Robert Naughton at dlr Lexicon, Dún Laoghaire
Local Post Office, Nobber, Co. Meath
An enthusiastic audience for some Wexford harpers
It’s exciting times for everybody involved with the harp in Ireland; numbers of harp players are increasing year on year, the demand for Irish-made harps is growing, and the harp features prominently at festivals, in concerts, in workshops and at sessions all over the country.
The harp is our national symbol and we are proud that it holds a special place in people’s hearts. Cruit Éireann, Harp Ireland’s mission aims to raise awareness of this more than one thousand-year-old harp tradition, share its repertoire and make sure that we celebrate it at every opportunity.
Therefore, our Harp Day initiative sets out to promote the harp, make it more accessible, encourage more people to learn it, and attract new audiences to experience its music. It is an ideal chance for it to be played and heard in all corners of Ireland, and farther afield.
Lá na Cruite | Harp Day 2024
Lá na Cruite | Harp Day … And That’s a Wrap!
What another wonderful year of Lá na Cruite | Harp Day celebrations, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you who participated! Mile buíochas do chruitirí a sheinn togha na cruitireachta ó cheann ceann na tíre ar feadh an lae. This year, we had nearly 100 events taking place across Ireland and abroad, showcasing the incredible talent and passion for the harp in our community.
Through Lá na Cruite | Harp Day we set out to build on Irish harping’s UNESCO recognition on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanities, to make the harp more accessible, to encourage more people to learn to play the harp and to attract new audiences to experience its music.
See our Highlights of Harp Day 2024 here
In the meantime, start planning for Lá na Cruite| Harp Day 2025 – Saturday October 18th.
If you would like to organise an event for Lá na Cruite | Harp Day 2025, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact us at info@harpireland.ie.
Lá na Cruite | Harp Day 2023
Saturday 21 October 2023
And that’s a wrap! Another successful Lá na Cruite | Harp Day delivered by harpers all over Ireland and the world. Míle buíochas daoibh ar fad; bhí fuaim na cruite le cloisteáil ó cheann ceann na tíre ó thuaidh agus ó theas.
More than 70 events that we know of (!) took place, with countless other events happening, as harpers took down their harps to celebrate the richness of our 1000-year old tradition. Our thanks to our funders and to everybody who supported us.
You can watch our videos from Lá na Cruite | Harp Day on our YouTube channel.
See Highlghts of Harp Day 2023 here
Lá na Cruite | Harp Day 2022
Saturday 15th October 2022
This year Lá na Cruite │ Harp Day took place on Saturday 15th October 2022 and harpers, teachers and music-lovers took part in 63 live events both in Ireland and abroad. 336 Harpers performed as part of our online programme on Harp Day. We broadcast 140 Harpers’ Call videos with 306 performers on our YouTube and Facebook channels through the day.
63 individual live events took place in Ireland and abroad, many of which were free.
Our theme for Lá na Cruite | Harp Day 2022 was HARPS TOGETHER. With so much division in the world, we are shone a spotlight on music’s ability to unite us. The harp was at the heart of a celebration bringing communities of people together, embracing musical and cultural differences and showcasing the glorious diversity of Ireland today.
See Highlghts of Harp Day 2022 here
We also celebrated the 230th anniversary of the 1792 Belfast Harpers’ Assembly in 2022, and Lá na Cruite | Harp Day was the perfect opportunity for harpers to acknowledge the invaluable legacy left by Edward Bunting and the Assembly on the Irish harping tradition.
We also introduced our amazing ‘Harpers Worldwide’ Interactive Map where you can view videos from harpers all around the world who have sent us videos for Harp Day. Just click on a pin any where on the world map to view their videos. You can view it here.
Lá na Cruite | Harp Day 2022
See full details of all the events on Harp Day 2022 here.
Lá na Cruite | Harp Day 2021
Lá na Cruite, Harp Day 2021 took place on Saturday 16th October where harpers all over the world celebrated Ireland’s 1,000-year-old harping tradition. Harp Day 2021 combined both live events and virtual broadcasts on Facebook and on our YouTube channel.
This year’s theme was HARPS ALIVE; it was our response to a renewed sense of awareness of the beauty of the world around us over the past 18 months, when we paused to listen and to look around us with a new perspective; hearing bird song, getting out and about, walking on our beautiful hills and coastal areas, and relating to nature in a different way.
We called on harpers to reconnect with nature, let their harp music reflect the beauty in their favourite outdoor spaces: on hills, beside lakes, on the coast, in forests or even in their own back gardens.
Harpers’ Call featured over 6 hours of harpers who recorded videos of themselves playing a tune in their favourite outdoor setting. We received 150 videos of all standards from every corner of the world. Watch our Harpers Call videos here.
See all our Harp Day 2021 highlights below or watch the videos on our YouTube page at www.youtube.com/c/harpireland
Lá na Cruite | Harp Day 2020
Lá na Cruite | Harp Day 2020 took place virtually this year on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th October. Our online event broadcast over 29 hours of concerts, workshops, talks and a variety of imaginative events that celebrated the harp and harpers all around the world. All these wonderful contributions are available to watch on our YouTube channel and on our Facebook page. Every year this event continues to grow as does the number of performers and harp enthusiasts who contributed from near and far to two wonderful days of harping.
National Harp Day 2019
National Harp Day 2019 took place on 19th October offering concerts, pop-up sessions, workshops, talks and a variety of imaginative events that celebrated the harp and harpers all around Ireland. The event is continuing to grow as is the number of performers and harp enthusiasts who came from near and far to enjoy the fruits of a wonderful day of music-making.
National Harp Day 2018
We had a marvellous response from harpers all over Ireland for National Harp Day 2018. Audiences from Donegal to Dingle, from Belfast to Bandon were treated to the wonderful sound of harp-playing at concerts, sessions, harpathons, pop-up sessions, talks and demonstrations of harp making. Harping friends in the Isle of Man, Greece, the USA, and as far away as New Zealand joined us to acknowledge our national instrument.
