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Michael Rooney performed alongside concertina player, Mícheál Ó Raghalaigh at a lunch recital through Queen's University Belfast, where I was in attendance. The two men performed a repetoire of Irish traditional tunes they had compiled into sets. They performed tunes types such as Jigs, Reels, and Hornpipes.

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Michael Rooney is an Irish traditional musician and composer from Monaghan, Ireland. He is known as an amazing harpist in the Irish traditional music scene and has performed at various concerts and festivals throughout Ireland and abroad, such as Fleadh Cheol na hÉireann. He has played with The Chieftains and the Belfast Harp Orchestra during his time as a musician and has travelled to many countries with his music. Rooney attended Queen's University Belfast between the years 1992-1995 to study music. He was announced as TG4's Composer of the Year 2017.

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Michael Rooney is a prolific composer and is widely regarded as one of the foremost players of the traditional Irish harp.

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This is Michael Rooney's Facebook, where he promotes and shares his music. His recent collaboration, Draíocht, with flute player June McCormack is the harpists most recent project.

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Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

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On Thursday the 26th of September, Mícheál Ó Raghallaigh and Michael Rooney performed in the Harty Room in the Queen's Music Building. They performed an hour long set compiled of various Irish music tunes.

I found the performance very enjoyable as we saw both musicians bring their own personal flare, whilst playing the same tunes. There was a positive atmosphere in the room and the duo played both self composed tunes and traditional Irish tunes, including a tune that I recognised, The Rolling Wave, a jig.

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Concert: Mícheál Ó Raghallaigh (Concertina) and Michael Rooney (Harp)

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Michael Rooney on Fleadh TV - Drogheda 2018

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Michael Rooney on Fleadh TV - Drogheda 2018

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This is a video of Michael Rooney playing a self composed piece called 'An Cruitire' which means 'The Harpist' in Irish

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Michael Rooney at the IMBOLC Festival 2019

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Michael Rooney at the IMBOLC Festival 2019

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Imbolc is an ancient Celtic celebration of the beginning of Spring that is celebrated on February 1st of every year. (Editors, H.com, 2018)

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Michael Rooney: Famine suite at IMBOLC 2019

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The Irish harp is one of the most recognised instruments in Irish music due to its use as the national symbol for Ireland, and as a logo for a popular brand of beer. (Chadwick, 2008) Traditionally, the Irish harp was a much smaller instrument with thick brass or copper wire that could not be plucked with bare fingers and instead plucked by players' fingernails. The small size of the instrument was due to the instrument's need to be transportable.The harp has evolved and morphed over time and has become a much larger instrument with thinner strings. (Rimmer, 1964)

The soundbox of the harp was usually carved out of a block of willow, it had a heavy neck with reinfroced metal on both sides, a deeply curved forepillar, and string holes in the soundbox.

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The instrument rests on the musicians right shoulder, allowing the right hand to play the bass notes of the instrument, and for the left hand to play the higher notes of the instrument. Harp players never use their pinky whilst playing the harp. The first, second,and third finger are used to pluck the strings, along with the thumb, which is set slightly higher than the musician's fingers.

The Gaelic harp tradition was an oral one, although there are references that literate harpers existed, none of their written documentations of tunes have been found or have survived until this day. Tunes were passed from player to player through listening and travel. However, Gaelic harp traditions, tunes and repertory were written down by other musicians from the early 17th centry onward. (Chadwick, 2008)

Collector Edward Bunting played a major role in the conservation of Harp music and tunes, collecting directly from the last of the harpers. He did this at the Belfast Harp Festival in 1792.

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Lá na Cruite 2022 – Highlights from Harps Alive|An Chruit Bheo|Harps Leevin, Belfast, July 2022

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Turlough O'Carolan was a harper born in the 1670's in Ireland. He is one of the most notable Irish musicians but specifically due to his life as a blind harper and composer. O'Carolan began playing the harp at the age of 18 but contracted small pox, leading to his blindness. O'Carolan's life and works are emblematic of the extreme condition of music in Ireland, burdened by political and social division and aesthetic incompatibility. (White, 1989)

O'Carolan's style was unique among harpers as he drew inspiration and influence from Italian harp playing and European composers. Amongst his recognition for being a talented poet and composer, his harp playing was admired. One of his most notable works is 'Si Beag, sí mór.'

The end of the seventeenth century saw the enactment of the Penal Law, which made it very hard to express Gaelic culture without fear or persecution. O'Carolan was alive during this time and his art and music reflect this cultural shift. He is one of the earliest examples of a musician in the native high art to happily embrace European high art. O'Carolan was liked and welcomed into the homes of both native and colonists, demonstrating his likeability as a musician and as a person.

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This is a cover of one of Turlough O'Carolan's most famous compositions, 'Sí Beag, sí mór.'

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Irish Musical Instruments - McNeela Instruments

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Sí Bheag Sí Mhór by Turlough O'Carolan

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The Belfast Harp Festival took place from the 11th-14th of July 1792 in attempt to preserve the harping traditions in Ireland. Harpists from around the country gathered and played their music which was written in tablature by collector Edward Bunting in hopes to pass it down to further generations. (Boydell, 1998) Bunting did not only gather tunes, but information regarding the instruments being played and who was playing them. He would take down information about the size and make of the instrument and noted the players technique.

‌The harp was facing extinction and there were 10 Irish harpers in attendance, with one Welsh harpist also in attendance. All harpists are known besides one, Williams, who's first name is unknown. The other harpers were: Denis Hempson, Arthur O'Neill, Dan Black, Charles Byrne, Hugh Higgins, Patrick Quinn, Will Caer, James Duncan, and Rose Mooney. Bunting sat with the harpers and noted the music they played. (omeka.qub.qc.uk, n.d.)

Seven of these harpers were blind and the eldest in attendance was 97 years old. The harpers used the ancient way of playing the harp, by plucking the strings with their fingernails.

Immediately after the Harp Festival, Bunting set out to write and publish his first collection. He published his first collection of Irish airs in 1796 and it contained 66 airs that had never been published. The titles were given to the tunes in both Irish and English and included piano accompaniment. Bunting's published work- "Of The Method Of Playing, And Musical Vocabulary Of The Old Irish Harpers"- assisted the harping tradition even more as it gave important insight into the ancient tradition of harping, which is a tradition that is distinctly different from contemporary Irish harp arrangements. (Smith, 2000) Edward Bunting collected and published three collections of music.

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Belfast Harp Festival 1792, by Belfast Trad Fest

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The popularity of the harp began to rise within the Irish music scene once again. Although the instrument was traditionally played predominently by men, the revival of the instrument led to the majority of its players being women. The richness and beauty of the instrument was being admired and appreciated once again.

Composer, Séan Ó Riada took an interest in harper and musician Turlough Ó Cearbhláinn's music lending to the rediscovery of harp music. The interest in the instrument came from musicians such as harpers from Ceoltóirí Cualann, who's sound bewitched their listeners with the sound of harp music. (Journal of Music, 2014)

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https://www.draiochtmusic.com/michael-rooney

Note: This is a link to Rooney's new album which shares information surrounding Rooney as a musician but also information regarding his new project and collaboration.

White, H. (1989). Carolan and the Dislocation of Music in Ireland. EighteenthCentury Ireland / Iris an dá chultúr, [online] 4, pp.55–64. doi:https://doi.org/10.2307/30071469.

Note: I discovered this reading by accessing JSTOR through QCAT -> A-Z Library. This is an interesting reading on O'Carolan's musical influences and the impact they had on Ireland and Irish music.

Smith, T. (2000). The Fragmentation of Irish Musical Thought and the Marginalisation of Traditional Music. Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review, [online] 89(354), pp.149–158. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/30095350.

‌Note: Upon researching Edward Bunting and Turlough O'Carolan, I came upon this reading on the impact colonisation and cultural changes had on Gaelic and Irish music and collecting.

omeka.qub.ac.uk. (n.d.). The Belfast Harp Festival · The Edward Bunting Collection · Digital Exhibitions at Special Collections & Archives, Queen’s University Belfast. [online] Available at: https://omeka.qub.ac.uk/exhibits/show/edwardbuntingcollection/belfastharpfestival.

‌Note: These are useful archives that I found through Queen's University's digital exhibitions and archives.

Rimmer, J. (1964). The Morphology of the Irish Harp. The Galpin Society Journal, 17, p.39. doi:https://doi.org/10.2307/841312.

Note: This reading gave me an incredibly indepth analysis on the making and structure of the Irish harp.

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JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources.

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Rimmer, J. (1964). The Morphology of the Irish Harp. The Galpin Society Journal, 17, p.39. doi:https://doi.org/10.2307/841312.

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Editors, H. com (2018). Imbolc. [online] HISTORY. Available at: https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/imbolc.

Chadwick, S. (2008). The Early Irish Harp. Early Music, [online] 36(4), pp.521–531. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/27655252.

‌

B, F.J. (1903). Irish Harp Festival in Belfast. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, [online] 9(3), pp.141–141. doi:https://doi.org/10.2307/20566175.

Harbison, J. (1986). Bunting and the Belfast Harpers’ Festival of 1792. The Linen Hall Review, [online] 3(3), pp.23–25. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/20533825.

Boydell, B. (1998). The United Irishmen, Music, Harps, and National Identity. Eighteenth-Century Ireland / Iris an dá chultúr, [online] 13, pp.44–51. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/30064324.

‌

omeka.qub.ac.uk. (n.d.). The Belfast Harp Festival · The Edward Bunting Collection · Digital Exhibitions at Special Collections & Archives, Queen’s University Belfast. [online] Available at: https://omeka.qub.ac.uk/exhibits/show/edwardbuntingcollection/belfastharpfestival.

‌

The Journal of Music | News, Reviews and Opinion. (2014). The Irish Harp: Centre Stage. [online] Available at: https://journalofmusic.com/opinion/irish-harp-centre-stage.

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‌https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/imbolc

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White, H. (1989). Carolan and the Dislocation of Music in Ireland. EighteenthCentury Ireland / Iris an dá chultúr, [online] 4, pp.55–64. doi:https://doi.org/10.2307/30071469.

Smith, T. (2000). The Fragmentation of Irish Musical Thought and the Marginalisation of Traditional Music. Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review, [online] 89(354), pp.149–158. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/30095350.

‌

https://www.facebook.com/comhaltas.ie (2024). Turlough O’Carolan: Irish Harper - Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. [online] Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. Available at: https://comhaltas.ie/turlough_ocarolan_irish_harper/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2024].

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Origins of Imbolc

The celebration of Imbolc dates back to the pre-Christian era in the British Isles. The earliest mentions of Imbolc in Irish literature were found in the 10th century. Poetry from that time relates the holiday to ewe's milk, with the implication of purification.

It's been speculated that this ritual stems from the breeding cycle of sheep and the beginning of lactation. The holiday was traditionally aligned with the first day of spring and the idea of rebirth.
WATCH: The Winter Solstice
Brigid the Goddess

Imbolc celebrations took the form of a festival in honor of the pagan goddess Brigid, who was evoked in fertility blessings and oversaw poetry, crafts and prophecy. Brigid was worshipped by the Filid, a class of poets and historians among the Celts of ancient Ireland and Britain.

Brigid was considered one of the most powerful Celtic gods, the daughter of the Dagda, the oldest god in the Celtic pantheon Tuatha du Danann. She had two sisters also named Brigid (though it's speculated that these sisters are meant to symbolize different aspects of the same goddess.)

Brigid appears in the saga Cath Maige Tuired and the Lebor Gab ála É renn, a purported history of Ireland collected from various poems and texts in the 10th century.

Myths about Brigid's birth say she was born with a flame in her head and drank the milk of a mystical cow from the spirit world. Brigid is credited with the very first keening, a traditional wailing for the dead practiced at funerals by Irish and Scottish women.
READ MORE: Who Were the Celts?
Ancient Imbolc

In pre-Christian times, Imbolc observance began the night before February 1. Celebrants prepared for a visit from Brigid into their homes by crafting an effigy of the goddess from bundles of oats and rushes. The effigy was placed in a dress and put in a basket overnight.

The day of Imbolc was celebrated by rituals including burning lamps and lighting bonfires in tribute to Brigid.

Brigid Becomes St. Brigid

Over the centuries, Brigid was adopted into Christianity as St. Brigid.

One of Ireland's three patron saints, the Catholic Church claims St. Brigid was a historical person, with accounts of her life written by monks dating back to the 8th century. Brigid (or Bridget) is the patron saint of Irish nuns, newborns, midwives, dairy maids and cattle.

Whether or not she existed, these stories contain aspects in common with the details of the pagan goddess and illustrate the transition from pagan to Christian worship.

Like the goddess Brigid, St. Brigid is associated with milk and fire. Born in Ireland around 453 A.D., St. Brigid was the daughter of a slave and a chieftain who was celebrated at an early age for her agricultural knowledge.

With no interest in marrying, Brigid's goal was to create a monastery in Kildare, supposedly the former site of a shrine to the Celtic goddess of the same name. Brigid lived her entire life there.

She was renowned for her charity to the poor and stories abound about her healing powers. St. Brigid was a friend of St. Patrick, whose preaching set her on a course at an early age, and she became Ireland's first nun.

St. Brigid is said to have died in 524 A.D. The remains of her skull and hand are claimed to be in the possession of churches in Portugal.

In the 12th century, legend holds that the nuns in Kildare attended to a fire built in St. Brigid's honor. The fire had burned for 500 years and produced no ash, and only women were allowed in proximity of the fire.

The celebration of St. Brigid's Day on February 1 was put in place by the church to replace Imbolc. On her feast day, an effigy of St. Brigid of Kildare is traditionally washed in the ocean and surrounded by candles to dry, and stalks of wheat are transformed into cross talismans known as Brigid crosses.
READ MORE: How the Early Catholic Church Christianized Halloween
Modern Imbolc

The modern celebration of Imbolc is considered a low-key, loose and sometimes private affair concerned with reconnecting with nature.

Since it's a climate-specific holiday, some followers of the Wicca religion adjust their celebration of it to correspond with a date more appropriate to the coming of spring where they live. Others embrace the symbolism of the holiday and keep to the February 1 celebration.

The goddess Brigid is central to the celebration for modern Wiccans. In the tradition of the original Celtic festival, Wiccan groups that worship Brigid might include fire rituals on Imbolc.

Traditions from both the pagan celebration of Imbolc and the Christian celebration of St. Brigid's Day can be found in the modern Imbolc celebration. Celebrants sometimes make a Brigid cross out of reeds as well as a Brigid corn doll or effigy.

Candlemas

Candlemas is a Christian holiday celebrated on February 2 that has aspects in common with Imbolc. Its celebration can be traced to 4th century Greece as a purification holiday and a celebration of the return of light after winter's darkness.

Candles have traditionally been used in its observance. It's possible that Candlemas is a Christian adaptation of the Roman holiday Februalia, a purification and cleansing celebration.

Imbolc and Groundhog Day

February 2 is also celebrated as Groundhog Day, which began in the United States in 1887. The idea is that a groundhog exiting its burrow can predict whether winter will stay or go based on whether the groundhog sees its shadow. The day was a stunt by a newspaper in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, that has endured.

Concocted in Pennsylvania Dutch country, Groundhog Day is believed to be an adaptation of a German Candlemas tradition involving a badger. There have been attempts to portray Groundhog Day as a modern offshoot of Imbolc, but the two days are not likely directly related.
READ MORE: Groundhog Day: History and Facts
Sources

Imbolc: Rituals, Recipes and Lore for Brigid's Day. Carl F. Neal.
Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. Charles Russel Coulter and Patricia Turner.
Brigit: Goddess, Saint, 'Holy Woman', and Bone of Contention. Carole M Cusack.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

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Imbolc: Blessings, Rituals & Meaning - HISTORY

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Imbolc is a pagan holiday celebrated from February 1 to 2. Based on a Celtic tradition, it's the halfway point between winter solstice and the spring equinox.