Celtic Harp Music

I’m excited to announce the publishing of my NEW CD called “Mermaid!

This CD draws its name from a Scottish tune. A mermaid declares her love for a sailor, describing the many ways she has demonstrated her love for him and lamenting that “…in the end, he deceived me with treachery…”

Mermaid will delight devotees of traditional Celtic folk music and newcomers alike.  Please preview Mermaid’s arrangement below:

BUY Kathie Hardy’s – Traditional Celtic Folk Music CD “Mermaid” on Amazon

traditional Celtic folk music CD

Kathie’s elegant and unpretentious arrangements, uncrowded by other instruments or voice, allow the harp to sing eloquently of deep love and aching sorrow, of daring deeds and the comforts of home. A story in every tune, the music will carry you to the rocky coast of Scotland, drop you in an enchanted forest, lull you in a mother’s loving embrace, and take you on its wings to undiscovered places in your dreams. Beneath the encumbrances of modern life, our connection to the earth, to the ocean, to the sky, to our spirits…persists. These lovely melodies offer what is often missing today and what our hearts yearn for…quiet beauty in a busy world.

I listened to it over and over!
So grounding, soothing … a mood changer after three sleepless nights.
It’s beautiful!

Mermaid Album Playlist

  1. She Moved Through the Fair (Traditional)  “It will not be long, my love, ‘til our wedding day…” a young couple are separated by death prematurely. She appears to him after death with a message of love.
  2. Skye Boat Song (Traditional Scottish) A song of hope for Scotland “Speed, bonnie boat, like bird on a wing…over the sea to Skye…” Bonnie Prince Charlie is carried to the safety of the Isle of Skye in 1742, after the battle of Culloden destroyed Scottish dreams of  independence.
  3. Scarborough Fair (Traditional English) Hundreds of years old, this folk song asks “Are you going to Scarborough Fair?…parsley sage, rosemary and thyme…remember me to one who lives there, for he once was a true love of mine.”
  4. Southwind  (Traditional Irish) Lyrics from the 1700s: “South wind of gentle rain, you banish winter weather…Bring salmon to the pools again, the bees among the heather…” A poet converses with the wind about his longing for his homeland.
  5. Setting a Course for Lewis/Arran Boat Song  (Traditional Scottish/Traditional Scottish) Lewis and Arran are islands off the west coast of Scotland. “Come with me…to the land of bold heroes, skilled fisherman, you’ll hear Gaelic all around, we’ll find hospitality and welcome…  the sea, the moorland, the verdant hills and peat banks… the sandy beaches…  Oh, won’t you come to Lewis and live with me?” This song is a wedding proposal, “sung”  here on harp with the Arran Boat Song.
  6. Einini  (Traditional Irish) “Little Birds”  In this Irish lullaby, a mother sings her children to sleep in Gaelic, describing all the little birds.
  7. The Mermaid (Traditional Scottish) The mermaid watches over her beloved in his ship… “Out on the crest of the waves with ships…Coldness and chilliness, far from land…My sleep is restless when there is anxiety about the weather…Last night I was in Corryvrekan…Tonight I will be in Iona…”   Each verse concludes, “In the end, you deceived me with treachery.”
  8. Eleanor Plunkett (Turlough O’Carolan) An Irish manor house was destroyed by the English army.  One member of the household escaped. Her name was Eleanor Plunkett.  She was 6 years old.
  9. Roslin Castle (Traditional Scottish) Roslin Castle was built in the 1330s. The tune’s origins are attributed to the 1700s. Templar knights and early Christian history… the mystery of Scotland’s Roslin Castle survives to this day.
  10. The Ash Grove (Traditional Welsh) “Down yonder green valley, where streamlets meander amid the dark shade of the lonely ash grove…” Amidst the magical ash grove, one can feel closer to friends and family who have gone before…This lovely Welsh tune now is found in Christian Hymnals named “Let All Things Now Living”.
  11. Pachelbel’s Canon (Johann Pachelbel 1653-1706) Many variations are possible on this beautiful chord progression.
  12. Greensleeves (Traditional English) “Alas, my love, you do me wrong, to cast me off discourteously for I have loved you oh, so long, delighting in your company…”   The words and music are often inaccurately attributed to King Henry the VIII of England. Also known as the Christmas tune “What Child is This?”
  13. St. Basil’s Hymn/The Two Maidens (Traditional Greek/Traditional) This tune made famous by George Winston is paired here with a tune in A minor telling the story of 2 maidens in love with the same man.
  14. Bridget Cruise II/Christ Child Lullaby (Turlough O’Carolan, Irish/Traditional Scottish) This is the second of four love songs that Turlough O’Carolan wrote for Bridget, and tucked into the middle is the gentle Christ Child Lullaby.
  15. Wild Mountain Thyme (Traditional, Francis McPeake, Scottish) “Will ye go, lassie, go? And we’ll all go together, to pick wild mountain thyme all amongst the bloomin’ heather…I will build my love a bower by yon crystal flowing fountain, and on it I will pile all the flowers of the mountain, will you go, lassie, go?…and if my true love will not go, I’ll surely find another, to pick wild mountain time all amongst the bloomin’ heather.”

This CD was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Neville Pearsall at Synergy Sounds in Port Townsend, WA.