Strum, strum and be hanged: reassessing the 1792 Belfast Harp Festival

Journal article

Over Bastille Day weekend in July of 1792, nine Irish harpers gathered at the Belfast Assembly Rooms. Their performances of traditional Irish music were heard by a mostly appreciative audience and transcribed by Edward Bunting (1773–1843), a young Anglican church musician from Armagh, whose long and distinguished career of collecting Irish music began that weekend. This article corrects the common misconception that this event, which has come to be known as the 1792 Belfast Harp Festival, was organised by the United Irishmen. It suggests instead that manifestations of Welsh and Scottish cultural and musical nationalism — specifically the eisteddfod and Scots musical museum — were the true antecedents to the Belfast Harp Festival.

Authors: Valenti, M

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Journal: Irish Historical Studies
• Pages: 1-13
• Publication date: 2026-06-15
• Acceptance date: 2025-12-11
• DOI: 10.1017/ihs.2026.10113
• EISSN: 2056-4139
• ISSN: 0021-1214
• Language: English