This session will introduce you to an easy-to-play dance tune collected by Edward Bunting, apparently in Antrim in the 1790s from a traditional musician who was not a harper. We will work from the earliest Bunting source: his famous Ancient Music of Ireland publication of 1840. We will explore the appropriate fingering and string damping that will help you to let the tune ring out clearly, and to sound fluent. This dance lies comfortably under the fingers for anyone new to early Irish harp, with repeated material making it much easier to enjoy learning your first jig!

Part 1 of a two-part session