"energetic instrument, while the ""mother"" was the smaller or duller instrument. Musical instruments existed in this form for thousands of years before patterns of three or more tones would evolve in the form of the earliest xylophone. Xylophones originated in the mainland and archipelago of Southeast Asia, eventually spreading to Africa, the Americas, and Europe. Along with xylophones, which ranged from simple sets of three ""leg bars"" to carefully tuned sets of parallel bars, various cultures developed instruments such as the ground harp, ground zither, musical bow, and jaw harp. Images of musical instruments begin to appear in Mesopotamian artifacts"
"the emblem of the Northern Ireland Assembly, referencing Ulster's linen industry. The national tree of the Republic is the sessile oak (""Quercus petraea""), declared as such in 1990 by Taoiseach Charlie Haughey. Other accounts give the strawberry tree (""Arbutus unedo"") as the national tree. Irish dance is Ireland's national dance. The Celtic harp (cláirseach), great Irish warpipes (píob mhór) and uilleann pipes have all been described as national musical instruments. ""Amhrán na bhFiann"" (""The Soldiers' Song"") is the national anthem of the Republic of Ireland. Written in English by Peadar Kearney and set to music by Patrick Heeney in 1907,"
"these traditional airs today, among many others. The harp is among the chief symbols of Ireland. The Celtic harp, seen on Irish coinage and used in Guinness advertising, was played as long ago as the 10th century. In ancient times, the harpers were greatly respected and, along with poets and scribes, assigned a high place amongst the most significant retainers of the old Gaelic order of lords and chieftains. Perhaps the best known representative of this tradition of harping today is Turlough Ó Carolan, a blind 18th century harper who is often considered the unofficial national composer of Ireland. Thomas"
"harp Or, stringed argent"" – a gold harp with silver strings on a blue background. The harp, and specifically the ""cláirseach"" (or Gaelic harp), has long been Ireland's heraldic emblem. It appears on the coat of arms which were officially registered as the arms of the state of Ireland on 9 November 1945. The harp has been recognised as a symbol of Ireland since the 13th century. Irish heraldry Irish heraldry is the forms of heraldry, such as coats of arms, in Ireland. Since 1 April 1943 it is regulated in the Republic of Ireland by the Office of the"
"the national symbol of Ireland, being depicted on national heraldry, Euro coins and Irish currency. A left-facing image of this instrument was used as the national symbol of Ireland from 1922, and was specifically granted to the State by the Chief Herald of Ireland in 1945. A right-facing image was registered as a trade mark for Guinness in 1876, although it was first used on their labels from 1862. All three surviving Gaelic harps (the others are the Lamont Harp and the Queen Mary Harp) are considered to have been made in Argyll in South West Scotland sometime in the"
"and the rest of Europe that contributed to what is known as Gregorian chant. Outside religious establishments, musical genres in early Gaelic Ireland are referred to as a triad of weeping music (""goltraige""), laughing music (""geantraige"") and sleeping music (""suantraige""). Vocal and instrumental music (e.g. for the harp, pipes, and various string instruments) was transmitted orally, but the Irish harp, in particular, was of such significance that it became Ireland's national symbol. Classical music following European models first developed in urban areas, in establishments of Anglo-Irish rule such as Dublin Castle, St Patrick's Cathedral and Christ Church as well as"
"Irish traditional music Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. In ""A History of Irish Music"" (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there were at least ten instruments in general use. These were the ""cruit"" (a small harp) and ""clairseach"" (a bigger harp with typically 30 strings), the ""timpan"" (a small string instrument played with a bow or plectrum), the ""feadan"" (a fife), the ""buinne"" (an oboe or flute), the ""guthbuinne"" (a bassoon-type horn), the ""bennbuabhal"" and ""corn"" (hornpipes),"
"from Ireland include the ""Book of Kells"", Muiredach's High Cross, the Tara Brooch, the Ardagh Hoard the Derrynaflan Chalice, and the late Cross of Cong, which also uses Viking styles. Although Gerald de Barri had a negative view of the Irish, in ""Topographia Hibernica"" (1188) he conceded that they were more skilled at playing music than any other nation he had seen. He claimed that the two main instruments were the ""harp"" and ""tabor"" (see also bodhrán), that their music was fast and lively, and that their songs always began and ended with B-flat. In ""A History of Irish Music"""
"organisation. The harp (or """") has long been a symbol of Ireland. It first featured on Irish coins in the reign of Henry VIII around 1534. During the seventeenth and eighteenth century, the harp became adorned with progressively more decoration, ultimately becoming a ""winged maiden"". In the nineteenth century, the ""Maid of Erin"", a personification of Ireland, was a woman holding a more realistic harp than the ""winged maiden"". This style of harp was then also used in Irish flags. The harp on the modern coat of arms of Ireland is modelled on the ""Brian Boru"" harp in the library"
"Irish fiddle The Irish fiddle is one of the most important instruments in the traditional repertoire of Irish music. The fiddle itself is identical to the violin, however it is played differently in widely varying regional styles. In the era of sound recording some regional styles have been transmitted more widely while others have become more uncommon. Modern performers include: Liz Carroll (All-Ireland Junior and Senior Fiddle Champion); John Carty; Brian Conway; Matt Cranitch; Martin Fay; Frankie Gavin; Cathal Hayden; Kevin Burke; Martin Hayes; Eileen Ivers (9-time All-Ireland Fiddle Champion); Seán Keane (fiddler); Andy McGann; Sean McGuire; Brendan Mulvihill; Gerry"
"triangles to distinguish Irish coins. The idea of a harp being the arms of Ireland may have originated as a reference to a fictional character, ""le roi d'irelande"", in the courtly legend cycle of Tristan. Alternatively, it may have derived from a celebrated 13th century bardic poem, ""Tabhroidh Chugam Cruit mo Riogh"", dedicated to Donnchadh Cairbreach O'Briain (d. 1242), a Gaelic King of Thomond. Whatever its origins, the harp was adopted as the symbol of the new Kingdom of Ireland, established by Henry VIII, in 1541. A document in the Office of the Ulster King of Arms, from either the"
"taste, so there can be many variations for a particular tune. Irish fiddle The Irish fiddle is one of the most important instruments in the traditional repertoire of Irish music. The fiddle itself is identical to the violin, however it is played differently in widely varying regional styles. In the era of sound recording some regional styles have been transmitted more widely while others have become more uncommon. Modern performers include: Liz Carroll (All-Ireland Junior and Senior Fiddle Champion); John Carty; Brian Conway; Matt Cranitch; Martin Fay; Frankie Gavin; Cathal Hayden; Kevin Burke; Martin Hayes; Eileen Ivers (9-time All-Ireland Fiddle"
"Coat of arms of Ireland The coat of arms of Ireland is blazoned as ""Azure a Celtic Harp Or, stringed Argent"" (a gold harp with silver strings on a blue background). These arms have long been Ireland's heraldic emblem. References to them as being the arms of the king of Ireland can be found as early as the 13th century. These arms were adopted by Henry VIII of England when he ended the period of Lordship of Ireland and declared Ireland to be a kingdom again in 1541. When the crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland were united in 1603,"
"The most common instruments used in Irish traditional dance music, whose history goes back several hundred years, are the fiddle, tin whistle, flute and Uilleann pipes. Instruments such as button accordion and concertina made their appearances in Irish traditional music late in the 19th century. The 4-string tenor banjo, first used by Irish musicians in the US in the 1920s, is now fully accepted. The guitar was used as far back as the 1930s first appearing on some of the recordings of Michael Coleman and his contemporaries. The bouzouki only entered the traditional Irish music world in the late 1960s."
"Trinity College harp The Brian Boru's harp (also known as ""Trinity College harp"" although it bears the O'Neill Coat of Arms) is a medieval musical instrument on display in the long room at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. It is an early Irish harp or wire strung cláirseach. It is dated to the 14th or 15th century and, along with the Queen Mary Harp and the Lamont Harp, is one of the three oldest surviving Gaelic harps. The harp was used as a model for the coat of arms of Ireland. The harp may be the oldest existent harp in"
"wide the real harp is, compared to the harp on Irish coins. Trinity College harp The Brian Boru's harp (also known as ""Trinity College harp"" although it bears the O'Neill Coat of Arms) is a medieval musical instrument on display in the long room at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. It is an early Irish harp or wire strung cláirseach. It is dated to the 14th or 15th century and, along with the Queen Mary Harp and the Lamont Harp, is one of the three oldest surviving Gaelic harps. The harp was used as a model for the coat of"
"seals and documents including the Irish passport and has appeared on Irish coinage from the Middle Ages to the current Irish imprints of euro coins. Guinness since 1759, Harp Lager since 1960, Irish Independent since 1961 originally in black but in green since 1972 and Ryanair since 1985. The South Asian Tamil harp ""yaal"" is the symbol of City of Jaffna, Sri Lanka, whose legendary root originates from a harp player. In the context of Christianity, heaven is sometimes symbolically depicted as populated by angels playing harps, giving the instrument associations of the sacred and heavenly. In the Bible, Genesis"
"2009. In 2015 Ireland became the second country in the world to introduce plain cigarette packaging. Despite the above measures to discourage tobacco use, smoking rates in Ireland remain above 20% of the adult population and above those in other developed countries. The state shares many symbols with the island of Ireland. These include the colours green and blue, animals such as the Irish wolfhound and stags, structures such as round towers and celtic crosses, and designs such as Celtic knots and spirals. The shamrock, a type of clover, has been a national symbol of Ireland since the 17th century"
"symbol of Ireland. Stout was largely unknown in Ireland when Arthur Guinness opened his brewery in 1759; the traditional beer was Irish red ale. Irish coffee, made with coffee, whiskey, sugar and cream and invented in Foynes in 1943, has been described as the national cocktail. The national dish of Ireland is the Irish stew; other national dishes include the full Irish breakfast/Ulster fry and bacon and cabbage. The national gemstone is Connemara / Conamara marble. Saint Patrick, a 5th-century bishop born in Britain, is Ireland's patron saint. Gaelic games constitute Ireland's national sports: Gaelic football, ladies' Gaelic football, hurling,"
"Town at a bar called the Devonshire Arms (although some ethnomusicologists believe that Irish immigrants in the United States may have held sessions before this); the practice was only later introduced to Ireland. By the 1960s pubs like O'Donoghues in Dublin were holding their own pub sessions. Irish traditional music Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. In ""A History of Irish Music"" (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there were at least ten instruments in general use. These"
"Ireland for centuries. Its origin is unknown but from the evidence of the ancient oral and written literature, it has been present in one form or another since at least the 6th century or before. According to tradition, Brian Boru, High King of Ireland (died at the Battle of Clontarf, 1014) played the harp, as did many of the gentry in the country during the period of the Gaelic Lordship of Ireland (ended 1607 with the ""Flight of the Earls"" following the Elizabethan Wars). In traditional Gaelic society every clan and chief of any consequence would have a resident harp"
"what should be a tenor drone projects from what seems to be a bass, and the chanter again seems disproportionately long. Still, it seems to be suggestive enough of the instrument being similar in both countries. Great Irish warpipes Irish warpipes (; literally ""great pipes"") is an instrument that is native to Ireland. ""Warpipes"" is originally an English term. The first use of the Gaelic term in Ireland was recorded in a poem by Seán Ó Neachtain (c. 1650-1728), in which the bagpipes are referred to as ""píb mhór"". A likely first reference to bagpipes being played in war is"
"camogie, rounders and Gaelic handball. Irish road bowling (bullets) is another Irish sport. Gerald of Wales saw the battle axe as Ireland's national weapon. National symbols of Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland Symbols of Ireland are items or symbols that have symbolic meaning to, or represent, Ireland. Because Ireland was not partitioned until 1922, many of the symbols of Ireland predate the division into Southern Ireland (later Irish Free State and then Ireland) and Northern Ireland. Unlike other countries (such as the United States, with the state symbols), Irish and Northern Irish state symbols are rarely defined"
"Republic of Ireland seeking closer ties with the United Kingdom. The arms of Ireland since the sixteenth century have been a gold harp with silver strings on a blue field. It represented Ireland in the flags of earlier unions: the Commonwealth Flag (England and Ireland, 1649) and the Protectorate Jack (England, Ireland and Scotland, 1658). It also featured on the Royal Standard since James I. The Celtic cross and Brigid's cross are other crosses which have been used as symbols of Ireland. Other flags exist which feature a red saltire on a white field. The flag of Jersey has unknown"
"Flag of Ireland The national flag of Ireland () – frequently referred to as the Irish tricolour (""trídhathach na hÉireann"") – is the national flag and ensign of the Republic of Ireland. The flag itself is a vertical tricolour of green (at the hoist), white and orange. The proportions of the flag are 1:2 (that is to say, flown horizontally, the flag is half as high as it is wide). Presented as a gift in 1848 to Thomas Francis Meagher from a small group of French women sympathetic to the Irish cause, it was intended to symbolise the inclusion and"
"they were integrated into the unified royal coat of arms of kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland. The harp was adopted as the emblem of the Irish Free State when it separated from the United Kingdom in 1922. They were registered as the arms of Ireland with the Chief Herald of Ireland on 9 November 1945. The depiction of the harp has changed over time. In the 17th century, during the period of the Kingdom of Ireland, the pillar of the harp began to be depicted as a bare-breasted woman. When the arms were restored as the arms of the"
"player who would compose eulogies and elegies (later known as ""planxties"") in honour of the leader and chief men of the clan. The harp was adopted as a symbol of the Kingdom of Ireland on the coinage from 1542, and in the Royal Standard of King James VI and I in 1603 and continued to feature on all English and United Kingdom Royal Standards ever since, though the styles of the harps depicted differed in some respects. It was also used on the Commonwealth Jack of Oliver Cromwell, issued in 1649 and on the Protectorate Jack issued in 1658 as"
"The word bodhrán, indicating a drum, is first mentioned in a translated English document in the 17th century. The saxophone featured in recordings from the early 20th century most notably in Paddy Killoran's Pride of Erin Orchestra. Céilidh bands of the 1940s often included a drum set and stand-up bass as well as saxophones. Traditional harp-playing died out in the late 18th century, and was revived by the McPeake Family of Belfast, Derek Bell, Mary O'Hara and others in the mid-20th century. Although often encountered, it plays a fringe role in Irish Traditional dance music. The piano is commonly used"
"Irish euro coins Irish euro coins all share the same design by Jarlath Hayes, that of the harp, a traditional symbol for Ireland since the Middle Ages, based on that of the Brian Boru harp, housed in Trinity College, Dublin. The same harp is used as on the official seals of the Taoiseach, and government ministers and the Seal of the President of Ireland. The coins' design also features the 12 stars of the EU, the year of issue and the Irish name for Ireland, ""Éire"", in a traditional Gaelic script. All Irish euro coins bear the same design on"
"An Tiompan Gàidhealach The tiompán (Irish) or tiompan (Scottish Gaelic) was a stringed musical instrument used by the Gaelic musicians of Ireland and Scotland and probably therefore the Isle of Man. The word 'timpán' was of both masculine and feminine gender in classical Irish. It is theorised to derive from the Latin word 'tympanum' (tambourine or kettle drum) and 'timpán' does appear to be used in certain ancient texts to describe a drum. The adjective 'timpánach' referred to a performer on the instrument but is also recorded in one instance in the Dánta Grádha as describing a cruit. The feminine"
"in Irish music (accordions, flutes, etc.) does not usually permit this. It is noteworthy that Irish music was predominantly solo music until the late 19th century, when these fixed-pitch instruments began to play more of a role. Like some older pipe organs, uilleann pipes are not normally tuned to even temperament, but rather to just intonation, so that the chanter and regulators can blend sweetly with the three drones. Equal temperament is almost universal with the fixed pitch instruments used in Irish music, which can clash with the tuning of the pipes. Because of the instrument's complexity, beginning uilleann pipers"
"well as social status. Cattle feature in the Táin Bó Cúailnge and Táin Bó Flidhais, and the tale of Glas Gaibhnenn. The national land mammal/animal is unclear. The Irish hare (""Lepus timidus"") has been described as a national animal, as has the red deer (""Cervus elaphus""). The national plant is the shamrock (""Trifolium dubium"" or ""Trifolium repens""). ""Fuchsia magellanica"" 'Riccartonii' (hummingbird fuchsia, hardy fuchsia; in Irish ""deora Dé"", ""tears of God"") has sometimes been described as the national flower, despite not being a native plant. Flax (""Linum usitatissimum"") is widely used as an emblem of Northern Ireland, such as in"
"Scotland) and Saint Patrick's Saltire. St Patrick's saltire has been used as a symbol of Ireland since the 1780s. The flag of Ireland is a tricolour of green, white and orange, first flown in 1848. The colours stand for Irish Catholicism, Irish Protestantism, and peace between the two. Although it was originally intended as a symbol of peace and ecumenism, the tricolour is today seen by Irish unionists as a symbol of Irish republicanism and the Irish Republican Army. Many other flags are suggested as the cross-border flag for Ireland. The flag of Northern Ireland (Ulster Banner) was used officially"