Dear Robert, Yes, in fact my book, The Egan Irish Harps, begins with an ancient Gaelic harp unearthed in a bog in the early 1800s which was sent to Egan in Dublin, who re-strung the instrument. There were other old harps in his workshop from time to time, however this was different from 'collecting'; it was more a case of if an antique harp came to light, it was sent to the harp maker to repair or study. Egan was certainly inspired by one of these ancient harps in the crafting of his first wire-strung harp presented to the Dublin Harp Society (Armstrong). My book's epilogue discusses musical instrument collecting, particularly Egan harps in major museum collections, and how these assemblages began as 'cabinets of curiosities' in the late nineteenth century. I think the idea of collecting really developed at this time, and there is perhaps a distinction between a harp 'collection' and a harp maker acquiring instruments for different reasons during his working life. All best, Nancy