Halpin

Halpin was apparently a traditional Irish harper in Drogheda in the 1840s. This post is a somewhat desperate attempt to say something useful about him.

Our sources for this statement, that Halpin was a traditional Irish harper, are about as thin as possible: just two newspaper adverts of the same event, a harp concert held in the Mayoralty House, Drogheda, on Monday 19th February 1844.

The two adverts were published on the same day, Saturday 17th February 1844. They are slightly different in infuriating ways. I have set them both out below, divided into sections so you can see where the differences are. On the left is the Drogheda Conservative Journal, and on the right is the Drogheda Argus.

IRISH MUSIC DROGHEDA IRISH HARP SOCIETY, (ORDER OF THE GOLDEN CROSS.) Mr. HUGH FRAZER, AND SIX OF HIS PUPILS Will on MONDAY Evening, the 19th Instant, IN THE MAYORALTY-ROOMS, Under the Patronage of his Worship the Mayor, the Aldermen and Councillors of the Corporation, GIVE A CONCERT, OF IRISH MUSIC, SELECTED FROM THE AIRS OF CAROLAN AND OTHER ANCIENT AND EMINENT IRISH HARPERS, ON IRISH HARPS, MANUFACTURED IN DROGHEDA, ON THE NEWLY IMPROVED PLAN OF THE REV. V. BURK, FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL SUPPORTER OF THE SOCIETY.	[winged maiden harp woodcut] DROGHEDA IRISH HARP SOCIETY, Order of the Golden Cross. —— GRAND CONCERT. ——- Mr. HUGH FRAZER, and Six of his PUPILS, will on MONDAY, the 19th inst., at half past Seven o’Clock in the Evening, under the patronage of his Worship the MAYOR, the Aldermen and Councillors of the Corporation, give a CONCERT in the Mayoralty Rooms, of Irish Music, selected from the airs of CAROLAN and other Eminent Irish Harpers, and on Irish Harps manufacturd in Drogheda, on an improved plan, of the Rev. Mr. BURKE, founder and principal supporter of the society.
LADIES of Drogheda, the Harp of Erin ought not to be neglected, more especially now, that the virtue of her sons is the subject of many national and soul-stirring melodies, for, what but the national instrument, should celebrate national honor. Gentlemen, men, and patriots of Drogheda, give to the sacrifices and labours of the founders of the Society, due encouragement, patronage, and support, and ere long, the sound of the Harp will be heard in every town and village of Ireland, and many in hours of their social joy, will acknowledge a debt of gratitude to the taste, talent, and genuine Irish spirit of your native town, fr the revival of our national instrument, and the honor of its revival shall live for ever with the people of Drogheda.	LADIES of DROGHEDA – The Harp of Erin ought not to be neglected, more especially now while the virtue of her sons is the subject of many national and soul-stirring melodies; for, what but the national instrument should celebrate national honour. Gentlemen, men, and patriots of Drogheda, give to the sacrifices and labours of the founders of the society due encouragement, patronage and support; and ere long, the sound of the Harp shall be heard in every town and village of Ireland, and in the hours of their social joy will acknowledge a debt of gratitude to the taste, talent and spirit of your town, and the honour of its revival shall ever live with the people of Drogheda.
Mr. FRAZER and M‘ENTEGERTH, will open the Concert with the RISING OF THE LARK, and the HARMONIOUS BLACKSMITH. The following are among the pieces to be performed on that Evening;-	Mr. FRAZER and Mr. M‘ENTEGART will open the Concert by “the Rising of the Lark,” and “The Harmonious Blacksmith,” and the following are among the Tunes to be played by each Performer:-
Remember the glories of Brian the Brave, … MR. FRAZER. Brian Boru’s March … … … Do.	“Remember the glories of Brian the Brave,” by Mr. Frazer. “Brian Boroimhe’s March, .. .. do. “Let Erin remember the days of old,” .. do.
Cilia Kelly, … … MASTER HALPEN & DOWDAL. Planxty Connor, … … … Do. The Minstrel Boy, … … … Do. Planxty Power, … MASTER DOWDAL & HALPEN. The Lord of Mayo, … … … Do. Miss Forbe’s Farewell, … … … Do.	“Celia Kelly,” .. by Master Halpin and Dowdall. “Planxty Connor,” .. .. .. do. do. “The Minstrel Boy,” .. .. .. do. do. “The Lord of Mayo,” .. .. .. do. do. “Planxty Power,” .. .. .. do. do.
Love’s young Dream, … … … MISS FLINN. The Fairy Boy, … … … Do.	“Love’s Young Dream,” .. .. .. by Miss Flinn. “The Fairy Boy,” .. .. .. .. do.
The Harp that once thro’ Tara’s Hall – The Irish Volunteers – Planxty Judge, … … M‘ENTEGERTH.	“The Harp that Once thro’ Tara’s Hall,”, by Mr. M‘Entegart “The Irish Volunteers,” .. .. .. do. “Planxty Judge,” .. .. .. do.
In Concert, … HUGH O’HAGAN, & THOMAS BRANIGAN.	“The Song of Sorrow,” by Hugh O’Hagan and J. Branagan. “The Sprig of Shilelah,” .. do. do. “The Meeting of the Waters,” do. do.
The Song of Sorrow – Sprig of Shilelah, and Meeting of the Waters, … … … … MR. FRAZER. Carolan’s Fairy Queen – Planxty O’Reily – Rose Dillon – Carolan’s Concerto – Sovournian Deelish, and Planxty Maguire, with the Coolin – Molly Asthore, and several other Irish Airs.	“Carolan’s Fairy Queen,” “Planxty O’Reilly,” “Rose Dillon,” “Carolan’s Concerto,” “Savourneen Dheelish,” and “Planxty Maguire,” by Mr. Frazer, with “the Coolin,” “Molly Asthore,” and several other Irish airs.
	A selection of Irish Airs will be sung by Gentlemen Amateurs.
Doors will open at Half-past Six O’Clock, and performance to commence at Half-past Seven precisely. TICKETS of admission, one Shilling each; but as it is an objective of the Society to place the Harp in the hands, and within the circumstances, of the daughters of Erin, every Gentleman having a Ticket, may bring a lady with him.	Doors will open at half-past Six o’clock, and business will commence at half-past Seven precisely. ☞TICKETS of Admission – One shilling each – But as it is an object of the Society to place the Harp in the hands, and within the circumstances of every daughter of Erin, every gentleman having a Ticket may bring a lady with him.
Drogheda Conservative Journal, Sat 17 Feb 1844 p3	Drogheda Argus, Sat 17 Feb 1844 p3

Some of the names are spelled differently in each newspaper. We can understand two of them; Rev. Thomas V Burke is spelled wrongly in the Conservative Journal, but correctly in the Argus. The harper Thomas Branagan is spelled wrongly in the Argus but correctly in the Conservative Journal. But our man is spelled differently in each newspaper. The Conservative Journal calls him “Master Halpen”, while the Argus calls him “Master Halpin”. The name Halpin is common around Drogheda; it is a variant of Ó hAilpín, with Anglicised variants Halpenny or Halfpenny. You can check Barry Griffin’s surname maps for Halpin and variants. The feminine form in Irish is Ní Ailpín (or in Ulster Nic Ailpín), as seen in the well-known song air Mailí Níc Ailpín / Molly MacAlpine, the tune used by Thomas Moore for his song “Brian the Brave”. A later hornpipe adaption of this tune is called Poll Ha’penny, or similar titles.

The tune list has got a bit corrupted, so slightly different tunes are given to each person in each newspaper. It looks to me like the tune list in the Conservative Journal has got muddled up a lot towards the end, and so I would trust the tune list in the Argus more; on the other hand each has a tune mentioned that is missing from the other.

The tune list

We are told in the advert what tunes Halpin and Dowdall were to play together.

“Celia Kelly” is better known today under the title “Saely Kelly”. You can read Sylvia Crawford’s commentary and hear her playing it at Oriel Arts.

“Planxty Connor” usually refers to the Carolan song air John O’Connor, but it could equally refer to Charles O’Connor.

“The Minstrel Boy” is the title of a Thomas Moore song, supposedly set to a traditional air.

“The Lord of Mayo” is the well-known song air “Lord Mayo” or “Tiarna Mhaigh Eo”. Here’s a great performance by Éamonn Ó Bróithe, accompanied on Irish harp by Siobhán Armstrong:

“Planxty Power” is a title that appears on tune lists from 19th century harpers, but I don’t know which tune it refers to; there are a couple of Carolan tunes that could go by that title. It could be DOSC 155 Fanny Power, or DOSC 153 David Power, though I think it is not likely to be DOSC 154 Carolan’s Concerto, since that appears later in the programme under that title.

The Conservative Journal also says that they were to play “Miss Forbe’s Farewell”. I assume this is “Miss Forbes’ Farewell to Banff” which was composed in Scotland and published there in 1806/7. You can listen to a rather nice whistled performance by Jock Duncan on Tobar an Dualchais, recorded at Kirriemuir Folk Festival apparently in 1986.

The harp school

My post on Peter Dowdall covers the running of the harp school in some detail. Basically, Rev. Burke started the harp school as part of his temperance and religious and cultural revival movement. I think it is almost certain that young Halpin was a catholic boy, and that he had taken the oath of tempeance (not to drink alcoholic drinks).

The harp school apparently ran from Rev Burke’s room in the Dominican house, on Linen Hall Street which is now called Dominic Street. The house was demolished around the 1870s to make way for the new Dominican convent building. The room was described by the German traveller J. G. Kohl as being decorated with pictures of Irish nationalist heroes, saints, and landscape views, and Kohl says that Burke’s room was “full of harps”.

The harp society was founded on 15th January 1842, and presumably the harp school started at this point, since running the school seems to have been the main aim of the society. Hugh Frazer was hired as teacher, and Francis Flood, a local carpenter, was paid to make harps, presumably copying the design of Frazer’s Egan-style wire-strung harp. At the start in January 1842, there were 12 boys aged between 11 and 16 years learning the harp under Frazer; three months later, there were fifteen pupils learning the harp, and twelve harps for their use in the school. (The Nation Sat 15 Apr 1843 p426). Two of the pupils were blind.

Presumably Halpin was one of these fifteen pupils, and presumably he was not one of the two blind ones (though we can so far only name one of the blind pupils who came up through the school, Hugh O’Hagan)

Halpin was learning to play the traditional wire-strung Irish harp under the teacher Hugh Fraser, who had learned from Edward McBride and Valentine Rennie in the early 1820s, who had learned from Arthur O’Neill in the years around 1810, who had learned from Owen Keenan of Augher in around the 1740s, so Halpin had a strong lineage in his harp playing.

The concert was held in February 1844, two years after the harp school had started. Not all of the sixteen pupils appeared on the stage; the adverts announce that the concert is to be performed by “Mr. Hugh Frazer and six of his pupils”. Perhaps these were the best six, the ones who had actually been learning properly; perhaps some of the others were there more for their own political and spiritual development rather than to actually learn the playing techniques and tunes. The seven performers are named in the tune list: Frazer, McEntegart, Halpin, Dowdall, Flinn, O’Hagan, and Branagan. The inescapable conclusion is that Halpin was learning to play the traditional wire-strung harp under Hugh Frazer, at the Drogheda harp school, and had learned enough and was good enough to be able to play in public.

I already wrote up Hugh Frazer (c.1808 – c.1865) three years ago, towards the beginning of my Long 19th Century series of posts. I also described how he had been in Drogheda in the early 1840s, and was recruited by Father Burke to be the harp teacher at the newly formed Drogheda Harp Society.

Of Frazer’s six pupils who appeared at the concert on Monday 19th February 1844, I have so far written up three: Hugh O’Hagan (c.1822 – 1886), Peter Dowdall (1828 – 1902) and Thomas Branagan (c.1825 – 1885).

I am wondering if there is any significance to how the different people are titled in the advert. We have “Mr.” for Frazer and McEntegerth; we have “Master” for Halpin and Dowdall; and we have first names for O’Hagan and Branagan. Could it be an age thing? “Master” Dowdall was only aged about 16 at the time of the concert. O’Hagan was about 22; Branagan was 19; obviously “Mr.” Fraser was older, about 36. Do we understand then that “Master” Halpin was a similar age to Dowdall? I think he would be unlikely to be learning the harp aged less than about 10; and he is presumably under 21; so I think we can suggest that Halpin must have been born in the late 1820s or early 1830s.

Apart from appearing in the Mayoralty House in Drogheda on Monday 19th February 1844, we currently have no other references to Halpin at all. We don’t know what he did for the rest of his life, or how long he lived. Did he become a professional harper, like his classmate Thomas Branagan did? If so, he has left no traces in the records that I have seen. Or did he play the harp for his own private amusement, and do something completely unrelated for a living, like his classmate and musical partner at the concert, Peter Dowdall, who worked as a clerk or accountant?

Did Halpin and Dowdall continue to be in touch with each other, like O’Hagan and Branagan appear to have done?

There are quite a few Halpins in Drogheda. Without a bit more specific information, it seems impossible to find our man Halpin who was born apparently in the mid to late 1820s or early 1830s. Did he marry? Did he have children? Did he stay unmarried? Did he emigrate to England or to America? I don’t see at this stage how we could usefully try to find him in the records. Even if we knew his first name that would narrow down the search a lot.

Could he possibly have been the man that W H Grattan Flood was in contact with in 1906? It seems possible, though there are another 12 Drogheda harpers so far unaccounted for.

Hopefully in due course more information about Halpin will turn up, and if it does we can add it below.