Nancy Hurrell: The Egan Irish Harp

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Nancy Hurrell, an acclaimed harpist and harp historian, chats with Gabriella about the choices she made while crafting The Egan Irish Harps: Tradition, Patrons and Players. Nancy also plays Carolin’s Concerto on her 1820 Egan Irish Harp.

Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:

• Why Nancy opened the book with a dramatic scene in 1813 involving the discovery of an ancient Gaelic harp buried in a peat bog.  


• Nancy’s painstaking research strategy, where her research took her and her incredible discoveries along the way. 


• Nancy’s portrayal of John Egan, the nineteenth century musical instrument maker who designed and crafted the Egan Irish Harp.  


• The historical, social and political context in which John Egan invented the Irish Harp and how this was vital to the harp’s success. 


• How Nancy crafted a vibrant narrative from complex technical and musical  information. 


• Why Nancy ended The Egan Irish Harps with an epilogue about museum objects of  historical relevance. 

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