The Harp

Normally I rely on Wikipedia for subject research purposes, but for this page I have also used a site called Fantasy Ireland, so my thanks to them for supplying some interesting information.

With mythical lore and stories of old, the Celtic harp is one of the ways in which the Emerald Isle distinguishes itself, in that, as a tribute to the importance of music in Irish culture, Ireland is the only country in the world with a musical instrument as a national symbol. Otherwise known as the heraldic harp or Gaelic harp, Celtic harps have been part of Irish culture for centuries.

In the days of the Celtic chieftains, the harpist was the most honoured musician, ranked only behind chiefs and bards in social class. The harpists, often blind, would play, as the bards recited poetry for their lords. At times of war, the harpist would bring forth a golden instrument encrusted with fine jewels in order to lead men into battle and spur them to great deeds. In the 16th century, harpists would often join revolutionaries for much the same purpose. The British Crown, in an effort to stifle rebellion, banned Celtic harps, and instructed their men to kill any harpist, and destroy their instruments. At this task, they were most successful. By the beginning of the 18th century, thanks to British measures and the collapse of the Irish aristocracy, traditional Celtic harp music had all but died out.

However, in 1792, there was a revival. A festival was organized and harpists from all over Ireland were tempted to attend lured by cash prizes. Despite this, only ten harpists showed up.

But the festival day was not entirely a loss. A 19-year-old English organist and harpist named Edward Bunting was hired to notate the music the harpists played. His paper transcripts survive today, but the notation does have one flaw; Bunting did not record the bass lines. This part of the music is lost forever. 

Nevertheless, Bunting's 1797, 1809, and 1840 collections of Irish harp music are a wealth of information for the serious student. By providing not only music, but lore and technical information, Bunting provided the opportunity to find out how these instruments were played in those times. As well, Bunting's books are the only records we have for the great Irish harpist, Turlough O'Carolan. Now, instead of the oral tradition being lost, all can be read in a book.

Celtic harps can be found on carvings as far back as the 12th century, and surviving examples of actual instruments date back to the 15th century.

Legend has it that Dagda, a chief among the Taatha De Danaan, owned the first Gaelic harp. However, the harp was stolen by the Gods of Cold and Darkness and given to the Fomorians, a group at war with the Taatha. Seeing this, the Gods of Light and Art, Lugh and Ogma, entered the Fomorian fortress, recovered the harp, and restored it to Dagda. The Gods then gave Dagda two secret names for the harp and called forth summer and winter. From then on Dagda could play Goltrai, Geantrai, and Suantrai...music that could make men weep, brought joy, and lulled them to sleep. Thus, Celtic harps became known as the dispensers of sorrow, happiness, and rest.

The Trinity College harp (also known as Brian Boru's Harp) is a medieval musical instrument currently displayed in the Long Room at Trinity College Dublin. It is an early Irish harp (or wire strung cláirseach). It is dated to the 14th or 15th century and along with the Queen Mary Harp and the Lamont Harp, is one of the only three surviving medieval Gaelic harps.

It is uncertain who commissioned the Trinity College harp, although structural evidence suggests it was made in the 15th century. It is likely however, that the harp was made for a member of an important family, as it is skilfully constructed and intricately ornamented. It is connected to Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, though this is not based on any historical evidence. It bears the coat of arms of the O'Neills but although there are many theories about its ownership through the centuries, none can be substantiated. With no verifiable evidence remaining to indicate the harp's original owner, or subsequent owners over the next two to three hundred years until it passed to Henry McMahon, of Co. Clare, and finally to The Rt. Hon. William Conyngham, who presented it to Trinity College in 1760.

The Brian Boru harp is the national symbol of Ireland, being depicted on national heraldry and Irish currency. A left-facing image of this instrument has been used as the national symbol of Ireland since 1922, and was specifically granted to the State by the Chief Herald of Ireland in 1945. A right-facing image was registered as a trade mark for Guinness in 1862, and was first used on their labels in 1876.

The harp is of a small Low Headed design with brass pins for 29 strings, the longest being about 62 cm. One extra bass pin was added at some point later in its playing life. In 1961 the harp was exhibited in London, and it was dismantled and reconstructed by the British Museum into the wider shape it has nowadays, being then playable in the original medieval shape. The earlier heraldic and trade mark designs that were modelled on it were based on a thinner form that was the result of a bad restoration in the 1830s. Viewers now are therefore often surprised at how fat the real harp is, compared to the harp on Irish coins.

In 2003, two very faithful replicas were made by David Kortier of Duluth. These were created from detailed measurements of the original. They are strung with gold and silver wires in the bass, in order to overcome the slack stringing the short bass string lengths would have demanded from lighter metals. They are strung in brass in the mid and treble ranges. They are played by the famous modern-day harpists, Ann Heymann and Siobhán Armstrong.

The 20th century has seen a great resurgence of popularity for the harp. No longer just a symbol of Ireland, Celtic harps are now finding their rightful place in traditional Irish music. As technology advances, great strides are being made to recreate the tones of the instruments of old. Now, people everywhere can enjoy sounds that Celtic harps once brought only to the Irish kings.

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