Ireland's identity is shaped by harping. It is considered to be the national symbol and has been played for over 1,000 years. Celebrated in Irish mythology, folklore, and literature with its bell-like sounds that entice all who hear them.
Despite its unknown origins, the harp has served as a political symbol for Ireland for centuries. According to ancient oral and written literature, it has been around at least since the 6th century. Gaelic society used to have resident harp players in every clan, and the chiefs of every clan composed eulogies to honor their leader or chief men.
The harp was an aristocratic instrument in Gaelic Ireland, and harpers enjoyed a high social status. The patronage of harpers was continued until the late 18th century by British and Norman settlers. With the introduction of the English class system, the harpers' status was greatly diminished in society. Although the Irish folkloric tradition took up some of the harping melodies, others were left unharmonized.
Even so, the harp remains a niche instrument in Irish traditional music. The harping tradition was passed down through the generations from father to son, and it was one of the few viable careers for blind boys in those days. As great families began to decline, many harpers became unemployed, and the harpers then decided to become nomadic by traveling from county to county, playing for money and food. Throughout related skills, such as oral transmission and/or notation, are being handed down by contemporary gut-strung harpers.
It is used most often for solo performances, or as the sole accompaniment for an individual singer. Its role as a melodic foreground instrument or the sole accompaniment as a plucked or strummed string instrument has been subsumed by the guitar, the mandolin, the Irish bouzouki, and so on in group performances.
Today contemporary wire-strung harpers are the keepers of the old repertoire, which has been safeguarded and continues to be played while responding to evolving harp styles. And over the past sixty years, harp playing has seen a resurgence of interest because there has been an appreciation of the harp's role in Irish identity, language, and culture. Hopefully, with around 1,500 practitioners, that number can keep growing steadily as harps have also helped people to embrace diversity and bridge divides.