Muiredach, abbot of Monasterboice, 890-923 AD.; his life and surroundings . e and chanter, and the third possibly some percussioninstrument like a pair of castanets. The harp is of the same kind asthat shown on the Monasterboice Cross—a triangular frame with curved IRELAND 45 sound-board, small enough to be held on the knee of the performer. Arather larger harp, but otherwise essentially similar, is shown on the finecross shaft at Monifieth in Forfarshire, and another is shown on one sideof the slab at Nigg in Ross-shire, which is generally acknowledged to bethe most intricate piece of sculptu


Muiredach, abbot of Monasterboice, 890-923 AD.; his life and surroundings . e and chanter, and the third possibly some percussioninstrument like a pair of castanets. The harp is of the same kind asthat shown on the Monasterboice Cross—a triangular frame with curved IRELAND 45 sound-board, small enough to be held on the knee of the performer. Arather larger harp, but otherwise essentially similar, is shown on the finecross shaft at Monifieth in Forfarshire, and another is shown on one sideof the slab at Nigg in Ross-shire, which is generally acknowledged to bethe most intricate piece of sculpture in the Celtic style in existence.^ There are not more than seven or eight strings shown in these sculp-tured harps (see fig. lo. No. 20). This alone does not mean much, for itwould in any case be difficult or impossible to represent in the sculpturea greater number ; but a fragment of an actual specimen found in a lake-dwelling in Co. Antrim, commonly but apparently wrongly called Lisna-croghera, which has yielded many antiquities of great importance, shows ^——^. Fig. II.—Fragment of a harp from Lisiiacroghera,i Co. Antrim.{By permission of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.) US that the compass of the ancient harps was quite limited. This interest-ing object was prepared for thirteen strings, giving us thus a little over anoctave and a half in its compass. That is quite sufficient when we rememberthat the only function of the instrument was that of supplying a unisonaccompaniment to voices ; instrumental music as such, and harmony, havingto all intents and purposes not yet come into existence. As for the trumpet,the only specimen I have to compare with it is a long tube of willow wood,in the Royal Irish Academys Collection, supposed to be a musical instru-ment (see fig. 10, Nos. 11, wd). I am sorry the sculptor had no room 1 Illustrations of these slabs will be found in J. R. Allens Early Christian Monuments of Scot/and,pp. 378, 265, and 80. There is a goo


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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidmuiredachabb, bookyear1914