New Strung, And Shall Be Heard

The Celtic harp is a familiar part of the modern harp world. It is a common starting point for many players, and a major voice in modern Celtic traditional music. It carries with it cultural and political echoes, and a mythology linking it back to ancient players and music. The Egan Portable Irish harp, the first of the neo-celtic harps was introduced c. 1816, and celebrates the bicentenary of receiving the Royal Warrant in 2021, but much has happened on the journey to the modern instrument, with many changes, and people involved. This essay attempts to put some of the stories in order, and plot a logical path through the development of the neo-celtic harp, from its origins in the drawing rooms of the 19th C through to the creation of the modern lever harp.