13159232 Niamh Kelly

Irish World Academy of Music and Dance

Course Title: BA Voice and Dance

Course Director: Niall Keegan

MD4052

Module Coordinator: Pamela Cotter

Assignment: Native Music and Dance Traditions Essay

Due Date: April 4th 2014

Student ID No. 13159232

Student name: Niamh Kelly

Document name: MD4052_Niamh Kelly_13159232_The Irish Harp

1|Page
13159232 Niamh Kelly

Harp Shmarp

The harp is believed to be the first stringed instrument ever created; the earliest proof
of its existence dates back to 15,000 BC. This discovery came in the form of a painting of a
harp-like instrument in France on rock. However, there is no concrete evidence on exactly
where the harp originated. The harp acquired its name from the Old German term which
means to pluck. The earliest Irish term for a stringed instrument was cruit and was
applied to the harp before 1200. (Solo Celtic Harpist n.d.) The oldest surviving Irish Harp is
about six hundred years old and is treasured in Dublins Trinity College (Brady 2000).

Irish harps (cruit/clirseach) are lever harps. Lever harps are more versatile than pedal
harps, the levers allow the harpist to change a strings pitch while playing and consequently
changing key if needs be. Levers can be applied to all the strings or just the ones that most
commonly need sharpening or flattening. (Types of Harps n.d.) It has the same kind of effect
as a capo on a guitar. Lever harps are generally cheaper and less robust than pedal harps and
therefore are more appealing. There are usually between nineteen to forty strings on an Irish
harp, averaging at about 34 strings. This gives a range of four and a half octaves. (Yee 2010)

Early Irish harps were wire strung with brass, bronze, silver and even gold strings.
They were traditionally carved from the wood of willow trees. (Historical Harp Society of
Ireland n.d.) This harp was played with the finger nails and on the left shoulder; the left hand
playing the treble notes and the right playing the bass. The Neo-Irish Harp is made with
nylon strings. This new tradition began in the early 1800s. (Costello 2014) The neo-Irish
harp was created in Dublin by John Egan. This was modelled on the concert harp and is
plucked with the finger tips, rather than the nails thus creating an alternate sound from the
Early Irish Harp (Brady 2000). The part one rests against the shoulder is called the body or
soundboard, the vertical part opposite to it is the column and the curved wood at the top is
called the neck (Types of Harps n.d.). Now the harp rests on the right shoulder while the right
hand plays the upper register and the left hand plays the lower register. (Lawlor 2012) The
strings on harps are colour coded; the C strings are red, the F strings are black or dark blue
and the other strings are white or uncoloured in the case of wire strings.

The harp has been coded as a symbol of Ireland as early as the thirteenth century,
when it appeared on Irish flags. Ireland is the only nation to have a musical instrument as its
emblem. However, it only became the official emblem of Ireland in 1922, since the
foundation of the Free State. The original design was by an English sculptor, named Percy
2|Page
13159232 Niamh Kelly

Metcalfe in 1928 who replicated the Trinity College Harp. This symbol remains on Irish
coinage, the coat of arms and on seals of the state today. (O Donnel 2013)

In Ireland up until the 1600s, the harpist and bard (poet) were the main entertainment
of the noble, upper class people of Ireland. Professional harpers were honoured above all
other musicians (Gaelic Harps & Harpers in Ireland & Scotland n.d.) By 1601, Ireland was
completely taken over by England. The Irish harp and harper belonged to the Gaelic
aristocratic world, destroyed by the Elizabethan and Cromwellian conquests. (Lawlor 2012)
The harpers and bards had no support from the Irish Chiefs; hence there were no career
opportunities for harpists. They became itinerant and travelled the countryside with their
craft. (Costello 2014)

By the end of the 1700s, traditional Irish harpers were almost extinct. So in 1792, a
harping festival was held in Belfast to collect and preserve what was leftover of the dying out
tradition. Many prizes were offered and a huge audience was gathered to entice harpists to
attend. However, only ten competitors showed up, the youngest of which was a boy of fifteen
years and the oldest being Denis Hempson (1695-1807) who was aged ninety seven! (Gaelic
Harps & Harpers in Ireland & Scotland n.d.) An organist, Edward Bunting, was employed to
collect this music; he would have been extremely talented at dictation. The Belfast Festival
was a failure in reviving the harping tradition but at least some of the music was preserved.
(Boydell 1998) Irish music has always been an unwritten tradition learned by ear and taught
orally, so a great deal of the old music was lost. Poetic and musical inclination are deeply
rooted in a rich oral tradition supported by custom (Moss 2003) Although Turlough O
Carolan (1670-1738) is the most famous composer for the Irish Harp and he lived in this era.
At the age of eighteen he caught small pox. He was one of the very fortunate few to survive
this; however, the disease robbed him of his sight. He was trained by Mary Fitzgerald
McDermott Rowe in the Irish harp and showed an incredible talent for music. (Turlough O
Carolan n.d.) Almost two hundred of his compositions have survived, one of which being S
Beag, S Mr (Brady 2000).

In the early 1900s, girls Catholic convent schools such as Loretto Abbey in
Rathfarnham and Dominican College in Sion Hill played an extremely important role in
promoting the Irish harping tradition. Females dominated the harping tradition during this
period as a result and this gender imbalance is still apparent today (Lawlor, 2012). In a recent
census carried out by Cairde na Cruite concerning Irish Harpists, results showed that 94% of
3|Page
13159232 Niamh Kelly

their respondents were female and 6% were male. However, in centuries previous, the
opposite was the case. Many well known Irish composers were male, such as Turlough
Carolan and Denis Hempson, (as discussed earlier) although they were both taught by
women. As Edward Bunting once said; In these old times, women as well as men were
taught the Irish harp in the best families, and every old Irish family had harps in plenty.
Although there are few lasting compositions by females, it is likely due to lack of opportunity
that accompanied their societal gender role and expectations of that time.

In the 1950s, large scale industrialization in Ireland instilled a fear of culture loss,
which brought on the Revival of Traditional Music. Recordings, national radio broadcasts,
and competitions such as Fleadh Ceoil na hireann (established in 1951) were all part of this
effort to keep the Irish music culture strong and at a high standard. Young people began to
learn old instruments and styles of traditional music. During this revival, Mary O Hara of
Sligo popularized the Irish Harp on a national scale, exhibiting a level of talent not witnessed
previously. She has performed on some of the world's biggest stages, including Royal Albert
Hall, Sydney Opera House, New York's Carnegie Hall, and Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto.
(Mary OHara, Singer and Harpist: A Retrospective 2010) With her help, the harp became
popular as an accompaniment to singing, in ensemble and solo concerts, featuring on the
radio and the television. Now the harping tradition in Ireland is the strongest it has been in
over two hundred years. Cairde na Cruite (Friends of the Harp) was founded around this time
by Grinne Yeats, Sheila Larchet and Mercedes Garvey with the intention of promoting Irish
harping. It is still going strong today. Each June, they run An Cirt Cruitearachta which is a
weeklong festival held in Termonfeckin, County Louth. They offer lessons, lectures,
workshops and recitals while collecting and publishing new music. (Lawlor 2012) There are
so many opportunities for harpists now that there is no fear of the tradition dying out; lessons
are readily available all over the country in institutions such as the DIT Conservatory of
Music and Drama, the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, Kylemore College, the
Meath Harp School and in many other areas (Lawlor 2012). Nowadays, the harp is much
more main stream with well known young players such as Maire Ni Chathasaigh, Janet
Harbison, Laoise Kelly, and Michael Rooney as well as ensembles like Janet Harbisons Irish
Harp Orchestra, which consists of harpists, singers, pipers and even dancers.

It truly is impossible not to admire Irish culture. For such a small Island, there is an
incredibly strong tradition; from the language and sport to dance and music. The Irish have

4|Page
13159232 Niamh Kelly

always made an effort to keep this alive, through the education system, various competitions,
and festivals. Hopefully the culture will even grow in years to come and more people will
reside in Gaeltacht areas (Irish speaking towns) and encourage their children to take part in
these Irish customs.

5|Page
13159232 Niamh Kelly

Reference List

Brady, C. (2000) The Harp: A Very Brief History [online] available:

http://brn227.brown.wmich.edu:7000/4115/ [accessed 02 Apr 2014]

Boydell, B. (1998) The United Irishmen, Music, Harps and National Identity [online]
available: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30064324?seq=2

Costello, E. (2014) The Irish Harp Tradition, MD4052: Native Music and Dance Traditions,
Feb 24th, University of Limerick, unpublished

Gardner , K. (n.d.) Types of Harps [online], available:

http://harpinfo.blackandgoldharp.com/types.html [accessed 22 Mar 2014].

Historical Harp Society of Ireland (n.d.) Scoil na gClirseach [online] available:

http://www.irishharp.org/ [accessed 03 Apr 2014]

John J. (2010) Mary OHara, Singer and Harpist: A Retrospective [online] available:
http://www.bc.edu/libraries/about/exhibits/burns/ohara.html [accessed: 03 Apr 2014]

Lawlor, H. (2012) Journal of Folklore Research, [online] available:

http://www.jfr.indiana.edu/review.php?id=1525 [accessed 29th Mar 2014]

Lawlor, H. (2012) Perspectives on Irish Harping, [online] available:

http://eprints.dkit.ie/258/1/Sonus_Article_Perspectives_on_Irish_Harping_2012.pdf
[accessed 29th March 2014]

Clark, N.J. (2003) The Irish Harp its History and Influence, America, North Creek Press.

O Donnel, M.L. (2013) Deconstructing the Irish Harp Emblem in the Celtic Tiger Years,
[online] available:
http://www.academia.edu/3769457/Death_of_an_Icon_Deconstructing_the_Irish_Harp_Embl
em_in_the_Celtic_Tiger_Years [accessed 03 Apr 2014]

Ruadh, R. Gaelic Harps & Harpers in Ireland & Scotland (n.d.) [online] available:
https://portfolio.du.edu/downloadItem/25336 [accessed 01 Apr 2014]

Vardy, A. (n.d.) Solo Celtic Harpist [online], available:

http://www.alisonvardy.com/index.htm [accessed 22 Mar 2014]

Yee, T. (2010) Celtic Harp History and Instruction: A Bibliography Plan, [online] available:
[http://www2.hawaii.edu/~nahl/students/601_bibplan_yee.htm accessed 22Mar 2014].

6|Page