LETTERKENNY’S Callum Parke is changing the tune of what a normal working week looks like by making and selling whistles from his shed.
Growing up, the Newmills native immersed himself in music, with rock n’ roll a particular guilty pleasure.
From playing the guitar to mastering the tin whistle, it wasn’t until four years ago that the 27-year-old stumbled across the traditional music scene.
Quickly becoming obsessed with the low whistle, which is larger and tuned lower than a traditional tin whistle, Callum struggled to afford one while pursuing his engineering degree in Glasgow.
That was until he got the bright idea to create his own, a move, little known to him, that would one day change his life.
Speaking to the Donegal News this week, Callum shared how he turned a background in engineering into a thriving business in the hills of Donegal.
“I got into making whistles at the same time as I started playing them,” Callum said.
“I couldn’t afford a nice one.
“I was doing engineering and I had access to the equipment that was required to make them in college.
“It took me a couple of tries to make one that I was happy with, but when I did, I started playing it and people noticed and began asking for them.
“It spiralled from there really.”
Developing his own process for creating the perfect low whistle, Callum begins by turning an aluminium tube on a lathe, before drilling holes and applying a finish.
For the mouthpiece, he starts with a 3D print before it gets turned, sanded and polished.
“Then the two of them go together, and that is the process,” Callum explained.
Before launching his successful business last October, Callum lived in Cumbria, where he worked as a freelance engineer. All while making whistles on the side, of course.
But as the demand grew for his handmade instruments, he decided to take the leap and become a full-time whistle-maker.
And that’s when ‘Rhubarb Music Co’ was created.
“I launched my website in October and it was just nuts immediately,” Callum laughed.
“I had been posting loads of videos online; all my advertising is just me acting stupid in front of the camera on the internet.
“It took off, so I was busy enough to be full-time and I closed my books in the middle of November.
“The site was only live for about a month before I had to stop taking any new orders because I needed to get them all done for Christmas.”
In the months that followed, the success of his new venture meant that he could move home, where he now operates from his shed in Newmills, just outside Letterkenny.
Equipped with a better workspace and able to sell his products without custom charges, Callum’s business continues to thrive.
But he credits video sharing platform TikTok for his success, saying he wouldn’t be in business without it.
“It is the single most important thing for my business to function,” Callum said.
“I post videos and advertise myself on the internet in a kind of honest fashion.
“I have no idea who 95 per cent of my customers are, they are just random folk on the internet that see my stuff, like it and want to get a whistle.
“It is just insane the reach you can get with a bit of patience and consistency.
“I have whistles going to Mallorca, America and Australia, all because they saw me acting an eejit online.”
Never one for a typical nine-to-five office job, Callum loves the flexibility of his work.
With a keen interest in the outdoors, traveling and holidaying, he said taking the leap and starting his own business has been incredibly useful for him.
That, and the fact he can now have a direct relationship with his customers, something he never got to experience while working in the engineering industry.
If you are interested in checking out Callum’s work, you can do so at www.rhubarbmusicco.com
