Why the Trinity College harp is called the Brian Boru harp, how old it really is, how it became Ireland’s emblem, and how to see it before the Old Library closes.

The Brian Boru harp never belonged to Brian Boru. It is a medieval Gaelic harp made around the 14th or 15th century, roughly 400 years after Brian died at Clontarf in 1014. It is on display in the Long Room of the Old Library at Trinity College Dublin, and its outline is the model for Ireland’s national emblem.

Why is it called the Brian Boru harp?

Because of a good story. A legend first written down centuries after Brian’s death claims that his son Donnchad took his father’s harp to Rome, where it passed into the papal treasury. A pope then supposedly presented it to Henry VIII as part of his claim to Ireland, and it drifted through Irish noble hands before reaching Trinity College in the 18th century.

None of it holds up. Trinity’s own library states plainly that the harp has been wrongly associated with Brian Boru and probably dates from the 15th century. The name stuck because it linked a beautiful object to Ireland’s most famous king, which suited 18th and 19th-century antiquarians looking for national symbols.

What makes it important

The Trinity harp is one of only a handful of Gaelic harps to survive from the Middle Ages. Its two closest relatives, the Queen Mary harp and the Lamont harp, are in the National Museum of Scotland. Together they show what the early Irish and Scottish harp looked like before the instrument changed in the 17th and 18th centuries.

This was a wire-strung harp, played with the fingernails, with a bright, ringing sound very different from a modern nylon-strung harp. Harpers held high status in Gaelic society, and the harp was already a symbol of Ireland on coins by the 16th century.

When the Irish Free State needed an official emblem, it based its harp on the Trinity instrument. You will see that harp today on Irish euro coins, passports, government documents and the presidential seal. Guinness uses a harp too, but its version faces the opposite direction, which keeps the brand and the state emblem legally distinct.

How to see the Brian Boru harp

The harp sits in a glass case in the Long Room, the 65-metre main chamber of the Old Library. Entry is part of the Book of Kells Experience, and tickets are timed, so book ahead in summer.

Know before you go:

• The Old Library is part-way through a major conservation project. Most of the Long Room’s books have been removed for cleaning and storage, apart from the first four bays. The empty shelves are a rare sight in themselves.
• The building is now expected to close for restoration in late 2027 and reopen around 2030. If seeing the harp in the Long Room matters to you, go before then, and check Trinity’s site for where it will be displayed during the works.
• Photography is allowed without flash.
• Allow about an hour for the full experience, including the Book of Kells.

Trinity fits neatly into day four of our Brian Boru trail itinerary, before heading north to Swords and Brian’s grave at Armagh.

Buying a Celtic harp: a short guide for beginners

Many visitors leave Trinity wanting to play. A replica of a medieval wire-strung harp is a specialist instrument, expensive and hard for a beginner to learn on. Most people start with a nylon-strung lever harp, often sold as a Celtic or Irish harp.

What to look for

• Size: 22 to 26 strings is enough for simple tunes and fits on a lap. 34 to 38 strings covers most Irish traditional repertoire and sits on the floor.
• Levers: sharping levers let you change key. Buy a harp with levers on every string if you can, since fitting them later is costly.
• Build quality: a cracked soundboard or slipping tuning pins ruins a harp. Buy from a known maker or a specialist shop that sets up and regulates the instrument before shipping.
• Budget: very cheap harps sold online vary widely in quality. They can suit a child trying the instrument out. Serious beginners usually do better with a mid-range harp from an established maker or a rental.

Where to buy

• Thomann’s lever harp range for mid-range harps from established European makers, shipped set up.
• Lap harps on Amazon for low-cost starter instruments. Read reviews carefully and check the return policy.
• Specialist harp makers and rental schemes. In Ireland, Cairde na Cruite, the organisation promoting the Irish harp, is a good first contact for teachers and rental advice.

Frequently asked questions

Did Brian Boru play the harp?

There is no evidence that he did. Kings kept harpers at court, but nothing links Brian personally to playing, and the Trinity harp was made long after his death.

How old is the Brian Boru harp?

It dates from the 14th or 15th century, most likely the 15th, making it around 550 to 650 years old.

Is the Guinness harp the same as the Irish emblem?

Both are based on the Trinity College harp, but they face opposite directions. The state emblem faces left and the Guinness harp faces right.

Can you see the Brian Boru harp for free?

No. It is inside the Old Library, which you enter with a paid Book of Kells Experience ticket. The Trinity campus itself is free to walk around.

Is the Brian Boru harp still in the Long Room?

Yes, as of September 2026. The Old Library is due to close for restoration in late 2027, so check Trinity’s website before planning a visit after that date.

For the real story of the king behind the name, read about Brian Boru’s life and reign and how he died at Clontarf. Our best books about Brian Boru includes the histories that separate the man from the legend.

Sources

1. Trinity College Dublin Library, The Long Room.
2. Visit Trinity, Why have books been removed from Trinity College Library?
3. Trinity News, Old Library to close for restoration and renovation in late 2027, September 2026.