I am often asked to give talks or lectures about Irish harp traditions, often including slide shows and live demonstrations of harp music. I always like to make a talk relevant to the venue or event, to connect to local people or places. I have recently done a number of talks to local history or community groups, about particular harpers connected to their places.
Other times I do more focussed talks on a particular subject or theme. In 2018 I gave a talk for the President and his guests at Áras an Uachtaráin, on the Irish harp symbol. In 2017 I was at Hospitalfield House, Arbroath, and I did a lecture about the Erard Grecian pedal harp and its place in Scottish music.
Every year at Scoil na gCláirseach in Kilkenny from 2005 through to 2024, I gave one or two talks on specialist areas of interest within historical harp studies. For a number of years until I moved away, I gave a lecture once a term at the University of St Andrews, as part of the undergraduate course on Scottish Music.
In 2025 I was invited to speak at Na Píobairí Uillean in Dublin. You can watch the video of this talk here: