Sacred Harp is an American four part harmony folk singing tradition from with songs dating from the 16th through the 21st centuries, with a new edition published in September 2025, characterised by haunting harmonies, traditional modes, raucous songs, serene hymns, fast fugues, and high-energy anthems. The term Sacred Harp refers to the human voice, and is also name of the tune book from which we sing, first published in 1844 and most recently revised in 2025. The shape-note system uses squares, triangles, circles and diamonds corresponding to notes in the scale, making the music easy to sing for beginners and experienced alike.
Cork Sacred Harp have been singing since 2009. We do not have rehearsals; we simply sing for pure enjoyment. There is no conductor or director - anyone who wishes to choose and lead a song from the book may do so.
We sing in full natural voice, so it's pretty loud, making it a great environment for beginners to build confidence in their voices. New singers of all levels of experience are always welcome - no prior sight reading ability necessary.