The Ballinderry harp

Usually dated to the late 16th Century

On display at the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin, Ireland.

"Large Low Headed" design;
36 strings

These metal fittings were found by archaeologists at a crannog, near Moat, King's county, Ireland. They consist of the metal cheek-straps, peirced for tuning pins, most of which are present, and a complex triangular mount for the bass end of the neck, and also metal reinforcements for the joint between the enck and pillar. They are displayed mounted on a mock-up of a harp. Although the metal fittings show the shape of the neck of the original harp, the shape and proportions of the pillar and soundbox are conjectural, and those shown in the museum display are almost certainly too big.

References

Simon Chadwick