Edward Bunting

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For the English cricketer, see Edward Bunting (cricketer).

Edward Bunting (1773-1843) was an Irish musician and folk song collector.

Bunting was born in County Armagh. At the age of seven he was sent to study music at Drogheda and at eleven he was apprenticed to William Ware, organist at St. Anne's church in Belfast and lived with the family of Henry Joy McCracken. At nineteen he was engaged to transcribe music from oral-tradition harpers at the Belfast Harp Festival in 1792.

Bunting went on a number of collecting tours between 1792 and 1807, and was the first to transcribe music 'in the field' as played by the musicians. He realised the importance of the Irish words to the songs and Patrick Lynch was employed to collect these. Bunting, who lived in Belfast until his marriage in 1819, moved to Dublin where he held the post of organist at St. George's Church. He died in Dublin on December 21 1843 and is buried at the Cemetery of Mount Jerome.

Bunting's papers were lost for many years, but were rediscovered in 1907 and currently reside in the library of Queen's University of Belfast. Donal O Sullivan has restored the original words to the airs that Bunting published without the airs.