In the sixteenth century we start to find more complete information about harp music in the Gaelic world, not least from Elizabethan English writers who were fascinated by the art music of the Gaelic world, and who write charming if not entirely impartial accounts of what they saw and heard¹. The famous scene illustrated on the right was published in London in 1581, and shows a harper playing to accompany the singing of Gaelic poetry before a wealthy lord².

After the richness of the 15th century which provides us with three extant instruments, the 16th is suproisingly sparse, with only the metal fragments from Ballinderry and the Castle Otway harp dating from this time. It seems that a desire for extra bass notes led harpmakers to construct larger instruments.

Also from the 16th century we have the oldest datable music that was handed down by the old harpers. Although not written down until much later, tunes like Scotts Lamentation and Port Priest are likely relics of the 16th century.

Next: the Gaelic harp in the 17th century