A new book explores the key role of Ireland’s national instrument, the harp.

Ireland’s Harp: The Shaping of Irish Identity c.1770 to 1880 by Mary Louise O’Donnell, herself a harpist, has been published by University College Dublin Press.

“The image of the harp – symbolic of the political and cultural landscape of Ireland for centuries – evokes strong sentiments in the collective Irish imagination,” the publisher says.

Here’s a review in The Irish Times. And here’s the author’s website.