FALLING IN LOVE WITH IRELAND 2 - Gaelic Harp and Book of Kells by Carolina Valdez

Did you know the Gaelic harp, not the shamrock, is the official symbol of this country? We were told it was because the High Kings of Ireland played the harp and always had harp music in their courts. This very romantic idea may be pure fantasy. Much of my information is from http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com which states little is known about this except that Brian Boru, the last High King, who died in 1014, is rumored to been a skillful player, but there's no proof of this.

It is true that the Gaelic harp was the only music played during the Crusades, and it was revered not only in Celtic culture but all over Europe. Such was its fame that when the English King Henry VIII declared himself King of Ireland in 1531, he also declared the harp its official symbol.

Fewer than a dozen medieval harps have survived, and they're different from those we have today. They were played using your fingernails. Their strings were metal, usually brass, and the resonating chamber was carved from a single log (willow by tradition), making their sound totally different from contemporary instruments.

The harp on which the official symbol is based is housed in Trinity College, Dublin, as is the original illuminated manuscript Book of Kells (see sample right of an animal), both of which I missed seeing by only a few minutes. When it's time to close the doors, it's time to close the doors. Even if you arrive just as they're locking up.

In my next post, I'll tell you about gold and those High Kings, and our experiences in Dublin.

Carolina Valdez
http://www.carolinavaldez.com
http://www.twitter.com/carolina_valdez
http://www.carolina-valdez.blogspot.com