The Music of Ireland

As the debate about the origins of the song "Danny Boy" proves, the question isn't all that simple. Contrary to popular misconception, Irish music did not develop in complete isolation from the rest of the world. Some songs about Ireland are indeed Irish, such as "The Meeting of the Waters." Some Irish tunes, like "Bonaparte's Retreat," aren't about Ireland at all. And a great many songs about Ireland or its people, such as "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" or "How are Things in Glocka Morra?," are considered "stage-Irish" and accordingly not part of a traditional Irish repertoire.

On another hand, some definitely non-Irish tunes like "The Glasgow Reel" have become Irish music standards. (But because the Scots stole and made a parody of the jig, I think it's only fair that the Irish be allowed to raid Scottish music.) Also, the traditional Irish set dance "Jockey to the Fair" and the English Morris dance of the same name use almost the exact same tune. Finally, the great harper, Ireland's national composer Turlough O'Carolan was about as strongly influenced by Italian Baroque music as he was by Irish folk tradition.

And most Irish musicians continue this grand tradition of stretching the boundaries of Irish music.

All that being said, however, the green-beer intoxicated singers of stage-Irish songs and even (as much as I love them) the fire department pipe and drum corps will not provide music as authentically Irish as the participants in the traditional seisiun.

Pronounced just like "session," this most important avenue of Irish music is precisely that- a friendly and sometimes very informal Irish music jam. The only rules are to be nice, have fun, and, if you're playing, keep up.

The music at a seisiun may include airs and ballads, but musicians at events like these like to focus on the most challenging and fun of all Irish music...

Reels are very fun, lively, and very challenging when played up to speed. Besides the Glasgow Reel, another well known Irish reel is "Red Haired Boy," which crossed the Atlantic to become an American bluegrass standard.

Similar to reels are the polkas. However, unlike the reels, which are always in 4/4 time, the polkas are in 2/4 time. Irish polkas also tend to be a little simpler and are typically played faster than reels. Probably the most famous Irish polka is "John Ryan's Polka," as played by Gaelic Storm in the movie "Titanic."

Hornpipes are played in either 2/4 or 4/4 time. However, quite unlike reels, polkas, or hornpipes from Scotland and England, the Irish hornpipe can be played a couple of radically different ways. Hornpipe tunes, when played for "sets" or ceili dances, are typically played "straight" and moderately fast, though not as fast as reels. However, for hard shoe hornpipes, the same tunes are played with a heavy "swing" or syncopation that is never written in the transcriptions and therefore gives most classically trained musicians fits.

Oftentimes, when people ask me to play an Irish jig, I'm tempted to reply, "What kind?" Irish music and dance offer no less than three or four different kinds.

Slip jigs, the dance tunes that probably give Irish musicians the most sleepless nights, are played in 9/8 time. Played and danced well, however, the slip jig can range from fun and quirky like "Last Night's Fun" or haunting and graceful, like "The Butterfly."

Single jigs and double jigs are played in 6/8 time. However, single jigs are distinguishable by a preponderance of dotted quarter notes, as opposed to double jigs, which usually contain a double set of triplets in each measure. Double jig tunes are also used for two kinds of Irish dances. A fast double jig is used to accompany the soft shoe "light jig." It can also be slowed down to accompany more complicated hard shoe "heavy jigs." Besides the extremely tired and overplayed "Washerwoman," probably the most famous jig tune is "St. Patrick's Day," which was prominently featured in the soundtrack of "The Quiet Man" and was also used by Ludwig van Beethoven in his setting of "The Pulse of an Irishman."

Instruments you can expect to see at a seisiun or any other Irish musical event typically include accordion, concertina, fiddle, tinwhistle, Irish flute, mandolin, bouzouki, banjo, guitar, bodhran, and maybe if you're really lucky, Celtic harp and uilleann pipes. And when the musicians feel like taking a break from the dance music, someone may sing a ballad or give the whole rest of the band a break and do some traditional, unaccompanied sean nos singing.

The tinwhistle is often mistaken for a straight recorder, but it has six holes, uses different fingerings, and can be easier to learn. Each whistle is tuned to a specific key, so it's pretty typical for whistle enthusiasts to bring several whistles all of different sizes.

The Irish flute can range from a simple six holed instrument that's played just like a transverse whistle, to instruments with a simple key system, to flutes that are no different than the modern flute except for being made of wood.

The bouzouki, a mainstay in Greek music, is a recent newcomer to Irish music, having been popularized in Ireland in the 1960's. However, it pretty quickly spawned a flat-backed descendant adapted specifically for Irish music.

The bodhran is a drum held in one hand and played usually with a beater in the other.

The Celtic harp is quite different from the double action pedal harp common in orchestras. A folk harp can range in size from the two foot high lap harp to maybe about four and a half feet high. Strings of brass or nickel wire may be used, although many harpers (as players of the folk harp are called) use a combination of metal wound and nylon strings. Also, instead of the pedals found on concert harps, the folk harp may employ a series of sharping levers at the top of each string.

Finally, the uilleann pipes are wind instruments noted for getting their air supply from a set of bellows pumped by the elbow. (Uilleann is Irish for elbow, hence the name.) They are also distinguishable from other kinds of bagpipes for their sweet tone, range, and regulators, three closed pipes with keys which can allow for playing of simple chords.

So with this knowledge in hand, you'll know what to expect from anyone promising real Irish music for St. Patrick's Day!