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d A Guide to Irish Traditional Musicd
Ireland’s outgoing culture continues to foster The Tin Whistle
musicians and storytellers in every town and An Feadóg Stáin (“fa-oak stawn”)
cove.
Beloved of Irish school children, the feadóg or Irish
Today Seán Ó Riada’s son, Peadar, continues in this penny whistle or “tin-whistle” as it is sometimes called,
father’s footsteps enriching and expanding the is a versatile and portable staple of the Irish music
traditional musical soundscapes deepening it’s roots in scene. Every traditional musician has one in his musical
the Irish language. You can join him on a Friday night armoury. If you are starting out in Irish music, this is an
on Radio na Gaeltachta – 92.8fm from 9.00pm for an instrument of choice. With this you can learn the many
enchanting evening of the best music the Irish tradition traditional airs of Ireland’s rich musical repertoire. From
has to offer. here, you can progress to the more elaborate fingering
of the Irish flute, the Pipes or the finger-stretching Low
Check out fantastic website where you can search by Whistle.
date and location all over the world to find your nearest
session : www.thesession.org
If you are out enjoying an Irish seisiún or music session
in one of the many pubs along your coastal journey you
are likely to meet some of these fellas!
The Bodhrán Tin Whistle
(“bow-rawn”)
The Fiddle
This is a traditional Irish hand drum usually made of (An Fidil)
goatskin which is played either with the hand of with a
small wooden stick. Popular throughout North Africa The Irish fiddle, fidle, is an instrument mentioned as
and undoubtedly related to the Moroccan Tambir, the early as the Book of Leinster, a manuscript written
Bodhrán, like all hand drums finds it’s ancestor in the in 1160 , in an ancient poem describing the Fair of
ancient sieves once used to separate the wheat from the Carman. This was not of course the modern form of the
chaff. To play this instrument, it is usually balanced on violin which was developed in its present form in only
the knee and a player places the left hand as a balance the second half of the sixteenth century in Italy.
while playing with the right. As an instrument, evidence Although the fiddle is in surface identical to the Violin,
suggests that it was not much used in traditional Irish four strings wooden body and played with a bow- the
music performance until the twentieth century. Since Fiddle is played in an entirely different manner and in a
Ó Riada’s innovation, however, the bodhrán has been an variety of regional styles. Mostly known for fast snappy
almost indispensable element within Irish music groups. reels and jigs this versatile instrument can also draw out
There is an energy and vitality in the music of Ireland Irish slow airs once played by sensitive hands.
that can equal anything popular music has to offer. Where a classical repertoire may demand precision and
clinical adherance to notation – traditional music prides
The Bodhran itself in a virtuosic individuality. As part of an oral
tradition, the music is optimally learned by ear; notation
is sometimes referred to as the “hanger” upon which
the tune must take form. The beauty of this distinction
is that a player of traditional music is not as such always
putting on a show nor is he or she slavishly following
the dictates of another. Rather, a culture bearer of this
tradition allows something to flow through that belongs
neither to him nor to those who are listening. A spiritual
dimension is at play here and who knows where the
music will take you, if you can still your mind and only
listen. Irish music can rather be understood as a gateway
to one’s interior landscape. Musicians are often seen, eyes
closed, transported to another world. There is at times a
166
Ireland’s outgoing culture continues to foster The Tin Whistle
musicians and storytellers in every town and An Feadóg Stáin (“fa-oak stawn”)
cove.
Beloved of Irish school children, the feadóg or Irish
Today Seán Ó Riada’s son, Peadar, continues in this penny whistle or “tin-whistle” as it is sometimes called,
father’s footsteps enriching and expanding the is a versatile and portable staple of the Irish music
traditional musical soundscapes deepening it’s roots in scene. Every traditional musician has one in his musical
the Irish language. You can join him on a Friday night armoury. If you are starting out in Irish music, this is an
on Radio na Gaeltachta – 92.8fm from 9.00pm for an instrument of choice. With this you can learn the many
enchanting evening of the best music the Irish tradition traditional airs of Ireland’s rich musical repertoire. From
has to offer. here, you can progress to the more elaborate fingering
of the Irish flute, the Pipes or the finger-stretching Low
Check out fantastic website where you can search by Whistle.
date and location all over the world to find your nearest
session : www.thesession.org
If you are out enjoying an Irish seisiún or music session
in one of the many pubs along your coastal journey you
are likely to meet some of these fellas!
The Bodhrán Tin Whistle
(“bow-rawn”)
The Fiddle
This is a traditional Irish hand drum usually made of (An Fidil)
goatskin which is played either with the hand of with a
small wooden stick. Popular throughout North Africa The Irish fiddle, fidle, is an instrument mentioned as
and undoubtedly related to the Moroccan Tambir, the early as the Book of Leinster, a manuscript written
Bodhrán, like all hand drums finds it’s ancestor in the in 1160 , in an ancient poem describing the Fair of
ancient sieves once used to separate the wheat from the Carman. This was not of course the modern form of the
chaff. To play this instrument, it is usually balanced on violin which was developed in its present form in only
the knee and a player places the left hand as a balance the second half of the sixteenth century in Italy.
while playing with the right. As an instrument, evidence Although the fiddle is in surface identical to the Violin,
suggests that it was not much used in traditional Irish four strings wooden body and played with a bow- the
music performance until the twentieth century. Since Fiddle is played in an entirely different manner and in a
Ó Riada’s innovation, however, the bodhrán has been an variety of regional styles. Mostly known for fast snappy
almost indispensable element within Irish music groups. reels and jigs this versatile instrument can also draw out
There is an energy and vitality in the music of Ireland Irish slow airs once played by sensitive hands.
that can equal anything popular music has to offer. Where a classical repertoire may demand precision and
clinical adherance to notation – traditional music prides
The Bodhran itself in a virtuosic individuality. As part of an oral
tradition, the music is optimally learned by ear; notation
is sometimes referred to as the “hanger” upon which
the tune must take form. The beauty of this distinction
is that a player of traditional music is not as such always
putting on a show nor is he or she slavishly following
the dictates of another. Rather, a culture bearer of this
tradition allows something to flow through that belongs
neither to him nor to those who are listening. A spiritual
dimension is at play here and who knows where the
music will take you, if you can still your mind and only
listen. Irish music can rather be understood as a gateway
to one’s interior landscape. Musicians are often seen, eyes
closed, transported to another world. There is at times a
166
