Harps?

ottostreet

Not for me...my sister is interested in starting to learn the harp.

we know nothing about it...can anyone give us some useful links (irish) or know of any irish shops that sell harps?

Futurecrook

Where are you located? Some comhaltas branches run rental schemes where you can sign up for classes with them and rent the instrument to see how you get on and if you want to continue learning to play it. I'm guessing your sister is a beginner? Harps are very expensive so unless you're sure she'll stick with the instrument then I'd recommend looking for a second hand one.

For irish makers there's irishharps.net and Camac harps are great but are based in France.

ruaidhr

Have you tried Cairde na Cruite-Friends of the Harp? They have a harp rental scheme. Go on www.cairdenacruite.com. All details there
Also Irish Harp makers can be found -Jan Muyllaert Navan,
Paddy Cafferky, Galway, Larry Eagar Cork, colm Ó Meachair Dublin
Also try Salvi harps Cardiff. They visit Dublin regularly

Seoid

There are two common kinds of harp: Neo-Irish/Irish/Celtic/Lever harp and pedal/classical harp, which is the big kind you see in orchestras. Start with a Celtic/Lever harp with about 34 strings as these are the best for Trad music and if you get a good one you can play classical music on it and buy a pedal harp later (€10+k).

I would second the suggestion to contact Cairde na Cruite as they will be able to put you in touch with a teacher in your area and maybe rent you a harp or they may know of second hand harps available.
If you do decide to buy a harp, it is definitely worth talking to more than one teacher/player as everyone has their preferences and it depends what you are looking for as well and what sort of music she'd want to play. There is a waiting list for most of the Irish harpmakers but anything else will likely have to be shipped in from abroad. Personally, I prefer the handmade ones but they can be more expensive.

Waltons in Dublin sell harps but I'm not a big fan of the ones they have there.

Morley harps in London also come over regularly and also do rentals so they might be willing to rent you a harp for a bit: (http://www.morleyharps.co.uk). It's not often you find a collection of harps in one room so it's worth going to Dublin to visit Morley/Salvi when they're over as you can try a few different harps and chat to the sales people who should be able to play them and talk you through it.

Also, there is another harp maker that I know of in Dublin: http://www.taraharps.ie/

You could also talk to Janet Harbison in the Irish Harp Centre - she runs harp weekends in Limerick that could be a low-cost introduction to the harp for your sister. I would recommend Salvi or any of the makers below above the Camac harps she sells though.

Scráib

Hey,

I'm learning the harp myself, I'm renting one from this company here (granted it's not Irish but...):
http://www.camacharps.co.uk/

The Hermine model is what I have. It's about the cheapest of the factory-made harps but it's a good one nonetheless.

It'll set you back about 300 quid to ship it over and 46 euro a month to rent, with an option to use the rent as down-payments on the harp itself.

Harp teachers I think are tricky enough to find, but I know two at the moment, one of whom is away on tour. If you want their contact details PM me.

Léan

Sorry to hijack this thread abit but does anyone have the number of Larry Eager? And does he rent harps?

I really need a harp, asap. I was supposed to be getting one from Brendan Howard ( Co.Cork) but he has stopped answering my calls, after promising me one :mad:.

I have an exam coming up and really need to practice. I'm based in Cork.

Thanks.

harpist2010

I'm selling a stunning camac maple harp with 34 alliance strings (carbon fibre strings). Makes a stunning sound. Was bought for 2500 euro (included delivery from Wales) and is brand new. Have to see to apprecaite its beauty. Comes with dust cover worth 100 euro and tuning key. Has a full 2-year warranty. Selling for 2150 euro.

harpingon

I teach the Irish harp in Limerick area if anyone is interested PM me for more info. I have one harp hired out at the moment but am hoping to get a few more in the future to do the same. www.irishharpcentre.com (Janet) also hires harps for around €30 a month and upwards. Does anyone know of or have a second hand Salvi for sale by any chance?:cool: Hard to come by I know! I have seen a few online for sale in England, but the Ferry and the journey are putting me off. I'm looking for a Livia/Egan for myself. P.S.: Seoid made some very valid points, well said!:)

tonykenny

Hi,

I need a harp for visiting Polish classical harpist. She arrives Tue 2nd August for one week.

Have you got a harp for hire?

Tony Kenny

AoifeNicS

Hello everyone, I am currently looking for a good second hand traditional harp (as well as a trad harp teacher). I would greatly appreciate if someone could point me in the right direction. Many thanks,

kevinjgraham

Check out Jan Muyllaert on Facebook. Cannot speak highly enough of his craftsmanship. Kevin

Greatrobini

harpessentials.com now are a re-seller for Salvi Harps and sell Bow Brand strings for ALL Salvi harps both concert and lever.

Harpessentials exhibit all over Ireland including Cairde Na Cruit, Termonfeckin - Nobber Harp Festival, Music Generation in Portlaois.

We are based in Meath, call us if your interested in any of our models