Fiachra Ó Corragáin

What is your name / where are you from?
My name is Fiachra Ó Corragáin. I am from Kinsale, Co. Cork.

How did you start playing the harp?
My brothers and I all played music growing up.  I started the fiddle at the age of two.  The harp always held a special place of fascination for me.  When I was eleven, my parents bought a Colm O’Meachair harp from a relative who no longer played. It was difficult to access lessons at the time and I relied on summer schools and occasional lessons for tuition.  Although I often felt lost in my early years of playing, I greatly desired to become a good harp player one day.  This passion carried me through the hard times and still burns to this day.

What does the harp mean to you?
The harp is embedded in my heart.  It is a symbol of Ireland that sparkles throughout its legends and folktales.  It is a musical wonder, once believed to cause its listeners to glow with gladness, to induce the most sound of sleep, and to die of sorrow.   The harp represents my dreams, hopes, possibilities, and more.  The harp has been a companion in my life, accompanying and supporting my journeys as a professional musician, a PhD graduate, a composer, a musical artist, and as a person.  It is special to play the harp.  I think of the men and women who nurtured the harp through the centuries and I carry their spirit into the future.   

What do you like most about Lá na Cruite | Harp Day?
Lá na Cruite is a day to celebrate and support our national instrument and the people who play it.  It is wonderful to shine a light on the Irish and international harping community and to welcome new generations into the fold.

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