Harp music to fill Dundalk and beyond for Lá na Cruite

Louth will take centre stage for Lá na Cruite | Harp Day on Saturday, 18 October, with a vibrant programme of concerts and pop-up performances lighting up venues across the county. The Oriel Centre at Dundalk Gaol will host a headline evening concert featuring Michael Rooney, June McCormack, Rachael Dooley and the Music Generation Louth Harp Ensemble, alongside surprise performances in Dundalk throughout the day.

The event is part of the ninth annual national Harp Day organised by Cruit Éireann | Harp Ireland (CÉHI), which will see towns, cities and communities across Ireland and hundreds more worldwide  celebrate Ireland’s national instrument through music, connection, and tradition.

This year’s theme, Nasc (meaning “Connection”), celebrates the harp’s unique power to bring people together across generations, communities, and cultures. From Cork to Donegal, harpers will fill concert halls, classrooms, and streets with music that continues a living 1,000-year-old Irish tradition, recognised by UNESCO as part of the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Across Louth and all over Ireland, public events invite audiences to experience the harp in new and surprising ways. At the same time, harpers around the world will connect with one another through the Harper’s Call Initiative, which in 2024 streamed over 170 performances from international and Irish players, linking the Irish celebration to a global community of harpers through a unique, online interactive map.

Tríona Ní Dhuibhir, CEO of CÉHI, said:
“Lá na Cruite | Harp Day has become a joyful point in the calendar where harpers and communities across Ireland come together to celebrate our national instrument. What makes it so special is the diversity of events that show the many different ways people connect with and relate to the harp. This year’s theme of Nasc reflects those connections across generations and cultures.”

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“Celebrations in Louth include a fantastic concert at the Oriel Centre with renowned duo Michael Rooney (harp) and June McCormack (flute) and performances from Rachael Dooley (harp) and my very own group the Music Generation Louth Harp Ensemble”,said Deirdre Ní Bhuachalla, Music Generation Louth.  We’re so grateful to Kay Webster for hosting the event and also special thanks to Aoife Ruanne at The Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda for hosting Jennifer Leahy’s Drogheda Harpers” she said “My own ensemble will pop up in Dundalk in surprising places. Stay tuned!” 

This year also sees the launch of Sharing Harps, a new CÉHI Call for Harps initiative connecting unused instruments with a new generation of players, who cannot afford an instrument of their own. Donated harps will find homes with young harpers across Ireland, ensuring every harp continues to tell its story and every aspiring harper has the chance to play.

Beyond Ireland, celebrations will take place from Manchester to Paris, Cape Cod to Finland, Japan to the USA, as part of the Global Call for Harp Ambassadors. Harpers, teachers, and enthusiasts are invited to host their own Harp Day gatherings and send recordings for streaming on our worldwide interactive map on www.harprieland.ie, showcasing how the harp continues to inspire and connect communities.

More exciting events are being added to the Lá na Cruite|Harp Day programme each day. For latest announcements, please visit www.harpireland.ie/events