Custom-made harp hits the right notes for Tina

COORACLARE harpist Tina Mulrooney has been playing for more than 20 years but she recently decided to change her harp. She found an instrument that marries American craftsmanship with African hardwood. After travelling far and wide, Tina now owns Ireland’s first concert-style fully levered chamber harp made from bubinga wood.

The harpist and singer, originally from Cooraclare but now living in Inagh, is the resident harpist at the Cliffs of Moher, where she has been singing and performing for more than 25 years.
“I’ve been playing the harp now for 20 years,” she explains. “My father, God rest him, bought me my first harp at the age of 15. He bought it at the Willy Clancy Music Festival in Miltown Malbay. There was a little music shop there opened for the week and it was an 18-string lap harp and it cost £300 at the time. So I went on from there to play a 30-string Tara harp, which I bought from a fabulous Irish harp maker in Dublin. From there, a 36-string Welsh harp. I went to the harp centre of the world in Wales and I met the builder of the Welsh harp. I bought the Eos Welsh harp, which is the biggest of their harps and is called after a Welsh bird. They were a fantastic group of people and they are huge fans of the Irish people, our music and culture. They work from an old school and all their harps are handmade, piece by piece. They are now working on their very own concert harp.”
Tina has played concerts in Austria, Germany and Chicago. It was while she travelled to Nashville in Tennessee that she read an article about a harp maker that caught her eye.
“I read an article on a newsletter regarding a harp maker in Manti, Utah in the United States called John Pratt. A few years later, I decided that I wanted to purchase a new harp. I wanted an instrument that had a big sound and a particular look, so I decided I would look into buying a concert harp. As I did some research, I found that a concert harp would weigh between 80lbs and 90lbs and for me that would have been very heavy and difficult to transport. So I decided to look into buying a concert-style fully levered harp, which would weigh about 30lbs less,” she explains.
Having researched harps for weeks, sifting through different harp makers from all over the world, the style of harp she was looking for was proving difficult to find.
“One particular morning, just by accident, I found a piece of harp music on the internet and it was played on a beautiful concert-style fully levered harp, which was made by a guy called Carl Pratt. I soon discovered that he was a brother of John Pratt, the guy who I had read the article about in the States. I contacted John Pratt and we discussed the different harps and woods, sounds and variations and so the journey began. He built me a beautiful, custom-made concert-style fully levered chamber harp. It is made of contrasting curly maple wood and an African hardwood known as bubinga,” she says.
What makes her harp that bit more unusual is its extended soundboard, which offers better sound quality and uniqueness.
“It has a very attractive appearance, showing artisanship and no wood stain is used to achieve a particular finish, simply clear varnish over genuine hardwoods. It has a beautiful sweet tone and is extremely rich in base and weighs 48lbs, even though it is 65in in height,” Tina outlines.
Tina was kept up to date with photos throughout the different stages of the harp’s production, with every piece made by hand.
“John uses the Celtic knot on his harps and has a great affection for Ireland. The focus of his work is to carry on the Pratt family harp traditions, to craft the finest harps in the world and to do this for the most reasonable cost possible,” she says.
When her harp arrived in Shannon Airport on January 2 this year, Tina was delighted. Even though the process first began in August 2011, she says the finished product was “so worth the wait”.
“I am very pleased with my instrument. It looks beautiful and its sound fills the room with minimal effort. It’s the only one of its kind in Ireland but I am certain that once other harpists see and hear it, that it won’t be the case for long.”
Tina says her love for the harp began in her teens but has grown deeper and deeper through the years.
“When I’m asked to perform, no matter where in Ireland or when I visit different places in the world, it’s always stressed that I bring my harp without question and is a huge unique part of my performance. My singing and music has given me the opportunity over the years to meet and get to know so many fantastic people. I feel that I am truly blessed,” she concludes.