The Malahide 1 harp

Dated to the 18th Century

Current whereabouts uncertain; Privately owned but on display in Malahide Castle, Ireland, in 1984.

"High Headed" design;
36 strings, longest 115cm

This harp was first drawn to public attention by Nicholas Carolan's in 1984. This harp's soundbox is pieced from planks rather than carved from a solid block in the usual fashion.

Nicholas Carolan tells us that it was then owned by William Kearney, who acquired it at an auction in Ardee, Co. Louth, in 1975, where it had come from a local country house. According to Mike Billinge (wirestrungharp.com, retrieved Jan 2011), the harp was again auctioned in 1999 after the death of Kearney.

References

Simon Chadwick