Deirdre Ní Bhuachalla

What is your name / where are you from?
My name is Deirdre Ní Bhuachalla and I am originally from Ashbourne, Co.Meath but now based in Dundalk Co.Louth.

How did you start playing the harp?
I have been surrounded by traditional music my whole life. At around 3 or 4 I was introduced to Dilín Ó Deamhas on RTÉ television and was fascinated by Róisín Ní Shé and the sound of the harp. I started to learn fiddle at 5 and just hated it because it wasn’t a harp. When a new teacher, (also a harper) came to our school when I was 7, I couldn’t get home quick enough to tell my parents that Múinteoir Siobhán (Ní Dhúill) would be teaching harp at school. That’s where it all began for me.  Later, I continued my harp studies with the late Nancy Calthorpe followed by Evelyn Hearns and finally Denise Kelly Mc Donnell at DIT Conservatory of Music. (Now TU Dublin).

What does the harp mean to you?
It’s hard to put into words. It’s an extension of myself. I couldn’t do without it in my life.

What do you like most about Lá na Cruite | Harp Day?
I love to watch the complete takeover on social media. Everywhere you look there is harping and harp music.  We get to show the world how strong the harping community is and what we can make happen when we put our heads together. A friend once commented on how industrious harpers are. Lá na Cruite is a prime example of that.