Experience the evolution of the Guinness Harp with this 100% cotton, breathable T-Shirt. The washed black color gives this relaxed fit tee a unique vintage look that you'll love to wear! It's the tee for serious Guinness fans!

The Story Behind The Guinness Harp

If you see the cover of an Irish passport, you’ll see nothing but a Harp. It’s the official national emblem of Ireland. You’ll notice the harp on Irish coins too. In fact, if you see someone tossing a coin in Ireland, you might even hear them call ‘Heads or Harps?’ instead of ‘Heads or Tails.’ The design stems from the15th Century "Brian Boru" harp, a symbol that reflects Irish culture and arts. But it was Guinness that staked a claim on the harp first. By the 1860’s, Guinness stout was available all over the world and the Guinness family were in search of a symbol that would firmly identify Guinness as an Irish product and the harp was recognized as the symbol of all that was great about Irish culture and heritage. Therefore, when the Irish Free State was created in 1922, the Irish government in turn had to position their harp facing the other way due to trademark registration. If you’re looking back at old Guinness memorabilia, you’ll notice that the number of strings on the Guinness Harp varies. That’s because the design became more minimal over the years, losing strings along the way, since it first made its appearance on a Guinness bottle label in 1862. A designer called Gerry Barney was instrumental (excuse the pun) in the Harp’s evolution, having re-designed the Harp in 1968, and again in 2005. Cheers, Gerry! And if you’re ever in Dublin, before you pop into the Guinness Storehouse, slip into the Trinity College Library. You can see the real "Brian Boru" harp, sitting unaware of its own history. Or is it?

Care Instruction

Wash at Max 30c.