Entertainment

Belfast historian Harping on about history in aid of Brain Injury Matters

Dr Eamon Phoenix will speak at a charity event next week in aid of Brain Injury Matters
Dr Eamon Phoenix will speak at a charity event next week in aid of Brain Injury Matters Dr Eamon Phoenix will speak at a charity event next week in aid of Brain Injury Matters

LEADING historian and broadcaster Dr Eamon Phoenix will be the special guest speaker at a charity event in Belfast next week in aid of Brain Injury Matters.

Dr Phoenix, who compiles The Irish News On This Day column, will be appearing at A Midsummer Celebration of the 1792 Harp Festival on June 21 at First Presbyterian Church, Rosemary Street. This evening of classical harp music and historical chat will help raise money to support people with Acquired Brain Injury in rebuilding their lives.

The 1792 Harp Festival was a four-day event organised by Dr James McDonnell, Robert Bradshaw and Henry Joy, proprietor of the Belfast News-Letter and uncle of Henry Joy McCracken.

The purpose of the festival was to revive an interest in harp music, collect the music of the harpers and note their style of playing for future generations.

Irish Harpist James Patience and his family, who have played at venues all over Northern Ireland and even for the Queen, will perform at the event paying tribute to the 1792 festival.

Tickets are only £10 and can be purchased by emailing info@braininjurymatters.org.uk or calling 028 9070 5125. A pre-event reception sponsored by Winemark will take place from 7pm with the performance from 7.30pm to 9pm.