Harping on from Boru to Seán Ó Riada
The festival at the Irish Harp Centre in Castleconnell is a celebration of Ireland’s most dynamic high king, and of the harp, our national emblem.
As part of the festival, ‘Brian Boru: Lion of Ireland’, a new work by Dr Janet Harbison, director of the centre, will premiere on Thursday, August 21 in St Mary’s Cathedral. Concerts (including a Saturday matinee for children) will feature 100 harpers, 80 voices and 100 bagpipers; there will be a recreation of Brian Boru’s march, festive Bunratty banquets, late gigs, tours, day trips, etc.
A highlight will be the appearance of the famed Rev Warren/Seán Ó Riada Harp, a superbly-crafted copy of the ancient Brian Boru instrument in Trinity College. The story of this replica is fascinating, says Peadar Ó Riada. “Back in the mid-1960s, Christopher Warren was rector in Castlemaine, and a good friend of my father. They were both very keen on reviving the old harp music and, one day, Chris came in with the idea of building a replica of the 12thc Brian Boru harp.” The Rev Warren measured the historic instrument at Trinity, and discussion ensued, says Peadar. “They wanted to make it the same way as in ancient times. It had to be the right wood — willow — because that is very pliable.”
The ideal tree was discovered by the side of the road, west of Castlemaine, a sally tree with a wide butt, and the rector brought pieces to Ó Riada’s house for discussion as the work progressed. “Chris did all the work, while my dad gave all the instructions,” Peadar says, laughing.
Traditional wire strings posed a problem, until Ó Riada suggested the brass ones used for the harpsichord (remember that great last album, Ó Riada’s Farewell, which explored the potential of the harpsichord for interpreting old harp music?).
“They got the strings from London, eventually, and strung the harp in the kitchen right, here in Coolea,” says Peadar. “We could hear them two rooms away with stone walls between. They weren’t playing loud, but it was so penetrating and vibrant.”
Alas, no photographs exist of that creative process, and Seán Ó Riada did not live long enough to work with the completed harp, but it has been in the safe-keeping of Rev Warren’s widow, Elsa, ever since. When she brings it to the Harp Festival, next week, everyone can see what determination, vision and craftsmanship can achieve.
Is it true, though, that Ó Riada considered modern harp playing inadequate, and would not have harpists in Ceoltóirí Chualann? “Oh, quite true,” says Peadar. “Today, the harp is associated with gentle ladies and soft plucking of strings. The real harp music of ancient Ireland was very different. Wire strings, for a start, played with the nails, not the fingers — the harpists were famed for having tough, hard nails, like wolves’ claws!”
His father, says Peadar, wanted to bring back the wonderful heritage of old Irish harp music, but played in the way that its original hearers would have experienced. “He had the incredible ability to read what had been written down in the 18th century and translate that back into its original state.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
