William Telford (1809-85)
Born in Warwickshire in 1809 and died in Dublin in 1885, William Telford was an Irish organ builder. He established himself as William Telford in 1830 with the name of the firm changing in 1847 to Telford & Telford and in 1870 to Telford & Sons. The firm built a number of organs during this period ranging in size from the 47-stop instrument for St Peter’s College in Radley to small church barrel organs. Other important organs include those for Trinity College Dublin (1838), Killala Cathedral in County Mayo (1838 and still in original condition), the church of St Malachy in Belfast (1847) and St Eugene’s Cathedral, Londonderry (1872).
Although the bulk of his work was in Ireland, William Telford was known and respected in England and abroad.