Galway musician and leading harp maker go back to the future with hybrid modern-medieval harp

The Journal

6 days ago

A GALWAY WOMAN has today launched a new harp – a blend of the modern Irish harp and its ancient predecessor – and a debut album recorded on the instrument.
The harp was conceived by Úna Ní Fhlannagáin during the Covid pandemic. Having been invited by Athenry Arts and Heritage Centre in 2020 to make a series of videos on the Irish harp as she was unable to perform given the restrictions in place at the time, she grew 'entranced' by the ancient harp.
The ancient harp has metal strings, while the modern harp has nylon strings. The difference in strings results in a different technique to produce music. Ní Fhlannagáin had the idea to create an instrument with both to allow past and present music to conjoin.
With support from Music Network, she joined forces with renowned wire strung harp expert Paul Dooley, and commissioned him to design and build the instrument.
Five years later, the harp has successfully been completed.
Speaking to
The Journal
, the harpist explained how the instrument differs in technique and the sounds it can produce.
After being commissioned by the Athenry Arts Centre to produce the videos on the harp, she said, 'I had this space and I had the time motivation to do this deep dive into the sound I'd always loved.
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'I started dreaming of a new type of harp where I could access the beautiful sound of the wire strings, but use my finger pads, use the training that I had for decades, and play the different types of music that I was used to performing, and innovate with the different cultural influences I had gathered throughout my career.'
The new harp has bronze strings, and the one-piece soundbox of the early Gaelic harp. The soundbox is made from Irish willow from Leitrim, and the harp has the string-spacing of a modern Irish harp.
The string-spacing enables the player to play using either fingernails or fingerpads. The hybrid instrument also has the range and sharping levers of the modern Irish harp, which enables the player to perform a broad range of genres.
Ní Fhlannagáin explained that the most ancient sound in Ireland is the sound of the wire strings of the early Gaelic harp.
'It's my dream that the harpers and musicians and people of Ireland would be able to access that beautiful sound as much as possible,' she said.
She said that she hopes that everyone who visits, lives in, or is interested in Ireland will be able to experience the ancient sound.
'I would love to see it become a part of our living culture, and to see many fingers, many hands and many artistic voices, begin to explore this beautiful, ancient sound,' she said.
Ní Fhlannagaín has recorded her debut album on the instrument, which contains 14 of her original compositions. It launches at 7pm this evening – the seventh of the seventh – in a nod to Irish ties to the number.
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