Irish Music from a Composer’s Perspective
Where all of the traditional Irish music in Ireland began is vague, as the music was passed down from one generation to another orally. Some say that there were thousands upon thousands of ballads and Irish songs even before they were actually written down on paper. Most Irish songs and ballads reflected what was going on in the country at the time, so most Irish music and songs that we sing today have a lot of history.
During the 1930s, the ‘Dance Hall’ was popular. The ‘Ceilí Band’ also emerged during the 1930s.
In 1951, Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann was encouraged traditional Irish music. This Irish group created the Fleadh Ceoil Festival, still held in many locations across Ireland. Traditional Irish music in the 1950s was a part of everyday living — it even was more popular due to radio.
In Irish music there are several instruments used. These include the tin whistle, the accordion, the concertina, the uilleann pipes, the flute, the bodhran, the banjo, the mouth organ, the piano, the fiddle and of course the harp. The harp was a popular in ancient Ireland and it’s even said that Irish monks in the 6th century took their harps abroad when they travelled to Europe.
Want to learn more? Here are a few places where you can find out more about Irish music:
Irish Music at Wikipedia
Live Irish Internet Radio
Topics in traditional Irish music