Frank Harte facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frank Harte
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Frank Harte |
| Born | 14 May 1933 Chapelizod, County Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 27 June 2005 (aged 72) |
| Genres | Irish traditional music, Sean-nós |
| Occupations | Architect, lecturer, singer |
| Labels | Topic, Hummingbird |
| Associated acts | Dónal Lunny |
| Awards: TG4 Traditional Singer of the Year, 2003 | |
Frank Harte (born May 14, 1933 – died June 27, 2005) was a famous traditional Irish singer. He was also a song collector, an architect, and a lecturer. Frank was born in Chapelizod, a village in County Dublin, Ireland, and grew up in Dublin city. His father, Peter Harte, owned a pub called 'The Tap' in Chapelizod.
Frank lived in the United States for a short time. When he came back to Ireland, he worked as an architect and taught at DIT (Dublin Institute of Technology). Later, he spent all his time singing and finding old songs.
Contents
Singing Traditional Songs
Frank Harte once shared how he first discovered Irish traditional singing. He heard a traveling man singing a song called "The Valley of Knockanure" at a fair. This moment really opened his eyes to the power of traditional songs.
This is a far cry from Dublin street songs, but it was the first song I heard, sung by a travelling man, that made me aware that we had a tradition of songs telling about the joys and sorrows, the tragedies and battles of a people in a way that I found irresistible. From that first hearing I have been fascinated by the idea of the story told in song.
Frank became very good at singing Dublin street ballads. He often sang them without any musical instruments. People knew him for his special singing style and his strong Dublin accent. His voice became softer over time, which made his love songs, like 'Bonny Light Horseman', sound very emotional. He also learned to sing with music, even though it's not always part of the oldest Irish singing traditions.
Frank believed that Irish songs were for everyone, no matter their background. He often said: "those in power write the history, while those who suffer write the songs." This meant that songs often tell the real stories of people's lives and struggles. He felt that songs were a great way to understand the past. Even though he was a strong traditional singer, he didn't call himself a sean-nós singer, which is a very old, unaccompanied style.
He sang because he loved the songs, not just to please an audience. He felt that a traditional singer's main goal is to perform the song itself. His collection of songs included stories about the 1798 rebellion, songs about Napoleon, and old Dublin street ballads. He also sang popular music hall songs.
Frank won the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil singing competition several times. In 2003, he received the Traditional Singer of the Year award from TG4, an Irish-language TV channel.
Collecting Old Songs
Frank Harte started collecting songs when he was young. He remembered buying ballad sheets from a man selling them on the street. By the end of his life, he had gathered over 15,500 song recordings!
He heard many songs in his father's pub, 'The Tap', in Chapelizod. It was a place where many different people met and shared their stories and songs.
It was a great mixture of people in Chapelizod – Catholics and Protestants. There was also a fair few of the old crowd knocking around – the Dublin Fusiliers who had come back from the First World War and they all had their input too. They had these songs about soldiers going away to war and leaving the sweetheart behind and they were all tearjerkers. I would also hear a lot of the old music-hall songs and Victorian melodrama songs such as She Was Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage or ... things that would tear your heart out, bring tears to your eyes.
Frank believed that songs don't truly belong to anyone. He felt that singers are just caretakers, passing them on to others. He shared countless songs and encouraged many other singers in Ireland and around the world. Famous musicians like Christy Moore and Andy Irvine learned songs from him.
He strongly believed that songs only truly live when they are sung. He often quoted a poem called "Living Ghosts" to make this point.
"The Little Drummer" was a song passed on by the late, great Dublin singer and collector, Frank Harte. "He is perhaps the single most important collector of songs.
I remember Christy and myself going up to Frank Harte for songs. I'd known Frank since very early in my career. He was an architect living in Chapelizod and I first met him in about 1963. He was always slightly to one side. It would be Johnny Moynihan and myself and our clique, and Ronnie Drew and The Dubliners, all more or less of the same age, and Frank was probably seven or eight years older than I was. I liked him a lot.
Recordings and Performances
Frank Harte recorded several albums during his career. He also appeared on many television and radio shows. One notable project was a radio series he wrote and presented for RTÉ Radio in 1987, called "Singing Voices."
His first two albums were recorded in England. Later, from 1998, he recorded four albums with the Hummingbird record label. On these albums, he was joined by Dónal Lunny, who played the bouzouki and guitar. These albums explored big historical topics like the 1798 Rebellion, the Great Irish Famine, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Irish workers abroad. Each album came with detailed notes about the songs and their history.
Frank was a regular at traditional music sessions, especially at The Brazen Head pub in Dublin. He also supported An Góilín Traditional Singer's Club. He performed at clubs, seminars, and festivals in Ireland, France, Britain, and America. He believed that traditional singers don't need to entertain a crowd; their main purpose is simply to perform the song.
He performed at many American festivals, including The Blarney Star in New York and Irish Fest in Milwaukee. For 17 years, he was a regular at the Irish Week at the Augusta Heritage Festival in West Virginia. He also gave many talks about traditional songs, sharing his knowledge with others.
Frank Harte's Legacy
Frank Harte passed away from a heart attack on June 27, 2005, at the age of 72. He is remembered by his wife, Stella, and his four children, Sinead, Orla, Darragh, and Cian. His influence can still be seen in singers today, like Karan Casey. People continue to remember Frank fondly at music sessions and folk clubs.
In August 2005, a tribute event called "Through Streets Broad and Narrow" was held for Frank Harte at the Whitby Folk Week. Many singers and musicians performed to honor him.
In September 2006, the first Frank Harte Festival was organized in Dublin by Jerry O'Reilly and other members of An Góilín Traditional Singer's Club. This festival has continued every year since, taking place on the last weekend of September. As part of the festival, there is a special walk around parts of Dublin that are connected to Frank's songs.
The singer-songwriter Robbie O'Connell wrote a song called "The Keeper of the Songs" in memory of Frank Harte.
In May 2008, the Frank Harte Memorial Prize was awarded at the Dublin Institute of Technology. This prize is given to students studying Construction Technology and Design.
Discography
Solo albums
- Dublin Street Songs (Topic, 1967)
- Through Dublin City (Topic, 1973)
- And Listen to My Song (Mulligan/Ram, 1978)
- Daybreak and a Candle-End (Faetain, 1987)
- 1798 - The First Year of Liberty (Hummingbird, 1998)
- My Name Is Napoleon Bonaparte: Traditional Songs on Napoleon Bonaparte (Hummingbird, 2001)
- The Hungry Voice: The Song Legacy of Ireland's Great Hunger (Hummingbird, 2004)
- Dublin Street Songs / Through Dublin City (Hummingbird, 2004) – first two albums reissued on combined CD
- There's Gangs of Them Digging: Songs of Irish Labour (Hummingbird, 2007)
- When Adam Was in Paradise, Traditional Songs of Love and Courtship (Hummingbird, 2016)
Compilations
- Top of the Morning (Pickwick, 1979) – includes Harte's "Biddy Mulligan"
- Irish Folk Favourites (Harp/Pickwick, 1990) – includes Harte's "Dicey Reilly"
- Irish Voices (Topic, 1996) – includes Harte's "The Traveller All Over the World"
- Irish Songs From Old New England (Folk Legacy, 2003) – includes Harte's "Napoleon's Defeat"
- Three Score and Ten (Topic, 2009) – includes Harte's "He Rolled her to the Wall"
See also
- List of Irish music collectors
Obituaries
- O'Reilly, Jerry: "Frank Harte (1933–2005)", in: Folk Music Journal vol. 9, no. 3 (2008), pp. 479–80.
- Ní Fhloinn, Bairbre: "In Memoriam. Frank Harte – Singer and Song-Collector 1933–2005", in: Béaloideas vol. 74 (2006), pp. 236–8.
