The Celtic harp is a triangular frame harp traditional to the Celtic nations of northwest Europe. It is known as cláirseach in Irish, clàrsach in Scottish Gaelic, telenn in Breton and telyn in Welsh. In Ireland and Scotland, it was a wire-strung instrument requiring great skill and long practice to play, and was associated with the Gaelic ruling class. It appears on Irish coins, Guinness products, and the coat of arms of the Republic of Ireland, Montserrat, Canada and the United Kingdom.
'Brian Boru's harp' (Cláirseach Brian Bóramha) on display in the Library of Trinity College Dublin
Harpist on the Shrine of St Patrick's Tooth, 14th century
1805 Irish penny depicting an Irish harp, long used as a national symbol.
The medieval 'Queen Mary harp' (Clàrsach na Banrìgh Màiri) preserved in the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
The coat of arms of Ireland is blazoned as Azure a harp Or, stringed Argent. These arms have long been Ireland's heraldic emblem. References to them as being the arms of the king of Ireland can be found as early as the 13th century. These arms were adopted by Henry VIII of England when he ended the period of Lordship of Ireland and declared Ireland to be a kingdom again in 1541. When the crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland were united in 1603, they were integrated into the unified royal coat of arms of kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland. The harp was adopted as the emblem of the Irish Free State when it separated from the United Kingdom in 1922. They were registered as the arms of Ireland with the Chief Herald of Ireland on 9 November 1945.
Royal arms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, still visible at King's Inns, Dublin. This version has the harp with a woman's head and breasts, as well as the arms of the House of Hanover at the centre, dating it to 1816–1837.
The unofficial green ensign of Ireland from Bowles's Universal Display of the Naval Flags of all Nations maritime flag chart, 1783