Harps and their Stories
The Great Harp Festival, Belfast 1792 | M43/6 (NPA Reading Room - Appt. only)
Join us for a celebration of the rich heritage of the early Irish harp.
Researcher, harper and teacher Simon Chadwick will present Harps and their Stories, exploring the lives of the early harpers, their music, and the traditions that shaped Irish harping. Following the talk, harper Eilís Lavelle will perform a selection of tunes from Edward Bunting’s 1792 manuscript collection, reimagining the melodies recorded at the Belfast Harp Assembly. Simon Chadwick’s insights and Eilis Lavelle’s performance will illuminate the enduring legacy of Ireland’s harping tradition.
Dr. Eilís Lavelle, from County Monaghan, Ireland, is a recognised exponent of the Irish harp and is in great demand as a performer and teacher. Eilís has recently completed a PhD at Queen’s University Belfast, focusing on scribal practices found in manuscripts collected by Edward Bunting. Most recently, Eilís has focused her performance and study on found in the Edward Bunting collection. This has led to teaching roles at Queen’s University, Belfast. Having started her harping journey at the Armagh Piper’s Club, Eilís has been playing the harp for many years and has been fortunate to have performed worldwide at various festivals, giving concerts, workshops and masterclasses. In recent years, she has gained extensive experience as a performer and teacher of the harp, having travelled throughout the USA, Canada and Europe. Broadcasts include TG4, BBC Television and Radio, RTÉ.
Simon Chadwick is a musician, researcher and teacher, specialising in traditional Irish harp.
He researches and studies the lives and works of the old harpers, their tunes and playing
techniques, and the design and setup of their harps. Simon’s work started when he made a harp with wire strings. He learned to play it by working through Ann Heymann’s books. At every stage he asked himself difficult questions about his instrument, its stringing and setup, the tunes, the style, the playing techniques, the contexts, the cultural background… He applied his formal training in archaeology and physics to try and answer these questions, often spending more time on research than on playing, and usually generating more new questions than answers. From the very beginning of his studies, Simon was asked to teach the harp. He worked with piper Barnaby Brown on developing pioneering online video lessons and website publishing over 20 years ago, and he collaborated with Siobhán Armstrong to help create a thriving
scene of playing wire-strung Irish harps in Ireland. Originally from the south of England, Simon relocated to Scotland where he became involved with the Scottish traditional music scene in Dundee, working with Sheena Wellington to organise events and classes there. Since 2018 Simon has been living in Armagh in Northern Ireland.
If our team can be of any assistance, please contact us on learning@nli.ie.
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