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The Belfast Harp Festival in 1792 was a three day event organised by Dr. M'Donnell, Robert Bradshaw and Henry Joy, after a six year lapse from the last Granard festival. Edward Bunting (classically trained assistant to organist William Ware), aged 19, was commissioned to take down the airs, which formed the major part of his Collection, published in 1796.[1] The venue of the contest is now unoccupied but was, until recently, the Northern Bank building on Waring Street in Belfast (which was opened as a market house in 1769).
The objective of the festival was to assemble the remaining traditional harp players to compete for prizes. It was attended by ten Irish harpers and one Welsh harper, and 40 tunes were played in total.
- Donnchadh Ó hAmsaigh (Denis Hampson), blind (Derry), aged 94, played with long, crooked fingernails
- Arthur O'Neill, blind (Tyrone)
- Charles Fanning (Cavan)
- Dan Black, blind (Derry)
- Charles Byrne (Leitrim)
- Hugh Higgins, blind (Mayo)
- Patrick Quinn, blind (Armagh)
- William Caer (Armagh)
- James Duncan (Down)
- Rose Mooney, blind (Meath)
- Williams, first name unknown (Wales)
William Caer was 15 years of age while all of the others were over 45 years old. Three winners were selected,(Fanning took first place)and each was awarded a yearly stipend of £10. Edward Bunting subsequently visited each winner, one after the other, to collate all of the available contemporary harp music. He didn't publish this material until well after 1800 (1796, 1809, 1840). Songs saved through this effort include: Feaghan Gealeash, Deirdre's Lament for the Sons of Usneach (thought to be the oldest extant piece of Irish music), Scott's Lamentation, The Battle of Argan More, Ossianic Air, Blackheaded Deary, Open the Door Softly (played by Arthur O'Neill), The Lament for Limerick, and Chorus Jig (a jig in name only).
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