![]() ![]() Learning tunes on any of these instruments isn’t really taught – it is learn-as-you-go, just sit in the back and pick it up. It’s largely created through improvisation and instinct. ‘Trad’ music in Ireland is mostly played on violins/fiddles, guitars, whistles, mandolins, banjos, accordions, concertinas and bodhrans. A polished sound is not, and never was, the goal. This is partly due to the raw nature of the way the instruments are played. pure instrumental ‘diddley dee’ as my Mother so wonderfully refers to it – would put your head clean away if you listened to it for too long. A certain kind of magicĪdmittedly, traditional music – i.e. Each an important and raw little nugget of history. Often, the Irish songs that have stood the test of time are stories of oppression or war or death, but look a little deeper and they are matched in number by the upbeat tunes of triumph, hope and rebellion. There’s something mystic about listening to and learning tunes that fiddlers and flautists played centuries ago that have been passed down through generations like Chinese whispers. ![]() ![]() There is an overwhelming sense of community and solidarity imbued in Irish music because of this powerful connection to the past. “The greatest achievement of the Irish people is their music” Thomas Davis, Irish poet Especially when thinking about the fight for Irish independence, the songs and tunes that have made it to the 21st century largely represent reclaimed history. People sang and played not for fame, fortune, for applause nor for praise – but for communication, for expression, for connection, for protest. So song and poetry and music and storytelling became core creative outlets of many. Layers upon layers of history and culture underpin the magic of Irish music.Īcross generations of troubled Irish history, very few outlets of expression were available to people. Is your soul soothed? Those in power write the history, those who suffer write the songs ![]()
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