Music of Ireland

Music has often been described as the ‘soul of Irish culture.’ Songs in the vernacular are at the heart of Irish music and most importantly, belong to a tradition known as sean nós (literally "in the old style"). Travellers will mostly chance upon traditional Irish music in pubs and these quasi-musical get-togethers are called sessions.

Irish instrumental music

Most of the instrumental music the visitor will hear in Ireland is dance music (such as reels, jigs and hornpipes), originally played in kitchens, barns and at crossroads, usually as part of celebrations like weddings or wakes. The melody of any dance tune is inextricably entwined with the performance. Through ornamentation, decoration and embellishments, the performer breathes life into the music and this controlled extemporization allows the player to replicate a tune with each rendition.

Sean nós

Most songs in the Irish language belong to a genre known as sean nós (literally "in the old style"). An unaccompanied singing style of great beauty and complexity, it is thought to have derived in part from the bardic tradition that died out in the seventeenth century with the demise of the old Gaelic order, though recent research has suggested links to North Africa. In sean nós, the singer varies the interpretation of each verse by means of subtle changes in tempo, ornamentation, timbre and stress. Sean nós remains strongest in the Gaeltacht areas, especially Connemara.

The Sessions

Travelers to Ireland will most likely come across traditional music in a pub setting and these quasi-impromptu musical get-togethers are known as “sessions.” The sessions are the life-blood of traditional music, accompanied by the associated notion of craic (or crack) whereby music, conversation and drink combine to produce an evening of fun. A session is not strictly a performance, but more of a dynamic of entertainer and listener - a group of people enjoying the craic together. While sessions take place all year round in the major cities, summer is the optimal time for sessions in traditional music's heartland, the west of Ireland.

Classical Music

Ireland has a strong classical music tradition, with the harp being the most dominant instrument of early music. The more than two hundred works by the poet, harpist and composer Turlough O'Carolan (1670 - 1738) together with the performances of the participants at the 1792 Belfast Harp Festival, transcribed and published by Edward Bunting have become the prime sources of the airs and have formed a major component of Irish music since that time.

John Field (1782 - 1837), Michael Balfe (1808 - 70), Vincent Wallace (1813 - 65), Victor Herbert (1859 - 1924), Charles Villiers Stanford (1852 - 1924), Hamilton Harty (1880 - 1941), Brian Boydell (b.1917) are just a few of the notable figures from a long list of dedicated creative minds who contributed in the evolution of traditional and classical Irish music. Finally, the more popular end of the home market has come to be dominated recently by composers experimenting with adaptations and reformulations of Irish traditional music. Notable exponents include Patrick Cassidy, Michael Alcorn and Shaun Davey.

Rock & pop music in Ireland

Ireland's rock scene bears close similarities to Britain's. Physical proximity, the permeation of British mass-media, especially radio and the rock press, and British stars' use of Dublin as a tax haven have all facilitated vibrant musical links between the two. However, unlike the British rock, Irish rock culture has traditional folk origins.

The soul of Irish culture

Music has always been important in Irish cultural life. One of the earliest Irish composers whose work has survived is Turlough O'Carolan (1670 - 1738), known as 'The Blind Harpist', who was one of the last in the ancient Bardic tradition. Eighteenth century Dublin attracted many composers and saw the first performance of Handel's Messiah in 1742. John Field (1782 - 1837), creator of the 'Nocturne', influenced European composers such as Chopin and Glinka.

More recently, composers like A.J. Potter (1918 - 1980) and Gerard Victory (1921 - 1995) have been highly influential figures on the contemporary classical music scene. Since the 1960s, traditional Irish music has grown in popularity, both in Ireland and abroad, through groups as diverse as The Clancy Brothers, The Dubliners, Clannad, The Chieftains, De Dannan and Altan, who have put traditional music into a modern context without compromising its timeless essence and integrity.

Ireland also has an international reputation for other musical styles, with artists like Van Morrisson, U2, Sinéad O' Connor, Westlife and The Cranberries.

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