The Best of Irish Folk Music
Contents
Looking for the best of Irish folk music? Check out our top picks for the best traditional and contemporary Irish folk music, from classic ballads to toe-tapping jigs.
Irish Folk Music Defined
Irish folk music is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. Irish folk music has many different subgenres, such as traditional Irish folk music, Celtic folk rock, and contemporary Irish folk music. The Best of Irish Folk Music is a compilation album of various artists that was released in 2006.
The Origins of Irish Folk Music
Irish folk music has its roots in the traditional music of Ireland. This music was passed down from generation to generation, and was used for both dancing and storytelling. Irish folk music is often associated with the Celts, a group of people who lived in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Brittany.
The Celts were a very musical people, and their music was an important part of their culture. Celtic music is characterized by its use of beautiful melodies, as well as its use of traditional instruments such as the harp, fiddle, and tin whistle.
In the 1700s and 1800s, Irish folk music began to change as the country began to modernize. Many of the traditional songs and dances were replaced by newer ones, and instruments such as the piano and brass instruments became more popular.
Today, Irish folk music is enjoyed all over the world. It has been influenced by other genres of music including rock and roll and country, but it still retains its unique sound. If you’re looking for something different than the usual fare, give Irish folk music a try!
The Instruments of Irish Folk Music
Irish folk music is a genre of folk music that originated in Ireland. It is associated with the Celtic people, who are particularly associated with the Gaelic culture of Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. Irish folk music has many different subgenres, such as ballads, jigs, reels and polkas.
Irish folk music is often accompanied by traditional instruments such as the fiddle, accordion, concertina, tin whistle, flute, bagpipes and bodhrán. Other common instruments include the penny whistle, bouzouki, bodhran, mandolin and uilleann pipes.
The Characteristics of Irish Folk Music
Irish folk music is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. It has its roots in the traditional music of Ireland, but it also incorporates elements of English and Scottish folk music. Irish folk music is highly rhythmic and is often accompanied by dancing.
Some of the most popular instruments used in Irish folk music include the Celtic harp, the tin whistle, the uilleann pipes, and the Bodhran (a type of drum). Irish folk music often features complex harmonies and intricate melodies. The lyrics of Irish folk songs often deal with themes of love, loss, and displacement.
Irish folk music has influenced many other genres of music, including country music, bluegrass, and rock. some of the most famous Irish folk songs include “The Fields of Athenry,” “The Wild Rover,” “Danny Boy,” and “Whiskey in the Jar.”
The Best of Irish Folk Music
Irish Folk Music has been around for centuries and has a rich history. It is a genre of music that is very versatile and can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Irish Folk Music is also very easy to learn and play. In this article, we will be discussing the best of Irish Folk Music.
The Clancy Brothers
The Clancy Brothers were an Irish folk music singing group, who rose to prominence during the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s. The group’s success opened the door for other Irish acts, including Tommy Makem, Liam Clancy, and the Dubliners. Most of the Clancy Brothers’ songs are rebel songs or drinking songs.
The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem were an influential and successful music act, who popularised traditional Irish songs in the English-speaking world during the late 1950s and 1960s. Known for their close harmonies on such popular recordings as “Give Me Your Hand” and “The Wild Colonial Boy”, they achieved international fame with their live performances on The Ed Sullivan Show and 13 other American TV appearances over a two-year span in 1963–64. The group’s recording of Dion Boucicault’s “The Donegal Reel” is widely regarded as a classic of Irish folk music.
The Dubliners
One of the most influential Folk bands of all time, The Dubliners helped to revive Irish Folk music in the 1960s and were a major force in bringing it to a international audience. The band was founded in 1962 by Luke Kelly, Barney McKenna, Ciarán Bourke and Ronnie Drew, who between them had a vast repertoire of traditional songs and tunes. They were soon joined by John Sheahan on fiddle and Paddy Reilly on guitar, and later by Sean Cannon.
The Dubliners’ first recordings were made for the tiny Major Minor label in 1964, but it was their live album At Home with The Dubliners that really put them on the map. The record captures the raw energy and excited atmosphere of their live performances, and features some of their best-loved songs including ‘The Wild Rover’, ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ and ‘Seven Drunken Nights’. It was followed by a string of successful albums including More of The Hard Stuff (1967), Hootenanny (1968) and Reaper (1969), as well as a legendary BBC television series which cemented their reputation as one of the greatest ever folk bands.
Planxty
Planxty is an Irish folk music group formed in Dublin, Ireland, in October 1972, by four young musicians – Christy Moore, Dónal Lunny, Andy Irvine and Liam O’Flynn – who shared a love of traditional Irish music and a wish to modernize it. The band’s sound—a fusion of traditional songs with jigs and reels played on various instruments— quickly won them renown within the Irish traditional music scene.
The group recorded six albums between 1973 and 1975, tours of Ireland and Europe followed. However, they disbanded in December 1975 as each member wished to pursue different musical interests. The band have been credited with being “a crucial influence on the development of Celtic rock”. Christy Moore went on to become one of Ireland’s most respected songwriters and singers; Liam O’Flynn was later honoured by the President of Ireland for his contributions to traditional music; Dónal Lunny has worked extensively as a producer, session musician, solo artist and full-time member of such bands as Moving Hearts and The Chieftains; Andy Irvine has continued to perform both solo and with various groups including Mozaik, Patrick Street and Usher’s Island. Planxty reformed in 1979 and continued to perform until 1983 when they once again disbanded. Since 1987 there have been occasional reunion concerts featuring some or all of the original members along with other leading performers from the Irish folk music scene such as Matt Molloy (of The Chieftains) or Niamh Parsons.
The band reformed for what was intended as a one-off concert at Dublin Castle on 9 September 2005 but this led to more reunion concerts held over the following two years in major venues such as Vicar Street in Dublin, the Royal Albert Hall in London or Carnegie Hall in New York City.[1] A new album entitled ‘The Best Of Planxty’–a double CD compiling tracks from all six of the original studio albums–was released during this period. In April 2007 it was announced that Planxty would be reforming for a series of 19 concerts over five months across Ireland beginning that July.[2][3] This run was extremely successful with all shows being sellouts except for one at Galway Cathedral where only 450 tickets were made available due to restrictions relating to the nature of the venue.[citation needed]ney Centre
The Chieftains
The Chieftains are an Irish musical group founded in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Sean Potts and Michael Tubridy. The band has undergone numerous personnel changes throughout its history, but Moloney has been the leader and driving force behind the band for its entire existence.
The band’s current line-up includes Moloney, Potts, Tubridy, Matt Molloy, Kevin Conneff, Peter Browne and Derek Gleeson. The Chieftains have won six Grammy Awards and been nominated for nineteen others; they have also won nine Celtic music awards.
The Chieftains’ music is characterized by its use of traditional Irish instruments, including the uilleann pipes, tin whistle, fiddle and bodhrán; green grow the rushes was one of their first big hits. The band has also been influenced by contemporary artists such as Van Morrison, Ry Cooder and The Rolling Stones; they collaborated with Morrison on the 1987 album Irish Heartbeat and with Cooder on the 1995 album San Patricio.
The Pogues
The Pogues were a Celtic punk band formed in London in 1982, fronted by Shane MacGowan and featuring Jem Finer, Spider Stacy, James Fearnley, Andrew Ranken, Phil Chevron, Darryl Hunt and Terry Woods. The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s due largely to MacGowan’s songwriting and Stacy’s tin whistle playing.
The Pogues released seven studio albums between 1985 and 1996. Their first album, Red Roses for Me (1984), was reasonably successful in the UK Albums Chart, reaching No. 46. However, it was with their second album, Rum Sodomy & the Lash (1985), that they achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success in the UK and Ireland; the album peaked at No. 2 in the UK Albums Chart and included two of their most popular songs, “The Irish Rover” and “Fairytale of New York”.
The Pogues have been credited with bringing traditional Irish music to a wider audience, as well as influencing a number of other bands and artists. They have influenced bands such as Flogging Molly[1] and Dropkick Murphys,[2] as well as artists such as Bob Dylan,[3] Morrissey,[4] Bruce Springsteen,[5] Joe Strummer,[6] Conor Oberst,[7] Hank Williams III,[8] TV on the Radio[9] and Arcade Fire.[10][11][12][13][14][15]
