A Galway musician who has performed all over the world has come up with a new version of the traditional harp, which she is unveiling this weekend at a special concert at the home of Irish music in the city’s Westend.

Úna Ní Fhlannagáin is an award-winning exponent of the modern Irish harp, fusing the nuance and drive of Irish traditional music with jazz and pop influences. The Craughwell native has performed all over the world, with Grammy and Emmy-winners.

In 2020, Athenry Arts & Heritage Centre invited her to make a series of videos on the history of the Irish harp, giving her the chance to deep-dive into the fascinating world of the ancient Irish harp tradition.

Entranced by the bell-like resonance of metal strings, she conceptualised a brand-new instrument, a hybrid of the ancient Irish harp and the modern Irish harp – and set about turning it into reality, at the height of the Covid pandemic!

With support from Music Network, she commissioned a new harp to be designed and built by wirestrung harp expert, Paul Dooley.

Now, almost five years later, the project has come to fruition, and Úna will play this brand-new harp in Galway for the first time this weekend.

Úna explains that the new harp has bronze strings, and the one-piece soundbox of the early Gaelic harp.

“The soundbox is made from Irish willow from Leitrim; in a beautifully poetic coincidence, the wood comes from near Keadue, the burial place of Ireland’s internationally-renowned harpist/composer Turlough O’Carolan,” she says.

The harp has the string-spacing of a modern Irish harp, which enables the player to play using either fingernails or fingerpads – but Úna reveals that this new hybrid instrument also has the range and sharping levers of the modern Irish harp, enabling the player to perform a broad range of genres.

“I am incredibly excited to perform on this unique new harp, the first of its kind in Ireland, and – so far as I know – the world,” she says.

“The metal strings of the ancient Irish harp tradition give a uniquely resonant, magical sound, which I want to share with everyone!”

Hailing from Craughwell, nurtured by the Athenry arts scene and inspired by Inis Meáin, it was very important to Úna to showcase the new instrument in Galway.

So this Saturday, the new harp will be premiered at a concert in the Crane Bar, at 6pm where Úna will perform on the harp, joined by special guest, Canadian dancer Mélissandre T-B.

And also on the night, Úna will release an album of her original compositions, recorded on the new harp. Space is limited, so advance booking is advised.

Tickets are available on www.eventbrite.ie for €15 / €10.

Pictured: Úna Ní Fhlannagáin with her re-invented version of the traditional harp.