The mystery surrounding the origins of a set of Irish harp pins unearthed at a Welsh castle over 45 years ago will be revisited in June as part of Wales’ oldest music festival.
Twenty-four tuning pins for an Irish harp were discovered during an archaeological dig at the historic castle above the town of Montgomery in in 1967 and are displayed in the town’s Old Bell Museum.
Archaeologists, historians and musicians have been left puzzled as to why a near-perfect set of Irish harp pins should have been excavated at the site.
The mystery will be re-examined as part of Gregynog Festival when a harp historian and a world-famous harpist give a historical and musical presentation about the pins.
Researcher Dr Karen Loomis and Siobhán Armstrong, founder of the Historical Harp Society of Ireland and one of today’s leading players of the early Irish (or ‘Brian Boru’) harp, will host the evening at Montgomery Town Hall on June 20 and attempt to unravel the mystery.
Originally built by Henry III in 1223 as a border stronghold, Montgomery Castle was later home to Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Chirbury, during the 17th century.
“Since the harp pins were discovered, there’s been great mystery surrounding their origins,” said Dr Rhian Davies, artistic director of Gregynog Festival, which runs from June 16-26 in Mid Wales.
“Were they part of a complete Irish harp? Who owned the instrument, where was it made and what kind of music would have been played on it? And, most intriguing of all, what was an Irish harp doing at Montgomery Castle?”
More will be unveiled at “The Montgomery Castle Harp Pins” event at 7.30pm in Montgomery Town Hall on June 20.
This year, Gregynog Festival’s theme is Eire and a packed programme of events includes world-class Irish musicians plus international artists who specialise in performing Irish repertoire.
Music, drama and talks inspired by the Easter Rising and Fron-goch feature during the festival programme as well as forming part of the Welsh Government’s project Cymru’n Cofio Wales Remembers 1914-1918.
A substantial outreach programme is again planned and will be revealed shortly under the name Irish Coffee.
A Welsh Government Visit Wales signature event, the festival attracts visitors from across the world each year to venues throughout Mid Wales, including the famous Gregynog Hall, near Newtown, home of the Davies sisters who launched the event because of their passion for music and the arts.
In addition to placing the area on the international music and arts map, Gregynog Festival plays a part in supporting the rural economy, attracting visitors into the area and raising its profile.
Last year, the festival attracted at least £150,000 of spend into Mid Wales as well as working with local people through an outreach programme involving musicians and artists visiting local schools, cafes and residential homes.
The box office for the Gregynog Festival has just opened with tickets available through www.gregynogfestival.org and 01686 207100.
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Notes to the Editor
Gregynog Festival
The Gregynog Festival is a lottery funded project for the Arts Council of Wales, a signature event of the Major Events Unit, Welsh Government (Visit Wales), and the only Welsh member of REMA, the European Early Music Network based at Versailles. It has also received funding for the 2016 season from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Cymru’n Cofio Wales Remembers 1914-1918.
Launched by sisters Gwendoline and Margaret Davies at Gregynog Hall, Tregynon, near Newtown in 1933, the Gregynog Festival is Wales’ oldest classical music festival. The granddaughters of industrialist, entrepreneur and politician, David Davies, who came from Llandinam, Powys, they became philanthropists travelling throughout Europe, passionate about art and music, and bequeathing over 260 works from their collection to the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff, where many are now displayed.
The Gregynog Festival attracts visitors from all over the world into Wales as well as having a social and economic impact on the local community through its investment in concerts, workshops, talks and community outreach projects.
The Montgomery Castle Harp Pins
Musicians are working to reconstruct historical performance and repertory for the early Irish harp.
Siobhán Armstrong, founder and Chair of the Historical Harp Society of Ireland, is a leading historical harpist specializing in this instrument, and is currently pursuing PhD research at Middlesex University, London in early Irish harp performance practice.
Every bit of surviving historical material helps to inform this kind of work. Much valuable information can be gleaned from the instruments themselves, and this has been the work of Karen Loomis, who recently completed a PhD at the University of Edinburgh studying two pre-eminent surviving specimens, the National Museum of Scotland’s ‘Queen Mary’ and ‘Lamont’ harps.
At present, there are only 18 known surviving historical instruments. Occasionally, individual Irish harp tuning pins have been found, either by metal detectorists, or as part of archaeological digs.
Although a single tuning pin may not seem like much, it can hold important clues to the history and development of the instrument, so whenever one turns up, it’s a little bit exciting.
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