Harp

a harper, composer, and teacher, Holly traces her roots to Ballindine, Co. Mayo, a town steeped in Ireland’s rich musical heritage. Her passion for Irish traditional music began early, inspired by her mother, Bernie Geraghty. Holly’s musical journey started with the concertina at age six, and her curiosity soon led her to explore the piano, studying under Rita Trench and Mary Benson. However, it was the Irish harp that truly captured her imagination, becoming her lifelong passion.

A snowy Christmas marked a turning point when Holly received her first Larry Egar harp, sparking her harping journey. Under the guidance of Gráinne Hambly, Holly honed her craft, developing a unique style that gained recognition in Irish traditional music circles. Her talent earned her opportunities to tour with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, performing across Britain, North America, and Canada, where her performances captivated audiences.

Holly’s commitment to music extends to her academic pursuits. She graduated with First Class Honours in BMUS from University College Cork, followed by First Class Honours in both her Graduate Diploma in Education (Music) and Masters in Irish Traditional Music Performance at the University of Limerick. Recently, she added a First Class Honours Post Graduate Diploma in School Leadership to her impressive academic achievements.

Holly’s excellence has been recognised with awards such as the Sean O'Riada Memorial Prize, the Wesleyan Ethnomusicology Scholarship, the Doc Gleeson Award, and a Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Scholarship. A multiple All-Ireland champion, she has showcased her mastery of both the harp and concertina.

Now based in Co. Galway, Holly combines performance and teaching, sharing her expertise with students at academic institutions and international festivals. Her soul-stirring melodies and dedication to nurturing new talent ensure the enduring vibrancy of Irish traditional music.

Harper Laoise Kelly is from Westport and now lives on Achill Island. She learned her music at home and from great local heroes like John Hoban, Pat Friel, Liam Grealis, and Jennie Kilroy. In 2020 she was awarded TG4 Gradam Ceoil Musician of the Year. She has recorded three solo albums and two duo albums with fiddle player Michelle O’Brien and uilleann piper Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn. Laoise was a founding member of trad groups ‘Bumblebees’, and ‘Fiddletree’, from America, Cape Breton and Scotland who play eight instruments made from the same tree. She collaborates regularly with Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn, fiddler Tola Custy, box players Breanndán Begley and Josephine Marsh, fiddler Tara Breen, and singer Nell Ní Chróinín. Her harp has brought her all over the world performing and teaching.

“Her right-hand fires out tunes with a fluidity, creativity, and clarity that has revolutionised the harp as a solo instrument; her left hand is the source of a new voice in the world of accompaniment and groove, rooted in her engagement with the contemporary world of guitar, bouzouki, bodhrán, and keyboard while being distinct in its own right. Laoise has made it OK for a harp to sit in the centre of the session and be the heart of the trad band headlining the festival.” – Niall Keegan, Irish World Academy, UL.