Edward Bunting (1773 1843), the first systematic collector of Irish folksongs, was educated as an organ and piano player in Belfast. His life's work fell upon him at nineteen years old, when he was commissioned as a scribe tonotate performances at a gathering of traditional harp players in Belfast in July 1792. He was so inspired by the music that, aided by some of the harpers, he embarked immediately upon travels around northwest Ireland to collectsome of the old songs already close to disappea...