Why are Irish men called harps?

Answer 1

In the corktown section of west philadelphia where i was born and bred, a harp was not only Irish, but also roman catholic. There was no feminine form. They were called colleens, biddies or bridies, except insofar as they were part of a family group. For example, when newcomers moved onto the block, the first question that ran up and down the street was, "are they harps?

We harps never asked why we used that moniker; however, my uncle dan, in a rare sober moment, once told me that we were tagged with the name because the Irish flag is the only flag on the planet that contains a musical instrument: the harp.

Seemed like explanation enough for the duffys of corktown--the title of a little family history book written by my old man, a real harp!

Up the Irish!!

John j. Duffy

west chester, pa