Galway harper Kathleen Loughnane, piper Cormac Cannon and poet Emily Cullen will be performing as part of the Harps Alive?An Chruit Bheo?Harps Leevin festival in Belfast this weekend, with Emily also journeying to Dublin for the Edward Bunting Remembered closing performance on July 26 at 3pm.
Starting in Belfast, Emily will perform in the 230 Years a-Harping show at First Presbyterian Church Rosemary Street on July 16, speaking poetry she composed in memory of the ancient harpers. A pivotal figure in 1792, Edward Bunting, then a 19-year-old organist, was employed to write down the music of the harpers and to transcribe their techniques, subsequently went on to publish his writings in three volumes called The Ancient Music of Ireland.
Raised in Tipperary, Emily Cullen now lives in Galway City, having performed all across Europe, Australia and the United States as well as being a former member of the Belfast Harp Orchestra, Emily is well-accustomed to life as a harper and was even awarded an IRC fellowship for her doctoral research on the Irish harp as a trope, icon and instrument.
Also travelling from Galway city to Belfast for the festival is Kathleen Loughanne and her son Cormac Cannon, both of whom will perform at the Gala Finale Concert in St Joseph’s Church Sailortown at 8pm on July 17.
Kathleen is a highly regarded harper, known for her work in researching the music of the ancient harpers, arranging traditional Irish dance music as well as co-founding Dordán, whose mix of Irish and Baroque music has received widespread acclaim.
Her son, Cormac, is also very accomplished when it comes to traditional Irish music, he plays the uilleann pipes and supports his mother in her concerts when he’s not touring and teaching in Ireland, Japan, Africa and the USA.
Cormac is particularly interested in the music of the older pipers and fiddle players, particularly the music of Clare and Kerry, and a preference for the sound of the flat-pitched pipes.
The duo will be performing amongst many other talented harpers at the Gala Finale Concert later on this week.
Harpers and historians will join forces this month to celebrate the 230th anniversary of the first Harpers’ Assembly with five days of music and heritage in a unique cross-community series of events, concluding in Dublin with a commemoration of the life of Edward Bunting.
Organised by the Harps Alive partnership, the festival will bring together the finest harpers from across the island to recognise the landmark event that collected music more than two centuries ago for future harpers to learn from and perform.
Aibhlín McCrann, Chair of Cruit Éireann Harp Ireland, said that bringing together a wide variety of harpers from across Ireland presents a unique musical opportunity for the harping community.
“We are delighted to bring harpers from all over Ireland together to mark 230 years since the Belfast Harpers’ Assembly in Belfast” she said. “Our harping heritage transcends boundaries and has really connected the partners, north and south.
“It is wonderful to hear the harpers’ music reflecting our living tradition and to see that there is so much interest in it. We are looking forward to welcoming audiences across the city of Belfast to our concerts, talks and exhibitions and in Dublin later in the month.”
John Gray, Chair of Reclaim the Enlightenment said the Harps Alive?An Chruit Bheo?Harps Leevin festival includes a diverse range of musicians and believes it will increase awareness surrounding harps and Irish music.
“In bringing more than 50 harpers to Belfast, the festival will create the largest ever such assembly in the city,” he said.
“It will be a celebration of the heritage of the harp and the contemporary revival of harp playing, and when it concludes we hope to have created more awareness of the harp tradition with the public and leave a lasting legacy.”
The full programme of events can be found at harpsalive.com
