Irish Music in Art: Harpers, Fiddlers and the Faces Behind the Tunes
Ireland's music has always been easier to hear than to see. Tunes passed from player to player by ear, songs sung in kitchens, sessions that left no record except memory. But portraits, engravings and photographs have caught musicians over the centuries, and some of them are now available as Irish music prints for the wall. This guide follows that visual trail, from the harpers of the 1600s to the singers of the twentieth century, and suggests which images suit which rooms.
The last of the harpers
The harp has stood for Ireland for centuries, but the harpers who actually played it were a dying profession by the 1700s. Turlough O'Carolan (1670–1738) is the best remembered of them. Smallpox blinded him at eighteen; he took up the harp and spent decades travelling the country on horseback, composing tunes for the households that hosted him. Around two hundred of those tunes survive and are still played in sessions today.
The portrait in our range is an 1822 line and stipple engraving by John Martyn, made after a painting by Francis Bindon, who knew him. The National Gallery of Ireland holds the engraving (NGI.10279). It has the sober, close-grained look of early printmaking, and it sits well above a console or in a hallway.
The man who wrote the tunes down
By 1792 the harping tradition was fading fast. That summer, a festival in Belfast gathered some of the last itinerant harpers, and a young musician named Edward Bunting (1773–1843) transcribed what they played. Without his notation, a good deal of that repertoire would have been lost. His portrait print is a good choice for anyone who cares about how music survives, which is often through the unglamorous work of someone with a pencil.
A painter's tenor
John McCormack, born in Athlone in 1884, became the most famous Irish voice in the world, selling out Carnegie Hall and recording for Victor. William Orpen painted him in 1923, seated and relaxed in casual whites with a score in his hand, which is a refreshingly unceremonious way to portray a star. McCormack was made a papal count in 1928, hence the title the National Gallery of Ireland uses. The painting, oil on canvas, was bought by the gallery in 2009 (NGI.2009.11). For more on the painter, see our William Orpen page.
The session and the fiddle
Most Irish music was never performed on a stage. Traditional fiddle playing has its own regional dialects, with Donegal, Sliabh Luachra and Clare styles all bowing and ornamenting differently, passed on mostly by ear. The old fiddle player print speaks to that world, and it works especially well in a kitchen or a snug where people actually gather.
The same collection includes the uilleann piper, whose bellows-blown pipes are soft enough for indoor playing, and a harp print that ties the story back to where it began.
Choosing a music print
For a music lover, think about the room first. Engravings and portraits of historical figures suit studies, halls and landings. Instruments and players suit kitchens and living rooms. If you are buying for someone else, a portrait of the musician they grew up listening to is usually the safest choice. Our collection also covers modern singers and bands, so you can mix the centuries on one wall.
All prints are made to order on archival matte paper and ship free worldwide. To see everything in the range, browse the full Irish art prints hub, or head to the Irish music collection to pick your favourite.