   #copyright

Music of Ireland

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Musical genres, styles,
eras and events

   An Irish band playing in the Hetzel Union Building, Penn State
   University.
   Enlarge
   An Irish band playing in the Hetzel Union Building, Penn State
   University.

   Ireland is internationally known for its traditional music, which has
   remained vibrant throughout the 20th century, when many other
   traditional forms worldwide lost popularity to pop music. In spite of
   emigration and a well-developed connection to music imported from
   Britain and the United States, Irish music has kept many of its
   traditional aspects; indeed, it has itself influenced many forms of
   music, such as country and roots music in the USA, which in turn have
   greatly influenced rock music in the 20th century. It has occasionally
   also been modernised, however, and fused with rock and roll, punk rock
   and other genres. Some of these fusion artists have attained mainstream
   success, at home and abroad. (One example of a traditional song that
   has received exposure as the result of being recorded by pop and rock
   artists is " She Moved Through the Fair".)

   During the 1970s and 1980s, the distinction between traditional and
   rock musicians became blurred, with many individuals regularly crossing
   over between these styles of playing as a matter of course. This trend
   can be seen more recently in the work of bands and individuals like U2,
   Horslips, Clannad, The Cranberries, The Corrs, Van Morrison, Thin
   Lizzy, Sinéad O'Connor, My Bloody Valentine, Rory Gallagher, Republic
   of Loose , The Pogues and Westlife.,

   Nevertheless, Irish music has shown an immense inflation of popularity
   with many attempting to return to their roots. There are also
   contemporary music groups that stick closer to a traditional sound,
   including Altan, Danú, Déanta, Lúnasa, Kíla, Noel Shine and Mary
   Greene, and Border Collies. Others incorporate multiple cultures in a
   fusion of style, such as Afro Celt Sound System and Loreena McKennitt.

   In addition to folk music, Ireland also has a rich store of
   contemporary classical music. However, contemporary classical music has
   no impact, and very little exposure in Ireland itself, and therefore
   abroad.
   Music of the United Kingdom           Celtic music
   England                     Brittany and Northern Spain
   Scotland                    Cornwall
   Wales                       Man
   Northern Ireland            Ireland
   Caribbean and Indian        Celtic Canada and Celtic America

Traditional music

   Irish traditional music, like most traditional music, is characterized
   by slow-moving change, which usually occurs along accepted principles.
   Songs and tunes believed to be ancient in origin are respected (though,
   in reality, many are less than two hundred years old). It is, however,
   difficult or impossible to know the age of most tunes due to their
   tremendous variation across Ireland and through the years; some
   generalization is possible, however -- for example, only modern songs
   are written in English, with few exceptions, the rest being in Irish.
   Most of the oldest songs, tunes, and methods are rural in origin,
   though more modern songs and tunes often come from cities and towns.

   Music and lyrics are passed aurally/orally, and were rarely written
   down until recently (depending upon your definition of "recently",
   there are many examples of written music previous to 1800). Of major
   importance to the transcribing of melodies belonging to both the
   instrumental traditions and the song traditions were the collectors.
   These included George Petrie, Edward Bunting, Francis O'Neill, Canon
   James Goodman and many others. Though solo performance is preferred in
   the folk tradition, bands or at least small ensembles have probably
   always been a part of Irish music since at least the mid-19th century,
   although this is a point of much contention among ethnomusicologists.

   For instance, guitars and bouzoukis only entered the traditional Irish
   music world in the late 1960s. The bodhrán, once known in Ireland as a
   tambourine, is first mentioned in the nineteenth century. Céilidh bands
   of the 1940s often included a drum set and stand-up bass as well as
   saxophones. (The band At The Racket continues the "tradition" of the
   saxophone in Irish music.) As of current writing, the first three
   instruments are now generally accepted in traditional Irish music
   circles (although perhaps not in the most purist of venues), while the
   latter three are generally not. (The Pogues received much criticism for
   their use of a drum kit, for instance.)

   Furthermore, such "unimpeachable" instruments as button accordion and
   concertina made their appearances in Irish traditional music only late
   in the nineteenth century. There is little evidence for the flute
   having played much part in traditional music before art musicians
   abandoned the wooden simple-system instrument still preferred by trad
   fluters for the Boehm-system of the modern orchestra, and the tin
   whistle is another mass-produced product of the Industrial Revolution.
   A good case can be made that the Irish traditional music of the year
   2006 has much more in common with that of the year 1906 than that of
   the year 1906 had in common with the music of the year 1806.

   More recently, traditional Irish music has been "expanded" to include
   new styles, arrangements, and variations performed by bands, although
   arguments run rife as to whether you may then call this music
   "traditional." However, the greater part of the community has accepted
   that the music played by such bands as Planxty and the Bothy Band and
   their numerous spiritual descendants is indeed traditional.

   Musicians from non-Irish styles (bluegrass, oldtime, folk) have
   discovered the appeal of Irish traditional music. However, the rhythmic
   pulse and melodic flow of Irish traditional music are quite distinct to
   the rhythmic and melodic structures that govern other musical forms,
   even in the case of the few tunes shared between these musical genres.
   Also, Irish sessions and bluegrass and old time jams carry completely
   different sets of etiquette and expectations, and these do not, for the
   most part, integrate well; this has led to many misunderstandings and
   outright confrontations.

   Due to the importance placed on the melody in Irish music, harmony
   should be kept simple (although, fitting with the melodic structure of
   most Irish tunes, this usually does not mean a "basic" I-IV-V chord
   progression), and instruments are played in strict unison, always
   following the leading player. True counterpoint is mostly unknown to
   traditional music, although a form of improvised "countermelody" is
   often used in the accompaniments of bouzouki and guitar players.
   Structural units are symmetrical and include decorations, in many cases
   imaginative and elaborate, of the rhythm, text, melody and phrasing,
   though not usually of dynamics.

   Unaccompanied vocals ar sean-nós ("in the old style") are considered
   the ultimate expression of traditional singing, usually performed solo,
   but sometimes as a duet. Sean-nós singing is highly ornamented and the
   voice is placed towards the top of the range; to the first-time
   listener, accustomed to pop and classical singers, sean-nós often
   sounds more "Arabic" or "Indian" than "Western". A true sean-nós singer
   will vary the melody of every verse, but not to the point of
   interfering with the words, which are considered to have as much
   importance as the melody. Non-sean-nós traditional singing, even when
   accompaniment is used, uses patterns of ornamentation and melodic
   freedom derived from sean-nós, and, generally, a similar voice
   placement.

   The concept of 'style' is of large importance to Irish traditional
   musicians. At the start of the last century, distinct variation in
   regional styles of performance existed. With increased communications
   and travel opportunities, regional styles have become more
   standardised, with soloists aiming now to create their own, unique,
   distinctive style, often hybrids of whatever other influences the
   musician has chosen to include within their style.

Music for dancing

   Irish traditional music was largely meant (to the best of our current
   knowledge) for dancing at celebrations for weddings, saint's days or
   other observances. Tunes (songs have words, tunes do not) are most
   usually divided into two eight-bar strains which are each played as
   many times as the performers feel is appropriate; Irish dance music is
   isometric. (16 measures are known as a "step", with one 8 bar strain
   for a "right foot" and the second for the "left foot" of the step.
   Tunes that are not so evenly divided are called "crooked".) This makes
   for an eminently danceable music, and Irish dance has been widely
   exported abroad.

   Traditional dances and tunes include reels (4/4), hornpipes (4/4 with
   swung eighth notes), and jigs (the common double jig is in 6/8 time),
   as well as imported mazurkas, polkas, and highlands (a sort of Irished
   version of the Scottish strathspey). Jigs come in various other forms
   for dancing -- the slip jig and hop jig are commonly written in 9/8
   time, the single jig in 12/8. (The dance the hop jig is no longer
   performed under the auspices of An Coimisiun.) The form of jig danced
   in hardshoe are known as double or treble jigs (for the doubles/trebles
   performed with the tip of the hardshoe), and the jig danced in
   ghillies/pomps/slippers are known as light jigs.

   Polkas are a type of 2/4 tune mostly found in the Sliabh Luachra area,
   at the border of Cork and Kerry, in the south of Ireland. The main
   differences between these types of tunes are in the time signature,
   tempo, and rhythmic emphasis. It should be noted that, as an aural
   music form, Irish traditional music is rather artificially confined
   within time signatures, which are not really capable of conveying the
   particular emphasis for each type of tune. An easy demonstration of
   this is any attempt to notate a slow air on the musical stave.
   Similarly, attempts by classically trained musicians to play
   traditional music by reading the common transcriptions are almost
   unrecognisable - the transcriptions exist only as a kind of shorthand.

Set dancing

   Set dancing, generally danced in "sets" of four couples (eight hands; a
   "half set" is two couples or four hands), is one of the most popular
   forms of the Irish traditional dances. After almost having died out,
   the recreational dance form was revived in the 1980s in counties Clare
   and Kerry. Venues for set dancing are often pubs, which might reserve
   one evening of the week for dancing, and céilís, which almost always
   feature live céilí bands. It is not uncommon for young people in
   Ireland's cities (and other large cities around the world) these days
   to "go set-dancing", as others of their contemporaries go "clubbing".

   Most sets consist of a series of figures. Each figure is danced to a
   different type of tune with a pause between each figure for the dancers
   to catch their breath (and perhaps to quickly review the next figure);
   a reel, jig, hornpipe, and a polka, for instance. Each figure calls for
   a certain amount of measures of music, and the musicians will often be
   given a list of the music required for each set ahead of time so the
   figure and the music will end at the same time.

   A caller will sometimes call a set, especially when there are many
   beginners, but set dancers strive to memorize their sets in order not
   to need a caller. Attendees will generally see a few of the easier sets
   at the beginning of the night called for new dancers and visitors, and
   then the rest of the sets tend to be for "those who know".

   Another feature of set dancing is "battering", where the dancers
   tap/stamp out a rhythm on the floor as they move through the set. At
   one point in time, this was mainly the province of the "head couple" at
   the top of the set, as this was generally the most experienced pair of
   dancers in the set. However, it has become much more common for many if
   not all of the dancers in a set to batter throughout the set. (This
   provides either a great deal of energy or simply an overwhelming
   conglomerate of noise, depending on one's personal viewpoint of the
   matter.)

Stepdancing

   Stepdancing, in the Munster or southern style form, is the most
   widespread of the Irish dance forms, although there are many others
   (including the Connemara style, a few scattered remnants of other
   regional forms of stepdancing, and other forms of Southern style
   dancing not under the auspices of An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha).
   Modern stepdancing is connected to the Irish cultural revivals of the
   nineteenth century in one long line. Modern stepdancers are athletes as
   well as dancers; champions train for competition in a manner similar to
   ballet dancers, ice skaters, and gymnasts. It is largely a solo dance
   form, although group dances or figures exist in a set curriculum of
   ceili (or, in Scottish Gaelic, ceilidh), or party, dances. Stepdancing
   was hugely popularized after the success of the Broadway-style musical
   Riverdance in 1994.

   The litmus test of the solo stepdancer is the non-traditional set dance
   (not related to set dancing, where groups of dancers form figures)
   which is generally choreographed by a dancer's teacher for that dancer
   or for the teacher's dancing school.

   An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha has long instituted a certification
   system for teachers and adjudicators through scrúdaithe
   (examinations/tests). An Coimisiún was established by Conradh na
   Gaeilge – The Gaelic League – in the late twenties as a commission for
   the purpose of examining the organisation of Irish dancing as it
   existed at that time and to make recommendations as to how it might be
   better organised in the future. The body first met in 1930.

   Those who pass the teachers examination receive the TCRG (Teagascóir
   Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha) certification as certified instructors.
   After ten years of holding the TCRG certificate, teachers may then test
   for the ADCRG (Ard Diploma Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha) in order to
   adjudicate dance competitions (feis; plural, feiseanna). Both tests
   involve considerable practical, oral, and written demonstration of
   Irish stepdancing, including the ability to sing certain tunes and
   identify snippets of the traditional and non-traditional sets -- a
   formidable task for (often) non-musicians.

Sean nós dancing

   Modern step dancing evolved from sean-nós ("old style") dancing.
   Sean-nós dancing has a large element of improvisation, but at its best
   is more than a mere frenetic jumping about; the performance of a
   skilled sean-nós dancer should convey both restraint and wildness
   packaged in an unpretentious dignity. The upper body and arms are loose
   and relaxed, rather than held erect and still as in modern stepdancing,
   and the footwork is low, hard, and percussive, without the high kicks
   (over the knee height) of stepdancing. Props are occasionally employed
   - for example, in "The Brush Dance" the dancer uses a sweeping brush
   (broom) as a prop.

   Sean-nós dancing continues to maintain itself as a living tradition
   despite the popularity and flash of the more athletic modern
   stepdancing forms and theatrical spectacles.

Riverdance

   Riverdance is a musical and dancing interval act starring Michael
   Flatley and Jean Butler. Also featuring the choir Anuna, it was
   performed during the Eurovision Song Contest 1994. Popular reaction to
   the act was so immense that an entire musical revue was built around
   the act. Although Riverdance was much criticised in the traditional
   cultural communities as being only derived from the Irish tradition,
   with many hybridised dances (American tap, ballet, and jazz elements
   were introduced; the rhythmic structure of much of the music is not
   based on traditional Irish music, but has roots in the complex
   polyrhythms of Eastern Europe) and tunes largely composed for the show
   by Bill Whelan rather than taken directly from the tradition, the
   artistic standards of the show were very high, featuring the work of
   world-class designers, choreographers, dancers and musicians.

   Riverdance 's appeal was such that the arts of Ireland were made
   globally popular in a very short time. Dancing school enrollments
   skyrocketed, Irish sessions found their numbers swelling with new
   musicians wishing to take part, and interest in Irish arts rose to an
   all time high.

   However, many artists found that what was wanted by much of the new
   audience was not the traditions from which Riverdance was derived, but
   more spectacle after the fashion of the original stage show, or even
   direct imitations of the show's Bill Whelan tunes and hybrid-form dance
   numbers. Many of the eager new musicians vanished upon discovering that
   Irish traditional music requires practice, skill, and commitment and is
   not merely an exercise in mass participation to the exclusion of
   musicality or an excuse to carouse and receive free drink. (The same
   held true in other Irish cultural communities, such as the stepdance
   schools.)

   Overall, the general feeling of the Irish traditional arts communities
   seems to be that Riverdance was an enjoyable, expert piece of
   Broadway-style theatre that did an extremely good job of popularizing
   Irish culture and arts worldwide, but that the rate of change it
   inflicted upon the traditional artforms that inspired the show did not
   sit comfortably with many of the original participants. Still, even the
   most gloomy or vehement of the show's detractors will often admit that,
   at the least, the show brought a great deal of needed funds to the
   Irish cultural and arts communities worldwide.

Instruments used in traditional Irish music

Fiddle

   One of the most important instruments in the traditional repertoire,
   the fiddle (or violin - there is no physical difference) is played
   differently in widely-varying regional styles. Modern performers
   include Peter Horan, James Kelly, Martin Hayes, Paul O'Shaughnessy,
   Matt Cranitch, Frankie Gavin, the Glackin brothers, Mairéad Ní
   Mhaonaigh, Maire Breatnach and Gerry O'Connor. Sligo fiddlers like
   Michael Coleman, James Morrison, Paddy Killoran did much to popularise
   Irish music in the States in the 1920s and 1930s.

   The best-known regional fiddling traditions are from Donegal, Sligo,
   Sliabh Luachra and Clare.

   The fiddling tradition of Sligo is perhaps most recognizable to
   outsiders, due to the popularity of American-based performers like Lad
   O'Beirne, Michael Coleman, James Morrison and Paddy Killoran; Irish
   Sligo fiddlers included the late Andrew Davey, Martin Wynne, Fred Finn,
   John Joe Gardiner (who was born in Sligo and played that style of
   music, but moved to Dundalk where he was a huge influence on
   traditional music and on playing in the Sligo style) and Kathleen
   Harrington, John Joe's sister.

   Other established fiddlers include(d) Clare's Frank Custy, Paddy Canny,
   Bobby Casey, Jack Mulcaire, John Kelly, Patrick Kelly, Peadar
   O'Loughlin, Pat O'Connor, Junior Crehan and P. Joe Hayes, while Donegal
   has produced Danny O'Donnell, Néllidh Boyle, James Byrne, Vincent
   Campbell, Francie Byrne, John Doherty, Proinsias Ó Maonaigh, and
   Bridget Regan. Sliabh Luachra, a small area between Kerry and Cork, is
   known for Julia Clifford, her brother Denis Murphy, and Pádraig
   O'Keefe. Contemporary fiddlers from Sliabh Luachra include Máire
   O'Keeffe, Matt Cranitch, Gerry Harrington, Connie O'Connell, and Tim
   Browne, while Séamus Creagh, actually from Westmeath, is imbued in the
   local style.

   Several phenomenal fiddlers have also emerged in the United States in
   recent years, among them Liz Carroll, Marie Reilly and Eileen Ivers.

Flute and whistle

   Tin whistles in a variety of makes and keys.
   Enlarge
   Tin whistles in a variety of makes and keys.

   The flute has been an integral part of Irish traditional music since
   roughly the middle of the nineteenth century, when art musicians
   largely abandoned the wooden simple-system flute (having a conical
   bore, and fewer keys) for the metal Boehm system flutes of present-day
   classical music.

   Although the choice of the wooden flute over the metal was initially
   driven by the fact that, being "outdated" castoffs, the old flutes were
   available cheaply second-hand, the wooden instrument has a distinct
   sound and continues to be commonly preferred by traditional musicians
   to this day. A number of excellent players— Joanie Madden being perhaps
   the best known—use the Western concert flute, but many others find that
   the simple system flute best suits traditional fluting. Original flutes
   from the pre-Boehm era continue in use, but since the 1960s a number of
   craftsmen have revived the art of wooden flute making. Some flutes are
   even made of PVC; these are especially popular with new learners and as
   travelling instruments, being both less expensive than wooden
   instruments and far more resistant to changes in humidity.

   The tin whistle or metal whistle, which with its nearly identical
   fingering might be called a cousin of the simple-system flute, is also
   popular. It was mass-produced in nineteenth century Manchester England,
   as an inexpensive instrument. Clarke whistles almost identical to the
   first ones made by that company are still available, although the
   original version, pitched in C, has mostly been replaced for
   traditional music by that pitched in D, the "basic key" of trad. The
   other common design consists of a barrel made of seamless tubing fitted
   into a plastic or wooden mouthpiece.

   Skilled craftsmen make fine custom whistles from a range of materials
   including not only aluminium, brass, and steel tubing but synthetic
   materials and tropical hardwoods; despite this, more than a few
   longtime professionals stick with ordinary factory made whistles.

   Irish schoolchildren are generally taught the rudiments of playing on
   the tin whistle, just as school children in many other countries are
   taught the soprano recorder. At one time the whistle was thought of by
   many traditional musicians as merely a sort of "beginner's flute," but
   that attitude has disappeared in the face of talented whistlers such as
   Mary Bergin, whose classic early seventies recording Feadóga Stáin
   (with bouzouki accompaniment by Alec Finn) is often credited with
   revolutionising the whistle's place in the tradition.

   The low whistle, a derivative of the common tin whistle, is also
   popular, although some musicians find it less agile for session playing
   than the flute or the ordinary D whistle.

   Notable present-day flute-players (sometimes called 'flautists' or
   'fluters') include Matt Molloy, Kevin Crawford, Peter Horan, Michael
   McGoldrick, Desi Wilkinson, Conal O'Grada, Emer Mayock, and Joanie
   Madden while whistlers include Paddy Moloney, Carmel Gunning, Paddy
   Keenan, Seán Ryan, Mary Bergin, and Packie Byrne.

Uilleann pipes

   Uilleann pipes (pronounced ill-in or ill-yun depending upon local
   dialect) are complex and said to take years to learn to play. It was
   common to have learning to play the pipes said to be 7 years learning,
   7 years practicing and 7 years playing before a piper could be said to
   have mastered his instrument. Its modern form had arrived by the 1890s,
   and was played by gentlemen pipers like Seamus Ennis, Leo Rowsome and
   Willie Clancy, in refined and ornate pieces, as well as showy,
   ornamented forms played by travelling pipers like John Cash and Johnny
   Doran. The uilleann piping tradition had nearly died before being
   re-popularized by the likes of Paddy Moloney (of the Chieftains), and
   the formation of Na Píobairí Uilleann, an organization open to pipers
   that included such legends as Rowsome and Ennis, as well as researcher
   and collector Breandán Breathnach. Liam O'Flynn is one of the most
   popular of modern performers along with Paddy Keenan, John McSherry,
   Davy Spillane, Jerry O'Sullivan, Mick O'Brien and many more. Many Pavee
   (Traveller) families, such as the Fureys and Dorans and Keenans, are
   famous for the pipers among them.

   Uilleann pipes are among the most complex forms of bagpipes; they
   possess a chanter with a double reed and a two-octave range, three
   single-reed drones, and, in the complete version known as a full set, a
   trio of ( regulators) all with double reeds and keys worked by the
   piper's forearm, capable of providing harmonic support for the melody.
   (Virtually all uilleann pipers begin playing with a half set, lacking
   the regulators and comprised of only bellows, bag, chanter, and drones.
   Some choose never to play the full set, and many make little use of the
   regulators.) The bag is filled with air by a bellows held between the
   piper's elbow and side, rather than by the performer's lungs as in the
   highland pipes and almost all other forms of bagpipe, aside from the
   Scottish smallpipes, the Northumbrian pipes of northern England, and
   the Border pipes found in both parts of the Anglo-Scottish Border
   country.

   The uilleann pipes play a prominent part in a form of instrumental
   music called Fonn Mall, closely related to unaccompanied singing an
   sean nós ("in the old style"). Willie Clancy, Leo Rowsome, and Garret
   Barry were among the many pipers famous in their day; Paddy Keenan,
   Davy Spillane and Robbie Hannon play these traditional airs today,
   among many others.

Harp

   The harp is among the chief symbols of Ireland. The Celtic harp, seen
   on Irish coinage and used by Guinness, was played as long ago as the
   10th century. In ancient times, the harpers were greatly respected,
   considered to have near-magical powers and assigned a high place
   amongst the most significant retainers of the Irish lords and
   chieftains. Perhaps the best known representative of this tradition of
   harping today is Turlough Ó Carolan, a blind 18th century harper who is
   often considered the unofficial national composer of Ireland. Thomas
   Connellan, a slightly earlier Sligo harper, composed such well known
   airs as "The Dawning of the Day"/"Raglan Road" and "Carolan's Dream".

   The native Irish harping tradition was an aristocratic art music with
   its own canon and rules for arrangement and compositional structure,
   only tangentially associated with the folkloric music of the common
   people, the ancestor of present day Irish traditional music. Some of
   the late exponents of the harping tradition, such as O'Carolan, were
   influenced by the Italian Baroque art music of such composers as
   Vivaldi, which could be heard in the theatres and concert halls of
   Dublin. The harping tradition did not long outlast the native Gaelic
   aristocracy which supported it. By the early nineteenth century, the
   Irish harp and its music were for all intents and purposes dead. Tunes
   from the harping tradition survived only as unharmonised melodies which
   had been picked up by the folkloric tradition, or were preserved as
   notated in collections such as Edward Bunting's, (he attended the
   Belfast Harp Festival in 1792) in which the tunes were most often
   modified to make them fit for the drawing room pianofortes of the
   Anglicised middle and upper classes.

   The first generations of twentieth century revivalists, mostly playing
   the gut-strung (frequently replaced with nylon after the Second World
   War) neo-Celtic harp with the pads of their fingers rather than the old
   brass-strung harp plucked with long fingernails, tended to take the
   dance tunes and song airs of Irish traditional music, along with such
   old harp tunes as they could find, and applied to them techniques
   derived from the orchestral (pedal) harp and an approach to rhythm,
   arrangement, and tempo that often had more in common with mainstream
   classical music than with either the old harping tradition or the
   living tradition of Irish music. Over the past thirty years a revival
   of the early Irish harp has been growing, with replicas of the medieval
   instruments being played, using strings of brass, silver, and even
   gold. Further information is available from the Historical Harp Society
   of Ireland, Clarsach.net.

   Notable modern players include the late Derek Bell (of The Chieftains),
   Laoise Kelly (of The Bumblebees), Grainne Hambly, Máire Ní Chathasaigh,
   Mary O'Hara, Antoinette McKenna, Michael Rooney, Aine Minoque, Patrick
   Ball and Bonnie Shaljean. The best of these have a solid background in
   genuine Irish traditional music, often having strong competency on
   another instrument more common in the living tradition, such as the
   fiddle or concertina, and work very hard at adapting the harp to
   traditional music, as well as reconstructing what they can of the old
   harpers' music on the basis of the few manuscript sources which exist.
   However, the harp continues to occupy a place on the fringe of Irish
   traditional music.

Accordion and concertina

   The accordion plays a major part in modern Irish music. Popular players
   include John Williams, Joe Burke, Billy McComiskey, Joe Joyce, Sharon
   Shannon, and Dave Hennessy. Concertina players include Niall Vallely,
   Kitty Hayes, Mícheál Ó Raghallaigh, Tim Collins, Gearoid O hAllmhurain,
   Mary MacNamara and Noel Hill.

   The accordion spread to Ireland late in the 19th century. In its
   ten-key form ( melodeon), it was popular across the island, and was
   recorded early by John Kimmel and Irish-American Peter Conlon. While
   uncommon, the melodeon is still played in some parts of Ireland, in
   particular in Connemara by Johnny Connolly.

   Modern Irish accordion players generally prefer the 2 row button
   accordion. Unlike similar accordions used in other European and
   American music traditions, the rows are tuned a semi-tone apart. This
   allows the instrument to be played chromatically in melody. Currently
   accordions tuned to the keys of B/C and C#/D are by far the most
   popular systems.

   The B/C accordion lends itself to a flowing style; it was popularized
   by Paddy O'Brien of Tipperary, Joe Burke and Sonny Brogran in the 1950s
   and 60s and is popular with box players of the Galway style including
   Billy McComiskey. Other famous B/C players include Paddy O'Brien of
   County Offaly, James Keane, and John Nolan.

   The C#/D accordion lends itself to a punchier style and is particularly
   popular in the slides and polkas of Kerry Music. Notable players
   include Sharon Shannon, Jackie Daly and Joe Cooley.

   A somewhat older system pioneered in America was the D/C# system that
   was popularized by Joe Derrane.

   Piano accordions are somewhat unusual in Irish Music, but not
   completely unknown. Karen Tweed is one famous player of Piano Accordion
   in Irish Traditional Music.
   English concertina made by Wheatstone around 1920.
   Enlarge
   English concertina made by Wheatstone around 1920.

   Concertinas are of several types, the two most common in Irish
   traditional music being the English and the Anglo systems. Each differs
   from the other in construction and playing technique. The Anglo is the
   more common in Irish music and its use in that genre precedes the
   English. The most distinctive characteristic of the Anglo system is
   that each button sounds a different note, depending on whether the
   bellows are compressed or expanded. Anglo concertinas typically have
   either two or three rows of buttons that sound notes, plus an "air
   button" located near the right thumb that allows the player to fill or
   empty the bellows without sounding a note.

   Two-row Anglo concertinas usually have 20 buttons that sound notes.
   Each row of 10 buttons comprises notes within a common key. The two
   primary rows thus contain the notes of two musical keys, such as C and
   G. Each row is divided in two with five buttons playing lower-pitched
   notes of the given key on the left-hand end of the instrument and five
   buttons playing the higher pitched notes on the right-hand end. The row
   of buttons in the higher key is closer to the wrist of each hand.

   Three-row concertinas add a third row of accidentals (i.e., sharps and
   flats not included in the keys represented by the two main rows) and
   redundant notes (i.e., notes that duplicate those in the main keys but
   are located in the third, outermost row) that enable the instrument to
   be played in virtually any key. A series of sequential notes can be
   played in the home-key rows by depressing a button, compressing the
   bellows, depressing the same button and extending the bellows, moving
   to the next button and repeating the process, and so on. A consequence
   of this arrangement is that the player often encounters occasions
   requiring a change in bellows direction, which produces a clear
   separation between the sounds of the two adjacent notes. This tends to
   give the music a more punctuated, bouncy sound that can be especially
   well suited to hornpipes or jigs.

   English concertinas, by contrast, sound the same note for any given
   button, irrespective of the direction of bellows travel. Thus, any note
   can be played while the bellows is either expanded or compressed. As a
   consequence, sequential notes can be played without altering the
   bellows direction. This allows sequences of notes to be played in a
   smooth, continuous stream without the interruption of changing bellows
   direction.

   Despite the inherent bounciness of the Anglo and the inherent
   smoothness of the English concertina systems, skilled players of Irish
   traditional music can achieve either effect on each type of instrument
   by adapting the playing style. On the Anglo, for example, the notes on
   various rows partially overlap and the third row contains additional
   redundant notes, so that the same note can be sounded with more than
   one button. Often, whereas one button will sound a given note on
   bellows compression, an alternative button in a different row will
   sound the same note on bellows expansion. Thus, by playing across the
   rows, the player can avoid changes in bellows direction from note to
   note where the musical objective is a smoother sound. Likewise, the
   English system accommodates playing styles that counteract its inherent
   smoothness and continuity between notes. Specifically, when the music
   calls for it, the player can choose to reverse bellows direction,
   causing sequential notes to be more distinctly articulated.

   Well known concertina players include Noel Hill and Padraig Rynne.

Banjo

   The four-string tenor banjo is favoured by most Irish traditional
   players, and is commonly tuned GDAE, an octave below the fiddle. It was
   brought to Ireland by returned emigrants from the United States, where
   it was developed by African slaves. The banjo, as a relatively loud
   wire-strung instrument, serves a similar musical function in sessions
   to the cittern and mandolin. Unlike the cittern, however, it is seldom
   strummed (although older recordings will sometimes feature the banjo
   used as a backing instrument), instead being played as a melody
   instrument using either a plectrum or a "thimble". While the
   instrument's percussive sound can add greatly to the "lift" of a
   session, a poorly played or overly loud banjo can be disruptive.
   Skilled and sensitive players will generally find themselves welcomed
   in "open" sessions. Barney McKenna of The Dubliners is often credited
   with paving the way for the banjo's current popularity, and is still
   actively playing. Great players include Kieran Hanrahan, John Carty,
   Angelina Carberry, Fergus O'Byrne, Gerry O'Connor, and Kevin Griffin.

   The five-string banjo has had little or no role in Irish traditional
   music, and is often actively loathed by Irish musicians as a potential
   session-killer, since the clawhammer and three-finger picking styles
   used on this instrument by old-time and bluegrass musicians appear to
   be almost directly opposite to the pulse of Irish tunes. While a
   sensitive and well-informed five-string player can develop an approach
   which would complement Irish traditional music, he or she would have to
   overcome considerable skepticism in a session context.

   One of the very few respected five-string banjo players involved with
   Irish music is Chris Grotewohl, who also plays oldtime and bluegrass.

Guitar

   Guitars have become commonplace in modern sessions. These are usually
   strummed with a plectrum (pick) to provide backing for the melody
   players. Irish backing tends to use chord voicings up and down the
   neck, rather than basic first or second position "cowboy chords";
   unlike those used in jazz, these chord voicings seldom involve barre
   fingerings and often employ one or more open strings in combination
   with strings stopped at the fifth or higher frets. Modal (root and
   fifth without the third, neither major nor minor) chords are used
   extensively alongside the usual major and minor chords, as are
   suspended and sometimes more exotic augmented chords; however, the
   major and minor seventh chords are less employed than in many other
   styles of music. Players usually strum only two to four strings at a
   time, rather than across all six at once; the strings are often
   slightly muted with the palm of the plectrum (picking) hand. A
   monotonous alternating bass is not appropriate, but basslines and
   flashes of improvised counterpoint, well played, can add considerable
   style and verve.

   The guitarist follows the leading melody player precisely rather than
   trying to control the rhythm and tempo. The backing should follow the
   rhythmic emphasis and pulse of the tune, rather than being simply
   metronomic counting; a backing that does not "lift" the tune generally
   kills it. "Folk," "old timey," rock, and bluegrass guitar styles do not
   fit well with Irish traditional music, not least because many Irish
   tunes do not fit into a neat chord progression.

   As a general rule, no more than two guitarists should play at any one
   time, and players must strive to complement the tune and each other,
   instead of competing. The guitarist must be as skilled and as dedicated
   to the tradition as any of the melody players, and must hold in mind
   that "less is more." A "rhythm section" is not necessary in the
   traditional session, and it is always better to sit out a tune or to
   play so quietly as to only be heard by oneself than to wreck the music
   by playing jarring chords or an incorrect beat.

   Many of the earliest notable guitarists working in traditional music,
   such as Dáithí Sproule and the Bothy Band's Mícheál Ó Domhnaill, used
   the DADGAD tuning, to the point that some musicians came to believe
   that only DADGAD was appropriate. However, tasteful use of standard
   (EADGBE) and dropped-D (DADGBE) tunings is perfectly suited to
   traditional music, as shown by the work of, amongst others, Steve
   Cooney, Arty McGlynn and John Doyle. A host of other altered tunings
   are also used by some players, most of them modal, like DADGAD, ( Paul
   McSherry), rather than being open-chord tunings like Open-G.

   The guitar is used to accompany singers as well as instrumentalists,
   but it is generally considered to be a serious violation of session
   etiquette to play behind a singer without being asked. The purest form
   of Irish traditional song is the unaccompanied solo, and singers often
   vary their rhythm and alter the melody from verse to verse; an
   accompanist unfamiliar with the specific song and the individual
   singer's approach to it will throw the singer off completely.

   Melody playing on the guitar is quite possible, but tends to be drowned
   out in a session environment by the louder instruments such as fiddle
   and flute. Masters of the guitar in Irish traditional music include
   Arty McGlynn, Dáithí Sproule, John Doyle, Paul McSherry, Zan McLeod,
   Loughy (Kieran O'Loughlin), Dennis Cahill and Steve Cooney.

Bouzouki

   An Irish Bouzouki.
   Enlarge
   An Irish Bouzouki.

   A relative of the once-popular cittern imported from Greece, the
   bouzouki was introduced in the late 1960s by Johnny Moynihan and then
   popularized by Donal Lunny, Andy Irvine, and Alec Finn. Today's Irish
   bouzouki has four courses of two strings each tuned GDAD, GDAE, or
   ADAE; unison courses are probably most common, although octaves in the
   bass are favoured by some players. The back is flat or lightly arched
   and the top is either flat or carved like that of an arch top guitar or
   mandolin. All in all, the Irish bouzouki has evolved into a member of
   the mandolin family with little resemblance to the round-backed Greek
   bouzouki with its guitarlike (in the four course version) tuning. Alec
   Finn is the only notable player still using a Greek bouzouki, one of
   the older style three course (six string) instruments tuned DAD.

Mandolin

   The mandolin, a fretted instrument strung with eight steel strings in
   four unison courses and played with a plectrum (pick), is not a common
   instrument amongst Irish traditional musicians. When it appears at a
   session, it's usually tuned GDAE, like the fiddle.

   Although almost any variety of acoustic mandolin might be adequate for
   Irish traditional music, virtually all Irish players prefer flat-backed
   instruments with oval sound holes to the Italian-style bowl-back
   mandolins or the carved-top mandolins with f-holes favoured by
   bluegrass mandolinists. The former are often too soft-toned to hold
   their own in a session (as well as having a tendency to not stay in
   place on the player's lap), whilst the latter tend to sound harsh and
   overbearing to the trad ear. Greatly preferred are flat-topped
   "Irish-style" mandolins (remniscent of the WWI-era Martin Army-Navy
   mandolin) and carved (arch) top mandolins with oval soundholes, such as
   the Gibson A-style of the 1920s. The mandolins built by British luthier
   Stefan Sobell are perhaps the most highly prized for Irish traditional
   music, although many other makers, such as Ireland's Joe Foley, also
   make well-regarded mandolins.

   Chord-strumming on the mandolin (particularly bluegrass-style "chop"
   strumming) does not fit at all well with Irish traditional music; an
   approach of two and three note chords mixed with "countermelody," as
   used by Irish bouzouki players can be more appropriate, but is often
   lost amidst the other instruments of a session.

   Noteworthy Irish mandolin players include Andy Irvine (who almost
   always tunes the E down to D), Mick Moloney and Paul Kelly.

Bodhrán

   Bodhrán with tipper.
   Enlarge
   Bodhrán with tipper.

   A frame drum, usually of bent wood and goatskin, the bodhrán is
   considered a relatively modern addition to traditional dance music.
   Some musicologists suggest its use was originally confined to the
   wrenboys on St. Stephen's Day and other quasi-ritual processions. It
   was introduced/popularized in the 1960s by Seán Ó Riada (although there
   are mentions of "tambourines" without zils being played as early as the
   mid nineteenth century), and quickly became popular. Great players
   include Johnny 'Ringo' McDonagh, Tommy Hayes, Colm Murphy and Fergus
   O'Byrne (of Ryan's Fancy) and John Joe Kelly of Flook.

   Although skilled bodhrán players are highly prized by most traditional
   musicians, the inaccurate perception of many neophytes and other
   persons only peripherally involved with the living tradition that the
   bodhrán represents an "easy" way to participate in sessions has caused
   some players to develop a deep and abiding, if sometimes unreasonable,
   hatred for the instrument. (A well-known fiddler once described the
   sound of an ineffectively played bodhrán at a session as 'sounding like
   a sack of spuds falling down stairs'.) It is therefore considered wise
   for those who play the bodhrán to cultivate a skin thicker than that
   upon their drum.

   Mention should also be made here of the "bones" -- two slender, curved
   pieces of bone or wood -- and "spoons". Pairs of either are held
   together in one hand and shaken rhythmically to make a percussive,
   clacking sound. They should be used sparingly and never (one may fear
   the worst from the simple existence of this warning) during waltzes,
   airs, or songs.

Harmonica

   A well-known instrument found in many kinds of traditional music, the
   Irish harmonica tradition is best-represented by Mick Kinsella, Paul
   Moran, the Murphy family from County Wexford, the late Eddie Clarke and
   Brendan Power (the latter being of New Zealand). A detailed discography
   of Irish harmonica albums can be found at
   http://www.irishmusicreview.com.

Late 19th century revival and the 20th century

   The revival of interest in Irish traditional culture was closely linked
   to Nationalist calls for independence and was catalysed by the
   foundation of the Gaelic League in 1893. This sought to encourage the
   rediscovery and affirmation of Irish traditional arts by focusing upon
   the Irish language, but also established an annual competition, the
   Feis Cheoil, in 1903 as a focus for its activities.

   The Gaelic League was often accused of being a largely middle-class
   organisation and of taking little heed of the interests or enjoyments
   of those living in rural areas of Ireland; most of the League's
   meetings were in fact held in London.

   Religion also played a role in the re-development of Irish culture. The
   actual achievement of independence from Britain tallied closely with a
   new Irish establishment desire to separate Irish culture from the
   European mainstream, but the new Irish government also paid heed to
   clerical calls to curtail 'jazz dancing' and other suggestions of a
   dereliction in Irish morality -- though it was not until 1935 that the
   Public Dance Halls Act curtailed the right of anyone to hold their own
   events; from then on, no public musical or dancing events could be held
   in a public space without a license and most of those were usually only
   granted to 'suitable' persons - often the parish priest.

   Combined with continued emigration, and the priesthood's inevitable
   zeal in closing down un-licensed events, the upshot was to drive
   traditional music and dancing back into the cottage where it remained
   until returning migrants persuaded pub owners to host sessions in the
   early 1960s.

Pub sessions

   Pub sessions are now the home for much of Irish traditional music,
   which takes place at informal gatherings in urban pubs. The first known
   of these modern pub sessions took place in 1947 in London's Camden Town
   at a bar called The Devonshire Arms (although some ethnomusicologists
   believe that Irish immigrants in the United States may have held
   sessions before this); the practice was only later introduced to
   Ireland. By the 1960s pubs like O'Donoghues in Dublin were holding
   their own pub sessions, and the Fleadh Ceoil music festival was
   sparking increased popular interest in traditional music.

1960s and 70s: Revival again

   Seán Ó Riada's The Chieftains, The Clancy Brothers, The Dubliners,
   Sweeney's Men and Planxty were in large part responsible for a second
   wave of revitalization of Irish folk music in the 1960s, followed up by
   The Bothy Band and Clannad in the 70s.

   The 1960s saw a number of innovative performers. Christy Moore and
   Donal Lunny, for example, first performing as a duo, and later creating
   two of the most well-known bands of the era, Planxty and Moving Hearts
   (in the 1980s). The Clancys broke open the field in the US in the early
   part of the decade, which inspired vocal groups like The Dubliners,
   while Ceoltóirí Chualann's instrumental music spawned perhaps the
   best-known Irish traditional band, The Chieftains, which formed in
   1963.

   By the 70s, bands like Planxty and Clannad had set the stage for a
   major popular blossoming of Irish music. Formed in 1974, The Bothy Band
   became the spearcarriers of that movement; their debut album, [1975]
   (1975), inspired a legion of fans. (One can often find The Bothy Band
   under "Rock" in some stores.) New groups that appeared in their wake
   included Moving Hearts formed by Dónal Lunny and Christy Moore and
   featuring Davy Spillane on uilleann pipes - the first time this had
   effectively happened in a rock setting.

   The '70s saw the beginning of fusions of Irish traditional music with
   American and British rock and roll, beginning perhaps with the band
   Horslips. Singer-songwriter Van Morrison is also renowned from the
   trad-rock scene, and is known for incorporating soul and R&B to great
   effect. Blues guitarist Rory Gallagher was renowned for his masterful
   guitar playing. The heavy metal band Thin Lizzy occasionally used Irish
   musical traditions in their songs. For example, the song Emerald used a
   jig (6/8) time signature, and a melody that was influenced by
   traditional Irish music. Also, the song "The Black Rose" contained a
   traditional Irish reel being played by guitar, bass, and drums. Most
   famously, their reworking of the traditional folk staple, "Whiskey in
   the Jar" was a huge hit. Singer and songwriter Phil Lynott is often
   said to have been a modern incarnation of the Irish poetry tradition.
   Irish influence in a more strictly pop idiom was represented in this
   period by Waterford born singer/songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan who had
   an international breakthrough, peaking with two UK No. 1 singles
   (Clair, Get Down) and one US No. 1 (Alone Again, Naturally).

Late 20th century: Rock and more...

   The Waterboys performing in Dublin in 2004.
   Enlarge
   The Waterboys performing in Dublin in 2004.

   Traditional music, especially sean-nós, played a major part in Irish
   popular music later in the century, with Van Morrison, Hothouse Flowers
   and Sinéad O'Connor using traditional elements in popular songs. Enya
   achieved enormous international success with New Age/Celtic fusions.
   The Pogues, led by Shane MacGowan, helped fuse Irish folk with punk
   rock to some success beginning in the 1980s, while the Afro-Celt Sound
   System achieved considerable fame adding West African influences and
   drum n bass in the 1990s.

   In the 1980s, major bands included De Dannan, Altan, Arcady, Dervish
   and Patrick Street. Punk rock entered Ireland in full in the late
   1970s, and flowered in the following decade with performers like Gavin
   Friday, Bob Geldof, while the Belfast scene inspired a legion of punk
   bands from Northern Ireland, of whom Stiff Little Fingers are the most
   well-known. Later in the 80s and into the 90s, Irish punk, like the
   scene in the UK, US and elsewhere, fractured into new styles of
   alternative rock, which included the critically acclaimed That Petrol
   Emotion, the renowned underground band My Bloody Valentine and the
   popular punk sound of Ash.

   The '80s also saw the rise of Irish international stars. The biggest
   Irish musical performer of any kind is undoubtedly U2, who entered the
   mainstream beginning in 1980 with Boy, and continuing to incorporate a
   number of styles on later albums into the next century. Other rock
   bands of the era included The Undertones, Energy Orchard and The
   Boomtown Rats. A growing interest in Irish music at this time helped
   many artistes gain more recognition abroad, including Mary Black, Andy
   White, Sharon Shannon, Hothouse Flowers and others. The BBC screened a
   documentary series about the influence of Irish music called Bringing
   it all Back Home (a reference to both the Bob Dylan folk song and the
   way in which Irish traditional music has travelled, especially in the
   New World following the Irish diaspora, which in turn has come back to
   influence modern Irish rock music). This series also helped to raise
   the profile of many artistes relatively little known outside Ireland.
   The fashionability of Irish folk music at this time may be judged from
   the huge success that non-Irish band The Waterboys enjoyed with their
   albums Fisherman's Blues and Room to Roam, both of which are full of
   Irish folk influences. Meanwhile, Sinéad O'Connor's confrontational
   style won her a legion of fans as well as controversy.

   Country and Western music from the United States, which was influenced
   indirectly by Irish music, returned back over the ocean and is
   immensely popular in Ireland.

   In the 1990s, pop bands like the Corrs, B*Witched, Boyzone and the
   somewhat rockier The Cranberries also became internationally renowned.
   Ireland had developed the Celtic metal scene, part of the black metal
   style which was common throughout much of Europe, and soon evolved into
   Celtic battle metal, Celtic doom metal and Celtic pagan metal. Artists
   included Waylander, Bran Barr, Cruachan and Geasa.

   In 1998, a crew called Exile Eye released the Optic Nerve EP, which
   generated a great deal of interest in hip hop and inspired a number of
   newer hip hop crews, though Exile Eye was not the first Irish hip hop
   performers, as Scary Éire and others came first. These included
   Homebrew, Third Eye Surfers and Creative Controle.

   In the 2000s Gráda, Danú and Teada are among the youngest major
   instrumental bands of a largely traditional bent (although Gráda is not
   so easily defined. While showing a strong understanding of their
   historical roots, they intertwine more contemporary sounds into their
   playing, bridging a gap beween traditionalists and modern fusion
   groups).

   New bands that promote the pub ballads and raucous instrumentals so
   familiar to Irish music fans include Flogging Molly, the Dropkick
   Murphys, and the LeperKhanz. There are many other Irish bands
   developing fusions of local and Irish music such as Skelpin, Flook,
   Kíla, Gráda and Bad Haggis. These bands are no longer formed
   exclusively in Ireland.

Classical music in Ireland

   While Irish traditional music, and more recently rock music, have
   gained such an international following, Irish classical music has had a
   long struggle to become accepted. Some music comes from the world
   between popular and classical music. One well-known example is the
   internationally renowned choir Anuna, with its unique and unusual sound
   and stage show, The West Ocean String Quartet, The Musicians of Prey,
   The Crash Ensemble and the young vocal group Bulraga.
   Anuna.
   Enlarge
   Anuna.

   Despite the enormous international successes of Irish performers in the
   fields of traditional and rock music, classical Irish music has
   struggled hard over the last 100 years to gain a strong and secure
   foothold in the psyche of the Irish people. Music education at school
   level is not a core subject, and in recent years the Leaving
   Certificate [Ireland's final year exams at secondary level] has
   introduced a more populist curriculum in Musicianship.

   Groups such as Anuna, Camerata Ireland, Opera Theatre Company and the
   Irish Chamber Orchestra have had considerable international success.
   There is a National Symphony Orchestra of very good quality [managed
   and run by RTÉ the Irish National broadcaster], a classical music radio
   station Lyric FM, but beyond this Irish classical artists have to
   struggle for any recognition in their own country. Many of them seek
   education and work beyond the boundaries of Ireland.
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