NASC Harp Symposium: Harps for All

NASC: Harps for All at The Lark, Balbriggan. May 25 2025, 9.30am - 4.30pm

Admission €25 Concessions €20 at eventbrite.ie

How can we create more opportunities for more people to play the harp?
How can we make harping more accessible?
Come along to our 2025 cross-border symposium where we’ll explore how to remove barriers to participation. Featuring keynote speaker, Gary Day, a leading practitioner in accessible and inclusive music making across the UK and Ireland, our 2025 gathering provides a platform for the sharing of ideas and practices that will help to identify and dismantle obstacles to getting involved in harping. Gary will be joined by Helen Naylor, harpers Gráinne Meyer, Mary Louise O’Donnell, Luke Webb, Katy Bustard, Úna Walsh and Deirdre Ní Bhuachalla, sound bath facilitator Emma West, while Sharon Rollston, CEO of Music Network, shines a light on their transformative initiatives to improve access to instruments and music tuition for young people all over Ireland.

Gary Day is Director of Garden of Music and a leading practitioner in accessible and inclusive music making and education across the UK and Ireland. With extensive experience in diverse settings, ranging from schools and universities to hospitals, museums, orchestras, and arts organisations, to support access and inclusion in music making.

He has worked as a resident musician at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London for two years and has delivered music programmes and training for organisations including; Education Authority N.I, Music Generation Ireland, Belfast Children’s Hospital, Health and Social Care NI, The Amber Trust, Live Music Now N.I, Museum of London, Drake Music London/NI, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Amber Trust, Trinity Laban, Leeds Conservatoire, University of Roehampton and Ulster University.

Gary specialises in supporting schools and organisations to increase music participation and access. He is also a moderator for the newly launched Awards and Certificates in Musical Development with Trinity College London.

Dr Mary Louise O’Donnell

Dr Mary Louise O’Donnell is a harpist and musicologist who has performed extensively throughout Ireland, Europe, Africa and Asia as a soloist and with various ensembles, including the Irish Chamber Orchestra. She was awarded a doctorate by the University of Limerick in 2009 and has published widely on topics relating to Irish cultural history, semiotics and performance studies. Her first book, Ireland’s Harp: The Shaping of Irish Identity c. 1770-1880, was published in 2014 by UCD Press. Mary Louise has received many awards and grants to further her research, including a Fulbright Scholarship and Centre Culturel Irlandais Fellowship.

In 2019, Mary Louise was appointed Musician-in-Residence with Fingal County Council. In 2023, she began working as a Creative Associate with the Arts Council and as a practitioner on the arts in healthcare programmes at Tallaght University Hospital and Temple Street Children’s University Hospital. In 2020, Mary Louise and Teresa O’Donnell released their album entitled Heavenly harps, heavenly cloths: contemporary music for the Irish harp by Brian Boydell.

Sharon Rollston

Sharon is CEO and Artistic Director of Music Network, Ireland’s national music touring and development organisation.

Sharon’s role includes strategic planning, leading on development and implementation of organisational policy and programmes, fundraising, nurturing relationships with strategic partners and external bodies at national level, and financial and general management of the organisation.

Sharon has a wealth of experience in working across art forms in Ireland north and south. Previous positions include Touring and Outreach Manager at Moving on Music Ltd. and Education Programme Manager at the Crafts Council of Ireland. Sharon joined Music Network as Performance Programmes Manager in 2008 and was appointed CEO in 2012.
Sharon holds a BA Hons. in Fine Craft Design: Silversmithing and Jewellery Specialism from University of Ulster. She has completed the DeVos Institute of Arts Management, University of Maryland: Planning for Success in the Arts – a Capacity Building Intensive for Arts Managers and Boards, and the Advanced Leadership Programme at Timoney Institute.

Gráinne Meyer

Gráinne Meyer is a PhD researcher at Queen’s University Belfast, investigating the role of artificial intelligence and music technology in enhancing accessibility for musicians with disabilities. Her research, Amplifying Diversity in Artificial Intelligence in Music Systems, examines biases in AI-driven music tools and explores how assistive technologies can remove barriers to participation in performance and education.

As a professional harpist and software engineer, Gráinne Meyer has worked at the forefront of both industries as both an award winning performer and composer as well engineering for global technology industry leader Microsoft.

She combines her experience in both fields to advocate for more inclusive and representative music technologies. At the upcoming symposium on Breaking Down Barriers and Accessibility, she will present on the potential of AI and assistive music technologies to create new opportunities for disabled musicians and harpists, ensuring that innovation in the field supports a more equitable musical landscape.

Katy Bustard

Katy Bustard is the founder of Causeway Harp School and runs regular workshops and classes in her community introducing people of all ages, abilities and cultural backgrounds to the Irish harp. Katy works as harp tutor in a rural primary school, helping to bring the tradition of Irish harping into the wider rural community. She has worked with the U3A (University of the Third Age) to bring the joy of harping to older members of the community. She has also run a series of classes for Solas - a well-being charity in Ballycastle- providing opportunities for their clients and for carers in the community to experience playing the harp and to learn something new.

Katy hosts a popular monthly harp session for adults of all ages and abilities to meet, learn and play music together. She is delighted to see so many people enjoying and benefiting from learning and playing the harp, as well as the strengthened and enriched community surrounding it.

Luke Webb

As a professional harper and composer, Luke Webb is passionate about broadening people’s appreciation and understanding of the potential of the Irish Harp in contemporary music genres. Having graduated from TU Dublin Conservatory of Music and Drama’s Bachelor of Music programme specializing in Pedagogy, Luke furthered his studies and graduated from their its Masters in Performance programme focussing his research on ‘the efficacy of various teaching methods (Aural versus Visual) employed in the teaching of the Irish Harp’.

One of the co-founders of Mourne Music School, Luke provides cross border 1 to 1 online harp lessons whilst working with music schools in disadvantaged areas in Dublin to provide group harp lessons to students across the lifespan. Developing novel materials available on his online teaching platform to suit different learning styles has allowed him to reach a wider audience and expand the accessibility of the harp as an instrument both in Ireland and internationally.

During the upcoming symposium, Luke will discuss the innovative Cruit Éireann Hands on Harp project that has created interactive opportunities for hundreds of young students throughout Ireland to learn more about the harp first hand. He will also share insights from hosting international online workshops and his online teaching.

Úna Walsh

Úna May Walsh aged 17 from Barntown Co. Wexford. A member of Craobh Loch Garman Comhaltas in Wexford Town -proud host branch of Fleadh Cheoil na hÈireann 2024 & 2025 Úna is a harp student of teacher Shelly O'Grady. Úna has 3 All-Ireland medals, 2 Leinster Fleadh Cheoil 3rd place medals and was recently awarded the Micheál Ó hEidhin medal for distinction in her Comhaltas Grade 8 SCT Grade exams and she will sit her Performance Diploma soon. Úna is the Youth Officer for her local branch and is also the Irish Youth Ambassador for Hidden Hearing.

Úna is a member of the Harp Ireland Youth Forum, ‘Ceoltóirí na Sláine’ traditional youth orchestra, SNRGÍ Trad Group, a harp ensemble, Grupa Cheoil & Ceilí Bands.

Úna has 12k+ followers across all social media platforms, has appeared on The Late Late Toy Show in 2021, 2 appearances on The RTÉ Late Late Show in 2022 & 2023, has appeared as special guest with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in the National Concert Hall and numerous concerts in the National Opera House Wexford over the last 4 years. Her inspirational story of how her hearing impairment has not impeded her in any way, Úna cannot wait to share her story and talent with Harp Ireland and thanks them for this opportunity !

Emma West

Emma West is a sound bath facilitator from Dublin and the founder of West Sound & Wellness. With a deep-rooted passion for music and the power of healing sound, Emma uses sound baths as a way to help people relax their mind and body, restoring balance and harmony in their lives.

She has spent the past five years guiding individuals on transformative sound journeys around Ireland. Her work has been featured on Ireland AM, Newstalk and other media platforms, Emma creates a safe and nurturing space for self-connection, supporting others in finding calm and inner peace.