My Gentle Harp: Moore’s Irish Melodies 1808-2008 is an exhibition commemorating the 200th anniversary of the publication of Volume One of Thomas Moore’s “Irish Melodies”.
Thomas Moore (1779-1852 ), the Bard of Erin, was the most celebrated poet and songwriter in nineteenth-century Ireland. Moore was a writer and poet but it is as the author of the “Irish melodies” that he is best remembered. These 124 songs, based on Irish airs collected by Edward Bunting and others, speak of love and loss, of friendship, and of love of country. Published in ten volumes between 1808 and 1834, they were worldwide hits, reaching people of all classes in Europe, American and Russia.
The travelling exhibition consists of panels depicting Moore's early and later life, the “Irish Melodies” and their musical influence, and the “Irish Melodies” reception and legacy. These are accompanied by a DVD of One Faithful Harp, an hour-long TV production by Hummingbird Productions, and a compilation CD of renditions of some of the melodies by well-known performers.
This exhibition will run in Castlebar Library from December 9 to January 3 inclusive. Admission is free and all are welcome.
