Ossian Collection > Ossian, his principal poems

PREFACE. 327
An engraving and description of this instrument may ho
seen in the Encydopcedia Britannica, article " Plarp." An-
other engraving of it may be seen in the third volume of
Gough's edition of Cambden's Britannia. The harp of
Brian Boromh was taken by his son Donagh, together with
his father's crown, and other regalia, to Rome, where he fled
after having killed his brother Teige, and were presented to
the Pope in order to obtain absolution. These regalia were
kept in the Vatican, until the Pope sent the harp to King
Henry YIII., but kept the crown, which was of massive gold.
Henry gave the harp to the first Earl of Clanricard, in whose
family it remained till the last hundred years ; afterAvards
it passed into the possession of several others, until it was
at length presented to Trinity College, in 1782, by the
Right Honouraljle William Conyngham.
The harp of Brian Boromh has a striking resemblance
to the Caledonian harp in its general contour, and espe-
cially in that of its upper arm. It has escutcheons of brass,
carved and gilt round the string holes resembling the origi-
nal escutcheons of the Caledonian. In its dimensions it is
nearer to the harp of Queen Mary ; the latter being thirty-
one inches in height, and having twenty-eight strings ; and
the harp of Brian Boromh, being thirty-two inches high,
and having also twenty-eight string holes. A young
nobleman of distinguished abilites, who had recently left
the University of Dublin, and had often seen and examined
this Irish harp, was much interested in seeing the Caledo-
nian harp, which, with the exception of the carving and
ornaments of the former, he aflirmed perfectly resembled
that of Brian Boromh, and that the Caledonian appeared to
him to be fully as old, if not older, than that of the monarch
of Ireland.