La na Cruite (Harp Day) 2026 in Roscommon

Roscommon marks national Lá na Cruite, Harp Day, on Saturday 17 October 2026 with a county-wide programme built around the theme “Sult”, meaning enjoyment, and centred on the county’s harping heritage and its most famous musician, the blind 17th-century harper-composer Turlough O’Carolan. The programme runs across four venues on the same day, Moore Community Centre, King House in Boyle, St Ronan’s Hall in Keadue and the Arigna Mining Experience, spreading it over several of the places most associated with O’Carolan’s life and touring circuit.

What to expect

Moore Community Centre carries the bulk of the daytime programme, with harper Pádraic Collins running workshops and hands-on harp sessions for anyone who wants to try the instrument rather than just hear it, a talk on harp making and maintenance from Brian Callan, and a session for young harpers. King House in Boyle hosts a talk on O’Carolan himself from historian Luke Gibbons. St Ronan’s Hall in Keadue, the village most closely tied to O’Carolan’s grave and legacy, hosts a concert of his music performed by Harping On (Aoife Guckian and Sophie Daly), the O’Carolan Trio and the Carolan Collective, joined by Fiachra Guihen, Emma Benson, Mossie Martin on fiddle and Rachel Noone on concertina, with the concert filmed for archive by David Knight. Arigna Mining Experience adds a lunchtime pop-up concert and more hands-on harp sessions. An evening concert from the Blossom Harp Ensemble, led by Lizzie Affolter with Pádraic Collins, closes the Moore side of the programme. The day is delivered with Music Generation Roscommon and local harpers rather than as a single ticketed concert, so it reads more as a countywide open day for the instrument than one fixed show.

Getting there

King House is on Main Street in the centre of Boyle, close to the train station and main car parks. Keadue and Arigna are a further drive north into the Arigna Valley area of the county, while Moore is well to the south near the Offaly border, so a full day taking in more than one venue needs a car.

While you’re in Boyle

Boyle’s own O’Carolan connections run through King House’s exhibitions, and the town’s cafes and the Boyle River walk are close by for breaks between sessions. There is more to see in Boyle and across Co. Roscommon.

Good to know

• Date: Saturday 17 October 2026, daytime into evening across venues
• Venues: Moore Community Centre (workshops, talks, evening concert), King House Boyle (O’Carolan talk), St Ronan’s Hall Keadue (concert) and Arigna Mining Experience (lunchtime pop-up)
• Price: not yet published; local authority-supplied listing, confirm nearer the date
• Theme: “Sult” (Enjoyment), marking national Lá na Cruite / Harp Day
• Features workshops, talks and concerts centred on Turlough O’Carolan’s legacy