restoration

Per wikipedia: The Trinity College harp (also known as Brian Boru's Harp) is a medieval musical instrument on display in the long room at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. It is an early Irish harp or wire strung cláirseach. It is dated to the 14th or 15th century and, along with the Queen Mary Harp and the Lamont Harp, is one of the three oldest surviving Gaelic harps.[1] The harp was used as a model for the coat of arms of Ireland.

My attempt at reading the handwritten bit below: This harp dates from about A.D. 1400 AD. It is believed by Petrie (???) to have been used for ecclesiastical(?) purposes. It bears the ??? of O’Neil, and the symbol HIS in Gothic letters. It was actually played in the streets(?) of Limerick by Arthur O’Neil in 1760.

Currently on display (in restored form) in the Long Room:

Niall McAuley Later in the wiki article: In 1961 the harp was exhibited in London, and it was dismantled and reconstructed by the British Museum into the wider shape it has nowadays, being the playable mediaeval form. The earlier heraldic and trade mark designs that were modelled on it were based on a thinner form that was the result of a bad restoration in the 1830s. Visitors are therefore often surprised at how wide the real harp is, compared to the harp on Irish coins.

"Petrie" on the handwritten label is George Petrie (1 January 1790 – 17 January 1866), an Irish painter, musician, antiquary and archaeologist en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Petrie_(artist) Script below is: "See Petrie in Preface to Bunting's Ancient Music of Ireland Ed. 1840"

great shot

Lovely old picture, thank you. Is the Turbinia still on show in two pieces?

No Turbinia was restored to her former glory, after a fund was launched - jointly sponsored by the North East Coast Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders and Newcastle Corporation. Thanks to the corporations above and other Institutions and subscribers, Turbinia was restored (as nearly as possible) to her original condition and housed in an annexe at the Science and Engineering Museum in Newcastle. This was officially opened by Admiral Sir Casper John, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, on September 15th, 1961. Turbinia was then moved in 1994 to her new home, Discovery Museum, where people lined the streets to watch the journey through the City of Newcastle. There's a video on Youtube showing the move, I believe this is the link below. www.youtube.com/watch?v=AefE-sXygyU

Thank you TWAM, it's lovely to see information like this about my old part of England. I come from Chester-le-Street but have lived for the last nearly forty years here in New Zealand. I'm very glad that this site and TWAM have met.

Cool video, thanks !!

FrigateRN - Didn't realise you were from Chester-le-street, after you said the site was run from New Zealand. Glad we can share the history of the area with you and am glad you are enjoying it.