As The 2022 Harps Alive Festival is getting in full swing, joining in with many prominent harpers will be Killarney harper, Aisling Urwin, whose contemporary style of performing traditional folk genres will particularly lure the younger audience.
Aisling will perform at one of the festival’s major concerts ‘230 Years a-Harping’ along with renowned Irish harpers, including Siobhan Armstrong, Doimnic Mac Giolla Bhride, Laoise Kelly and others on July 16.
Aisling said: “It’s a wonderful thing to celebrate the magic of the harp. It’s also wonderful to do it together as a community.”
Hailing from cities and counties across Ireland north and south including Dublin, Antrim, Armagh, Donegal, Portstewart, Ballymoney, Limerick and Galway, over 50 participants will arrive in Belfast in total to perform at the main festival weekend.
Aisling is a harper-songwriter-teacher from Kenmare in the South West of Ireland. She started gigging in her teens, and then studied music at University College Cork (UCC).
Mostly creating a mixture of Irish music, world music and contemporary folk, Aisling says the biggest professional achievement so far has been “getting to travel the world through music.”
She started touring with World Music artist ‘Ajeet’ in 2018. This creative friendship led to the formation of ‘Woven Kin,’ a new duo project between Aisling and Siobhán Moore (AKA Ajeet) that features harmony-centric melodies and folk instruments such as harp, bodhrán, bouzouki and mandolin.
Woven Kin’s 2021 debut album, ‘Hibernate,’ which is out now, reflects Aisling’s fascination with lyricism and deep connection with nature as a source of harmony and beauty.
“I’m deeply introverted and fantasise about being a hermit” she said.
The official video of ‘Hibernate’ was filmed around the dark days of the Winter Solstice in the picturesque Kerry Mountains.
“Do not look for me/For I sleep beneath the earth/Do not look for me/I am a seedling under snow/Do not look for me/Let me sleep, let me go/” – these soft lyrics of the piece, co-written by Aisling and Siobhán, work well not only with the dreamy music, but also with the powerful visuals of the deep forest.
Woven Kin’s soothing and relaxing music combines both tradition and modern – a mix of the organic sounds of the harp, bodhrán and low whistle with overflowing electronic textures.
For Aisling’s style, the biggest professional influence has been from Catriona McKay, Scottish harpist and composer who is considered as a contemporary explorer on the Scottish harp.
“She is an amazing harper. Her music feels like it comes from another dimension and she just plays it so effortlessly,” Aisling said.
Apart from playing and composing, Aisling is an enthusiastic teacher. This year she has launched an online harp course platform ‘The School of Harp’ to allow beginners to learn in a relaxed way at their own pace.
“You will learn how to accompany yourself by ear through folk music and learn some basic theory to give you the tools you need to begin accompanying the songs you love the most,” she said in her Facebook post promoting the course.
Aisling also has yet another lesson for the younger generation: “Focus on the art, not the Instagram profile. Create music that impresses you, you are the only person you need to impress.”
For Aisling herself, the most useful lesson she has learned from life is about perseverance and self-sacrifice.
“Stay true to the art, steer clear of the egos,” she said.
The 2022 Harps Alive│An Chruit Bheo│Harps Leevin festival marks 230th anniversary of the landmark Harpers’ Assembly in Belfast in 1792, while also serving as a recognition to the renowned works of organist and collector Edward Bunting.
Having already opened with events in Magilligan and Mussenden Temple last weekend the festival represents five days filled with music, history and heritage. It is organised by the Harps Alive partnership (Harp Ireland and Reclaim The Enlightenment).
The majority of the festival takes place across a number of sites in Belfast this weekend with its conclusion happening in Dublin on July 24 with a commemoration of the life and legacy of Bunting, who compiled and transcribed traditional harp music in 1792 as part of the historical Belfast Harpers’ Assembly.
Bunting subsequently published three volumes of music in 1797, 1809 and 1840. Named ‘The Ancient Music of Ireland,’ this unique collection has inspired many generations of harpers in Ireland and beyond.
Aibhlín McCrann, Chair of Cruit Éireann Harp Ireland said: “It is very satisfying to see our collaboration with our northern colleagues coming to fruition and to gain such a good understanding of the important role that the Belfast Harpers’ Assembly played in the safeguarding of the harpers’ music.”
She believes that celebrating the anniversary is a unique musical opportunity for the harping community.
“Our exciting lineup of harpers shows that the harping tradition is vibrant, dynamic and constantly evolving. It is part of our living cultural heritage that we are intent on safeguarding for future generations of harpers,” she said.
For tickets to see Aisling in 230 Years a-Harping and for more information about the festival go to http://harpsalive.com