The clarsach, or small harp, strung with metal strings is the national symbol of Ireland. These harps, throughout history, have been objects of great significance, and the harpers were granted special status. The playing of these instruments declined in the 19th century, but has enjoyed a revival in recent years.

The technique of playing these harps is, generally speaking, not compatible with playing other harps. The fingernails must be kept long, as it is a plectrum style of playing. Only in this way can the true sound of the harp be produced. The reward is a sound of profound beauty, bell-like and lyric, with a haunting sustain.

Replicas

There are fewer than 20 early Irish harps surviving, that we know of, mostly residing in museums, many in Ireland. Of these harps, only a handful are regularly copied or used as models for building wire strung harps. I have examined many of these harps, taken measurements and photos, and offer replicas that are as accurate as I can possibly make them. The reason for wanting a replica of a museum harp is primarily related to historically informed performance practice. (This is a fancy way of saying that this instrument, as it was built then, is the most appropriate instrument for playing the music of that time, often revealing aspects that would not be apparent when played on a modern instrument with modern techniques.) Or, you could simply feel that these instruments are beautiful and significant objects which could enhance your life tremendously.

At this point, I can produce the following models, and the price will vary from $8,000 to more than $15,000, depending on the complexity of the instrument. The names are those commonly associated with each model, usually assigned by the most prominent owner, or where the harp was located for the majority of its life. For a discussion of each model, look at Simon Chadwick's informative webpage: http://www.earlygaelicharp.info/harps/

Queen Mary Harp

Trinity Colege Harp

Downhill Harp

Castle Otway Harp

Sirr Harp

Lamont Harp

Kildare Harp

Mullagh Mast Harp

Cloyne (Dalway) reconstruction

St. Mogue interpretation

Student Models

An aid to furthering the study of the early Irish harp and its repertoire has been provided by the Historical Harp Society of Ireland. In 2005 they commissioned me to design and build a "Student" line of early Irish harps. The goal was to retain the factors that are of historical significance in regard to playing qualities, while utilizing modern building techniques to produce a harp that is practical, functional, and reasonably priced. Further information about these harps can be obtained by contacting the Society, or in the US by contacting Ann Heymann. Ann is also an excellent resource concerning stringing issues and performance practice on early harps.

The first model I produced under this plan is the "Student Trinity" based on the harp housed in the Trinity College Library in Dublin. This has been followed by a

Student Queen Mary

Student Downhill.

Student Lamont

Student Otway

The series will continue, to eventually include all of the significant early Irish harps, giving us valuable tools to research the performance practices involved in their music.

Scale Drawings of Early Irish harps

In response to requests for measurements of the early Irish harps that I have studied, I have printed up full sized sheets in 1:1 scale. These are not plans for building a harp, nor are they detailed museum quality drawings. Instead, I have simply traced the outlines of my shop templates. They are printed actual size, with an inch scale to verify the accuracy. Since I have taken great care with my templates to faithfully reproduce the significant dimensions of the original harps, including string lengths and spacings, all information needed to produce an accurate replica can be taken directly from these tracings. In some instances elements have been simplified, and none of the decorative features are shown. Additionally, the joinery is not shown, as these details generally cannot be seen in the museum originals. In other words, you must be an experienced and resourceful woodworker to build a harp using these drawings. But as a resource to verify size, shape, and functioning of these harps, the information on these sheets is very useful, and can be relied upon.

Each harp is drawn on a single sheet of heavy paper and delivered in a sturdy tube. The price is $65 each, postpaid from me, or contact the Historical Harp Society of Ireland to purchase from them.

The models currently available are:

The Queen Mary Harp, Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

The Trinity College Harp, Trinity College Library, Dublin (the so-called Brian Boro harp)

The Downhill Harp, Guinness Brewery Company, Dublin

The Castle Otway Harp, Trinity College Library, Dublin

The Lamont Harp, Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh