Killarney Harps
Killarney Harps was established by Tim O’Carroll in 2011 in the picturesque lakeland town of Killarney, in the heart of Kerry. Kerry’s cultural history is steeped in Irish traditional music and dance. The founder, Tim O’Carroll, has over 40 years experience working as a Joiner and Furniture Designer/Manufacturer. The experience gained in working with wood is reflected in the quality of the finished Harps. Tim’s enthusiasm and attention to detail is paramount to his work.
Years of experience and craftsmanship has resulted in instruments that now appear on stages across the country and globe for that matter. Musicians of the calibre of Kavan O’ Donohue play Tim’s Harps and speak passionately about the instrument. The ethos of Killarney Harps fits well with the present market. They produce a high end product at a reasonable level with a strong commitment to after sales service.
Kevin Harrington
Kevin Harrington is a harp maker from Cork City, Ireland. He specialises in making professional level harps in terms of tone, projection and quality. Kevin was trained as a violin maker in London and worked in several repair and restoration workshops in the UK. He turned his hand to making high quality harps when he returned to Ireland and makes both modern Irish harps (also known as lever harps) and early Irish harps. Each harp is made by Kevin from start to finish in his workshop in Cork and great attention to detail is given to every step of the harp making process.
Brian Callan
My name is Brian Callan.
I am originally from Ardee in Co. Louth but I now live outside Craughwell in Co. Galway with my two boys.
My interest in woodwork began in school where I was lucky enough to have a teacher whose passion for the skill inspired me to make a career from it when I left school.
After running my own cabinet making business for several years, I returned to college to become a woodwork teacher and spent seven years teaching. Following the birth of my children, I took a career break to become a stay-at-home dad.
The harp’s accessible sound and therapeutic value makes it the ideal native instrument with which to introduce preschool children to music.
Researching the topic quickly made me realise very few harps were actually made in Ireland, despite the instrument being our national emblem. I started working on many templates until I manufactured a first prototype in December 2011.
I have now developed a range of fully hand-crafted harps made from locally sourced, naturally felled Irish native timber where possible. My harps are designed to suit all ages and abilities