The Irish Harp: A Symbol of Resistance and Musical Tradition Worth Preserving

While the shamrock might be the symbol that most people associate with Ireland, the national Irish symbol is the harp. Ireland is the only country in the world represented by a musical instrument. This emblem not only symbolises resistance against the British Crown but, also an important Irish tradition that needs to be preserved.

The earliest depictions of the harp being used as a musical instrument in Ireland can still be seen today on stone and metal carvings. The earliest surviving harp, known as the ‘Brian Ború Harp’ is now on display at Trinity College Dublin.

The number of Irish businesses, government departments and colleges that now feature the harp in their logo, ranges from Guinness and Ryanair, to the Royal College of Surgeons.

This article explains the importance of this symbol to the Irish people and their national heritage, looking at where it came from, where it can be seen and how this form of music is celebrated in Ireland today.

Earliest Evidence of the Harp

In 1541, the Irish Parliament declared Henry VIII ‘King of Ireland’ and he chose the harp as the national symbol. The reasons for this why remain unknown. Just one of the theories suggests that he was a keen harp player himself.

The earliest depictions of the harp being used as a musical instrument in Ireland can be seen in the form of stone carvings. One of the earliest examples is engraved onto a high cross by a church at Clonmacnoise, Co. Offaly, believed to date back to the 9^th century.

One of the first images of the harp depicted on metal is carved into a bronze house shrine thought to date back to around the same time. Known as the Breac Moedhóc, it is on display today at the National Museum of Ireland.

But where did they come from and when did they first arrive in the country? These are two questions which cannot be answered but, since this was the time of Viking raids across the British Isles, one theory suggests that the harp was a Norse invention.

Although there are some similar stringed instruments that have been found across Europe and Asia, believed to date back to 3000 BCE, the earliest surviving harp in Ireland was made in the 15^th century.

‘Brian Ború Harp’: Trinity College Dublin

The original owner of this 15^th century oak and willow harp remains unidentified. It was donated to Trinity College in 1782 by William Conygham. Brian Ború was an Irish king who died back in 1014, so why is it known as the ‘Brian Ború Harp’?

In 1786, several years after the harp was donated to the college, Joseph C. Walker talked about Brian Ború in ‘Historical Memoirs of the Irish Bards, stating:

To music he was addicted.[1]

Some sources claim that he was a skilled harpist, and part of the Dal gCais clan. Apparently, he patronised harpists and poets in this clan and enjoyed having a group of harpists playing around him. Legends state that this harp once belonged to him although, facts show that it was not created until centuries after his death. Even though this harp never belonged to the last Irish king, the name ‘Brian Ború Harp’ has stuck. A more appropriate name also used today is ‘The Trinity Harp’.

Since it first came to Trinity College in the 18^th century, the harp has been moved around. In 1961, it was brought over to the British Museum for restoration and in 1969 it was robbed by the IRA. While they were really after the Book of Kells, also on display in the Long Room of the Old Library at Trinity, it was too well protected, so they chose the harp. A few weeks later the harp was recovered but the robbery painted a bad picture on the security of Trinity College.

A Symbol of Resistance

Due to British Rule over the country, many people felt that local traditions such as Irish music were being forgotten about. After Henry VIII declared the harp as the national symbol of Ireland, it soon became a symbol of resistance against the Crown. In the 1650s, Oliver Cromwell ordered Irish harps and organs to be destroyed. Harps were confiscated, set alight and harpers were not permitted to socialise. Some of these musicians who had once entertained royalty, had to resort to begging.

In 1791 the Society of United Irishmen decided to make the harp their personal emblem. Responsible for planning the 1798 rebellion, this was the first time that the harp became associated with politics. Celebrated as a symbol of resistance against British rule, it was later chosen as the emblem of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and Fenian Brotherhood during the Fenian Rising of 1867.

In 1916, rebels also positioned The Green Harp Flag over Liberty Hall, Dublin as a symbol of resistance during the Easter Rising. When the Irish Free State was formed in 1922, it is no surprise that the image of the harp became their official seal. Today, it remains the official seal of the President of Ireland.

Keeping the Irish Tradition Alive

After harp playing was banned by Oliver Cromwell, it became almost extinct in Ireland up until the Gaelic Revival of the 19^th century. The purpose of this revival was to save and embrace Irish heritage and culture by celebrating local traditions, literature, language, and music.

In 1792 the Belfast Harp Festival or the Belfast Harpers Assembly was set up to try to revive and encourage an interest in Irish harp music. Ten Irish and one Welsh harper attended this four-day event, each noting their own personal style of playing. Seven of these harpers were blind and the oldest player Denis Hampson was 97; the only one to still incorporate the ancient tradition of playing with the fingernails. The youngest attender ‘William Caer’ was just 15. In 2018 a re-enactment of this event took place in Belfast to commemorate the festival.

The first Irish Harp Society was set up in Belfast in 1808. This was not just done to teach blind boys and girls to make a living out of playing the harp but, also to preserve the Irish language and encourage the study of Irish history.

Some of the societies around today include the Historical Harp Society of Ireland (2002) and Harp Ireland, set up in 2016 and home to a group of performers, teachers and other specialists who aim to promote the harp and encourage harp playing in Ireland.

One Irish harp player worth mentioning is Máire Ní Chathasaigh, born in 1956. She is renowned for her modern harping techniques and was first recognized in 1978 after touring Germany and playing live at the Irish Folk Festival Tour.

During the late 1970s and 1980s, she performed as a solo artist throughout Europe and the US and was featured on TV and radio in Ireland. In 2001, she was awarded the prize if Irish Traditional Musician of the Year.

According to the Irish Times:

If Maíre wasn’t around, Irish harping would be so much the poorer: her work restores the harp to its true voice.[2]

Modern-Day Symbols of the Harp

The relevance of the harp as a symbol of resistance in some of the most famous battles in Irish history is the main reason it remains a popular emblem today. Turn over an Irish Euro coin and you’ll see a harp on the back, take a flight with Ryanair and you’ll see a harp on the tail of the plane or, take a look at an Irish passport and you’ll see a harp on the front cover.

These are just some of the places you can still see the national emblem:

Coins: The oldest depiction of the harp as a proper symbol on a coin used in Ireland can be seen on the half groat, dating from 1534. In 1928, the first ‘officially’ Irish coins came into circulation. W.B. Yeats was head of the committee responsible for choosing the design. A native animal representing Irish agriculture was placed on one side and a harp on the other. The image of the harp remains on the Irish Euro used today.

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Guinness: Since 1862, the harp has been a symbol of this famous Irish brand and one of the most popular beers in the world. The picture used is based on the Brian Ború harp.

The Downhill Harp is another famous instrument, dating back to 1702. This harp is now on display at the Guinness Storehouse and was purchased by the company in 1963.

A verse inscription on this harp reads:

In the time of Noah I was green,

Since his flood I had not been seen,

Until Seventeen hundred and two I was found By Cormac O Kelly underground:

He raised me up to that degree

That Queen of Musick you may call me.

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Government Departments

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Health Services

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Education

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Conclusion

While the symbol of the harp can be still seen today on Irish coins, commemorative stamps, passports, post-boxes, flags and food products, the tradition of harp playing is still in danger of becoming extinct in Ireland. Since the 1970s, there has been a revival in the interest of early Irish music with a small amount of specialists studying the musical scores and instructions (on playing the harp).

While the Irish are proud of what this harp represents, symbolising the freedom of the Irish people, many might not even recognize the sound of a harp being played.

Would you like to listen to some of this music yourself?

• Click here to listen to Celtic Harps: Echoes of Ancient Ireland
• Click here to listen to Máire Ní Chathasaigh & Chris Newman (2001)

References

• Armstrong, R. B. (1969). The Irish and the Highland Harps: Musical Instruments Part One. US: Praeger Publishers.

• Genealogical Society of Ireland (2016). Evolution of the Irish Harp (Online). Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvLuTyV_Pow (Accessed 28 Dec 2020).

• Hurrell, N. (2014). The Brian Ború Harp (Online). Available at https://www.historyireland.com/volume-22/brian-boru-harp/  (Accessed 31 December 2020).

• Irish Central Staff (2016). When Guinness Trademarked Symbol of the Harp Before Irish Government (Online). Available at https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/guinness-symbol-harp (Accessed 30 December 2020).

• Journal of Music (2019). Celebrating the Bicentenary of the Irish Harp Society of Belfast (Online). Available at https://journalofmusic.com/news/celebrating-bicentenary-irish-harp-society-belfast (Accessed 31 December 2020).

• Ní Chathasaigh, M. (2003).  Máire Ní Chathasaigh: Irish Harper (Online). Available at  http://www.mairenichathasaigh.com/ (Accessed 2 January 2021).

[1] https://www.historyireland.com/volume-22/brian-boru-harp/

[2]http://www.mairenichathasaigh.com/