04/07/2026
For the 30th Anniversary of the formation of the Celtic Heritage Foundation, we wanted to mark the occasion with an extra special fundraiser. We commissioned a beautiful hand carved harp from an artist by the name of Arthur “Artie” Forbes, owner of Donegal Celtic Crafts. Artie currently resides in the coastal town of Bundoran located in County Donegal, Ireland.
This one of a kind piece is made from reclaimed solid mahogany and took 6 weeks to carve. It will be a beautiful addition to one’s home that will last a lifetime if kept out of direct sunlight due to the yacht varnish used. The piece is valued at $600.00.
To understand how special Artie’s harps are, we wanted share a little bit about this talented artist. Artie originally came from a town in the six counties called Strabane. His story begins back in the early 70s, when his home was smashed up by the British Army when they came to arrest his oldest brother. From then on till his own capture in 1989, he was actively involved with the Republican movement. During the 9 years of his incarceration in Long Kesh, in between studies he turned to making small craft projects to pass the time. It is there he found his fascination with the Irish Harp and its history.
After his release in 1998, he continued to make the odd piece, just for family and friends, but as the interest rose, so did the order list!! That's when he decided to make them on a more permanent basis. He resourced different woods, and had a friend who was an antique dealer. His friend had a warehouse full of broken mahogany tables and furniture he said Artie could have. So, that's what he did. He repurposed everything he could. He stripped down the mahogany tables and drew out various templates and set about making up 5 different sized Harp's. The smallest pieces are 12 inches high and the largest piece was 4 foot 4 inches in height. A few friends he had in America, who had been writing or visiting me over the years while he was in Long Kesh, they got the word out and about in different forums across America and he has not looked back since. That was over 20 years ago, but now, due to failing eyes and damaged wrists, he can only manage 4 or 5 pieces a year. At the current age of 58, He mainly does commissions.
At present, he has harps in 16 different countries in the world! And he has surpassed the 2500 mark with ease, as he had stopped counting after that!
Artie was an absolute pleasure to work with while he commissioned this piece for the Celtic Heritage Foundation and once a winner is drawn on October 3rd, he will send a card from Ireland so they can have a written note to keep with their new harp!
We will be selling raffle tickets starting today, April 7th and drawing will be Saturday, October 3rd. Please note only Brianna Curran will be selling this tickets. Tickets are $30 each or two for $50.
Please let us know if you have any questions at: [email protected]
