In the ranks of death ye will find him;
His father's sword he hath girded on,
And his wild harp slung behind him;
"Land of Song!" cried the warrior bard,
"Tho' all the world betrays thee,
One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard,
One faithful harp shall praise thee!"
("The Minstrel Boy", known by anyone with even a drop of Irish blood in his or her veins, is an Irish patriotic song written by Thomas Moore (1779-1852) in remembrance of friends killed during the Irish Rebellion of 1798.)
The Harp is mentioned twice in first verse. The instrument has deep symbolic significance of every Irishman. There were Irish-only (not necessarily their own choice!) regiments on both sides of the American Civil War. Images of a Federal (Union) and Confederate battle flags, remarkably similar in design, are shown below. The old Irish Harp figures prominently in both.
The 28th Massachusetts (designated 4th Regiment Irish Brigade) Battle Flag (Federal)
10th Tennessee Irish Infantry Brigade (Confederate)
We have considered and are now reconsidering carrying arrying a number of small Celtic and Irish harps, ranging from about 2 lbs to 9 or 10 lbs at our Adventurous Muse online store. Some of these are pictured below. We will also sell weather-resistant period appropriate carrying bags.
Harp images Copyright Your World Instruments 2010
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