Project Outline:
The harp being the national emblem of Ireland means it is visible in most people’s everyday lives. The symbol of the harp appears on Ireland’s coinage, official documents and is the Guinness logo (which is usually the first answer that surfaces when I ask ‘Where do you usually see or hear the harp?’). Yet I am still surprised when I am approached to be told that this is the first time that the person has seen or heard the harp played live. This begs the question despite the stellar work of organisations such as Comhaltas (CCÉ), why is the harp seen symbolically but is rarely heard by those outside traditional Irish music communities?
As I hail from Castleconnell, County Limerick I propose a research project (application for the 3rd Ashling Scholarship) to illuminate Limerick’s connection with the Irish harp. Furthermore through choosing to focus this piece of educational research around Limerick it is a nod to the memory of Aisling Murphy and her ties to the city as a past pupil of Mary Immaculate College. This project seeks to explore the historical harpers and music which has left an imprint on Limerick’s cultural landscape. Arthur O’Néill (c.1734-1816) paraded through the streets of Limerick performing on the Brian Boru Harp (now in Trinity College Dublin). In The Memoirs of Arthur O’ Néill found in the Bunting Collection MS 4 (Housed in Special Collections and Archives at Queen’s University, Belfast), O’Neill describes being ‘followed by a procession of upwards of 500 people’ Queen’s University Belfast, ND) at the request of Counsellor MacNamara, then Recorder of Limerick. But how did the Brian Boru harp end up in Castleconnell to begin with? Sligo harper/poet Tomas Connellan who died in 1698 has his final resting place in Lough Gur, Co. Limerick, but how did this come to pass? O’Carolan (1670-1738) was a travelling harper who regularly visited Charles Dean Massey of Limerick (1697-1766). Massey is responsible for the only known portrait of O’Carolan which was painted from life at Massey’s home in Doonass, Co. Clare and now hangs in the National Gallery of Ireland. These are valuable nuggets of information that should be passed on.
Literature which exists on the Irish harp (Lawlor, 2012; Joyce, 2011; O’Sullivan, 1958) does contain this information. However the importance of the Limerick connection to the harp needs to be compiled in one place so it can be properly highlighted, shared and celebrated. As part of the preliminary research for this project, I spoke with local personal as well as historians and folklorists. This acted as a starting point from which to examine existing literature. Therefore a review of existing literature and a compilation of the narratives relating to Limerick’s harping past will aid the creation of a research paper. This research paper will encompasses an exploration of the stories outlined in the previous paragraph as well as other significant occurrences of historical harping activity related to Limerick that would be potentially uncovered over the duration of this research project. Where necassary will lean into resources such as the Irish Traditional Music Archive in Dublin, the Comhaltas Traditional Music Archive (visits to appropriate regional resource centres that house the archive material where necessary), the Irish World Academy of Music resources at the University of Limerick and Queen’s University, Belfast Special Collections among others. This academic output will be disseminated amongst the academic community through the aforenamed archives along with any other platforms as deemed appropriate in conjunction with CCÉ.
Secondly I want to produce an educational pamphlet adapted from the academic paper for the lay reader to ensure that the information is accessible and reaches as broad an audience as possible. In order to distribute this aspect of the research output in an effective way, I would like to accompany it with a series of ‘pop up’ recital performances to bring the harp into the public eye. This would enable me to bring some of the stories to life through the use of performance and encourage further reading. By bringing the harp into the community it would also allow me to begin to address the perception that many of those outside of the traditional Irish music community rarely see/hear the harp being performed live. In essence this is a way to help capture the imagination of new audiences as well as to reinvigorate that of the traditional Irish music community. Personal connections that I have made through living and working in Limerick highlight The People’s Museum (No.2 Pery Square, Limerick), The Limerick Milk Market, ACM Community Centre (Castleconnell, Co. Limerick) and Lough Gur Visitor Centre (Bruff, Co. Limerick) as suitable potential venues for these concerts, all of whom have expressed interest in supporting this project. This will culminate in a flagship performance at the Limerick Fleadh in June 2024 should the organisers be agreeable when the host CCÉ branch is announced.
As one of the main aims and objectives outlined in CCÉ’s Bunreacht is ‘to restore the playing of the Harp and Uilleann Pipes in the National life of Ireland’ (2009), this uniquely places my research proposal as a way to help towards the furtherance of this particular aim. As I have grown up, lived in Limerick for most of my life and come from a family (two of my aunts were all-Ireland champion harpers at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann) steeped in traditional Irish music, I feel that I am the ideal candidate to undertake this research. Furthermore by looking at Limerick’s history and connection with the Irish harp this will ensure the project stays focused and be completed in a timely manner in accordance with section 1.5 Timeline to Completion. This project will help to enliven the people of Limerick’s connection with the harp and will also be of interest to harp enthusiasts and the community of traditional Irish musicians and scholars more broadly. Ultimately this project is a way of creating room for imagining and reimagining the harp and its legacy in Limerick beyond its symbolic depiction.