Fáilte to the harp emoji

Emoji have quietly become a new international language and the variety of icons available continues to grow. According to Unicode, the major consortium producing and providing emojis, there are currently 1,281 different icons available to use in your digital communications. But that will soon be 1,288.  We’re about to see a new crop of emojis released, possibly before the end of this year, and it includes one of special interest to Ireland and anyone marketing Irish products – the harp emoji. 

According to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ireland is the only country to have a musical instrument as a national symbol. Since the days of Turlough O’Carolan, the harp has unofficially represented Irish culture. Since the founding of the Free State in 1922, the Irish Government has used the harp as a national symbol, but actually the harp was representing Ireland for centuries before that.

Back in 1541, Henry VIII decided he was the king of Ireland and produced coins for the country featuring a harp. Various Irish revolutionary groups used the harp as a symbol during the ongoing efforts to oust a series of British monarchs. Of course, Guinness also gets credit for the harp’s global association with Ireland. The iconic brand has used a harp in its logo since 1862. 

Regardless of who has used it, the harp has consistently struck a chord with Irish people at home and abroad as the perfect symbol of our heritage. It harkens back to the ancient bards who travelled sharing news, music and poetry, and reflects the key role music plays in Irish identity.

From idea to emoji

Our growing lexicon of emoji isn’t random and spontaneous, as words can be. The path from idea to actual emoji option on your social media platforms takes years. Harpist Mary Lattimore and filmmaker Theo Schear began work on their harp emoji in 2019. Schear is no newcomer to the process. He’s the mind behind popular emoji such as the disco ball and the pinched fingers (aka the Italian hand gesture). When he saw Lattimore perform in Austin, Texas, he decided the world needed a harp emoji. 

While anyone can submit a proposal for a new emoji to the Unicode Consortium, they only produce and roll out a small number annually. It takes keen insight into what might strike the public’s fancy, although no one can predict how people will use an emoji. Somewhere, someone once innocently designed a simple aubergine to add to the available lexicon of vegetables to help people talk about food and perhaps gardening. The public is currently arguing along generational lines about the nuances of the ubiquitous thumbs up emoji. 

The harp will be rolled out in late 2024 or early 2025, so now is the time to consider how you can best use it in your communications. We’ll also see six other new emoji: bags under eyes, leafless tree, fingerprint, shovel, splatter and a vegetable. It might not be the most upbeat assortment, but at least we have the harp to look forward to.