Associated Press
In Celebration of Ireland: Irish Music
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Irish music reaches straight back to the Middle Ages, when musical forms emerged that are still played and continue to influence Irish musicians in the 21st century.
Irish Lyricism
The tourism site VisitIreland talks in depth about Ireland’s passionate relationship with music and clues us in on the ancient traditions that shaped the emergence of folk music—even pop and rock. In this section of VisitIreland you’ll also find interesting accounts of other parts of Irish culture, including theater, dance and genealogy.
Source: VisitIreland
Irish Folks
Folk music is one of the most important cultural legacies in Ireland. The music has long been in dialogue with the folk movements of England, the U.S. and Canada.
One of the pioneers of folk music’s popularity in the 1950s was Tommy Makem. While the Beatles were driving Brits and Americans wild, there was another kind of performance happening, and it got just the same spotlight as the Fab Four. Makem appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, won a recording contract with Columbia Records and even performed for President Kennedy.
Makem was actually an expatriate, preferring to remain in the U.S. as the Troubles of 1969 infected his homeland. He lived in the U.S. for the rest of his life. His original songs and renditions of traditional tunes affected audiences and peers alike. According to Economist.com, Bob Dylan adapted Makem’s “The Patriot Game” for his own antiwar ballad, “With God on Our Side.”
Makem died in 2007, and Economist.com honored him with an obituary that takes note of the performer’s collaborations and his success in the U.S., and quotes lyrical passages from several of his songs.
Source: The Economist
Finding Irish Music and Criticism
Modern Irish music is distinctive, and the country has produced some well-known names, including U2, Van Morrison, Def Leppard, Sinéad O’Connor, The Pogues, Bob Geldolf and The Boomtown Rats, The Cranberries, Them, The Divine Comedy, Snow Patrol, Skid Row and The Coors. Today, Ireland continues to produce dozens of exciting musicians.
Irish Music Magazine is a popular online magazine that covers music news and new releases, reviews albums, and links to label and artist Web sites. The site showcases the array of musical talent and ideas being recorded in Ireland: folk remains a very popular genre but interspersed with it is classical music, especially opera, and pop and rock.
Source: Irish Music Magazine
An edgier pairing to Irish Music Magazine is Hot Press, which sounds off on the indie scene and the mainstream scene, and opines on new albums and singles coming out of Ireland.
Source: Hot Press
For Your Ears Only
Listen to a selection of Celtic music on the weekly NPR radio program “The Thistle & Shamrock,” which focuses on new and emerging Celtic artists.
Source: thistleradio.com
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