as ainmeile a bh’aige am Prionnsa Teàrlach a thachair air obair Mhàrtainn air turas ann an Gallaibh.
[Màrtainn English] We actually got a phone call the following week asking, from Clarence House, asking for some broader nibs and he’s actually using it, which I thought was quite nice to know that he’s actually using it rather than just sort of stored away somewhere.
[Dòmhnall Lamont – Neach-aithris] Coltach ri Màrtainn tha barrachd, is barrachd dhaoine air a’ Ghàidhealtachd a’ feuchainn obair-chiùird, le obraichean traidiseanta a’ dol à bith.
[Aonghas Mac a’ Mhuillear] Tha gnìomhachasan crafts gu leòr ann. Tha daoine gu leòr a’ dèanamh crafts aig na taighean aca. Tha iad a’ dèanamh rudan mar pottery, a’ togail dhealbhan, a’ peantadh is rudan mar sin, ach tha a’ mhòr-chuid dhiubh pàirt-ùine. Ach tha Màrtainn eadar-dhealaichte a chionn ‘s gu bheil e làn-ùine.
[Màrtainn English] That’s the propeller from a 1944 spitfire.
[Dòmhnall Lamont – Neach-aithris] Tha uiread de dhaoine a’ sireadh an stuth aig Màrtainn ‘s gu bheil duilgheadas aige cumail an àirde ri òrduighean agus chan ann a-mhàin bhon phoball.
[Màrtainn English] The best thing is people actually contact us now. The Titanic White Star Memories actually contacted us asking us to make them a special pen from the cured blocks and the engine blocks and we did a deal where we were allowed to keep the material that was left over and we get signed certificates.
[Dòmhnall Lamont – Neach-aithris] Bho bhith reic peann no dhà bho chionn dà bhliadhna, am- bliadhna, reic Màrtainn còrr air dà mhìle peann air an dèanamh a-mach a òmar, tosg mammoth is sgèith rionnaig. Dòmhnall MacLaomainn, BBC An Là
[Innes Munro - Presenter] To Caithness now, where a man has come up with an interesting way to make money from planks of wood to old whisky casks and historical boats, like the SS Politician. Martin English’s business has been so successful that even Prince Charles is a customer. Our reporter Donald Lamont has more.
[Donald Lamont – Reporter] A garden in Caithness. A sight that you often see, a man spending time in a shed, but it’s not DIY that interests him. The stuff in this shed is like a fascinating museum. He started with an idea to make pens out of an old whisky barrel.
[Martin English] I’d been making pens for about seven or eight years. In September 2010, I started to go on the internet and I’d just got the old Pultenay cask and I put it on the internet, these pens, and suddenly, literally all over the world, especially America and Canada, I was getting orders, literally overnight. I realised that, obviously, there’s a market for it and it sort of, in the last two years, grown from there.
[Donald Lamont – Reporter] It is not only on the internet that Martin has been selling his goods. He travels to joinery markets too, like this one in Inverness. But his most famous customer was Prince Charles who came across Martin’s work on a tour of Caithness.
[Martin English] We actually got a phone call the following week asking, from Clarence House, asking for some broader nibs and he’s actually using it, which I thought was quite nice to know that he’s actually using it rather than just sort of stored away somewhere.
[Donald Lamont – Reporter] Like Martin, many more people in the Highlands are trying joinery, with traditional jobs becoming redundant.
[Angus Millar] There are plenty of crafts businesses. Lots of people are making crafts in their houses. They are doing things like pottery, taking pictures, painting and things like that, but most of them are part-time. But Martin is different as he is full-time.
[Màrtainn English] That’s the propeller from a 1944 spitfire.
[Donald Lamont – Reporter] The number of people requesting Martin’s objects is such that he has trouble keeping up with the orders, and they are not only from the public.
[Martin English] The best thing is people actually contact us now. The Titanic White Star Memories actually contacted us asking us to make them a special pen from the cured blocks and the engine blocks and we did a deal where we were allowed to keep the material that was left over and we get signed certificates.
[Donald Lamont – Reporter] From selling a pen, or two, two years ago, to this year, Martin sold more than two thousand pens made from amber, a mammoth tusk and a fallen star. Donald Lamont BBC An Là.