We invite you to immerse yourself in the music and traditions of Gaeldom's exquisite, ancient harp. Our aim is to share with you the ‘real deal’ of the music of the old harpers, exploring as much of their world as is now possible two centuries after the tradition died out.
N.B. We warmly welcome players of ALL kinds of harps to attend our 2022 festival.

What is this festival all about?
The festival vibe is of a local, national and international family who come together each year to encourage, help, and learn from each other. In joining us, you enter a world of enthusiastic, friendly people, excited about turning dusty pages into fresh, living music. Our knowledgeable community features many world experts in the field, all of whom want to share their expertise with you. If you ever wanted to dip a toe in the water of early Irish harping, then join us this July, onsite in Kilkenny OR online from the comfort of your own living room!

We will enable you to hear, play and sing the music familiar to Gaelic chieftains, and later, those in the Great Irish Houses, in which the early Irish harp was played alongside harpsichords, baroque violins, flutes and Irish pipes.

Your immersion in our festival is designed to give you the skills to bring your own performances of historical Gaelic harp music gloriously alive as you might never have imagined before. If you are interested in seeing authentic, historical sources, and learning how to use these to turn old paper and ink into living, breathing music, then this festival will interest you – we go an inch wide, and a mile deep! If you are curious of mind as well as curious of finger, then this might be for you?