This video will help provide a broad overview of one aspect of Irish Music and a beginning introduction to some key people, places and ideas. Students will now begin their individual cybersleuthing journeys to investigate/explore things/ideas that personally resonate after having viewed this documentary. They will compile and organize, as they proceed, a categorized list of ideas, questions, sources and links. They'll be able to cull from this list, many ideas and sources for their formative blog postings in our "Blog as Journal" project and their summative VoiceThread work.
This documentary on Irish music was very insightful and showed a lot detail about the history of Irish music and how it has transformed. I didn’t only learn about the transformation about Irish music in this documentary, but I also learned about the transformation of Ireland as a whole. Catholicism was a rallying point for Irish nationalism and the Catholic Church largely controlled the Republic of Ireland’s government. As the Republic of Ireland was forming the Irish remained skeptical of their own culture including aspects such as music and dance. What I found particularly interesting is that Irish folk music became popular throughout the rest of the world, and especially America, before it became popular in Ireland itself. It seems like this doesn’t happen with most other cultures because people seem to embrace their own culture’s music rather quickly.
In this movie, I enjoyed many of the bands and performers that were shown. One of these bands was the Clancy Brothers who became popular in Ireland after they became popular in America. It seem that this happens with many of these bands because many of them have an American music twist that isn’t a part of tradition Irish folk music. When the bazuki was introduced into Irish folk music, everything seemed to change. Even though the bazuki is known for its Mediterranean sound, it has been easily incorporated to the Irish folk music scene. The musician who introduced the bazuki into Irish folk music made that a traditionally sounding instrument within the music and created what we may know as Irish folk music today. One of the most surprising facts that I learned is that Celtic music is actually a new music and is not traditional. From what I’ve heard of Celtic music it sounds very old and traditional and think many other people might also have that misconception!
Some links that I found that could relate are below.
I really like your comments! Before watching the documentary, I also didn't know that Celtic music is actually a fairly-recent invention. I particularly enjoyed learning more about the Clancy Brothers from the link that you provided, as well.
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Kirstie Gorthy
2/3/2014 02:58:04 pm
Natalie, it is funny how Irish folk music became so popular in America, even before Ireland itself. Thanks for that interesting fact. In class, I remember Dr. Coe saying that Irish culture is super big even in Japan! Insane. It's weird how a particular culture, such as Irish culture, can be expressed so greatly in other parts of the world that are thousands of miles away. You would think Americans would be proud to be who they are, yet many praise the Irish culture instead because they have roots or just love drinking at pubs and dancing their butts off until 5 A.M. I've always found it hilarious, though awesome, that we (semi) celebrate St. Patrick's Day here. Great post, Natalie.
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Jessica L
2/4/2014 09:31:46 am
One aspect from this video that particularly resonates with me is the concept of the “marginalization” of the Irish culture. The documentary suggests that Irish culture has come “full circle” in this respect, returning it to a state not unlike that of the period immediately following Ireland’s independence from British rule. At the time, the people were largely skeptical of their own culture, despite a renewed effort, under the leadership of Éamon de Valera, to promote a revival of traditional Irish culture. In the decades since then, Ireland has in many respects returned to its old roots, as demonstrated by its flourishing musical scene in particular. While Irish people today are not “skeptical” of their own culture, it seems that the popularization of all things Irish has had two opposite effects: it has restored the Irish culture to a state of perpetuity, but at the same time it has begun to oversimplify the Irish culture itself. In today’s world, as Irish culture becomes more and more popular, so too is it reduced by stereotypes and other popular misconceptions about it.
To me, it seems that such an occurrence, although unfortunate, is perhaps an inevitable outcome of globalization. The more “visible” a culture becomes on a global stage, the more it is pressured to conform to that which is more familiar for other cultures. For instance, as Irish traditional music has grown in popularity, so too has there been increased pressure on the different regional styles to become “standardized” in order to meet popular demand (as noted in the video from TG4). The effect of globalization, however, is not necessarily all negative—in recent decades, for example, the influence of other cultures have brought about new styles of Irish music that would not have existed otherwise. Nevertheless, in the future the challenge will remain for Ireland to find a way to preserve its traditional way of life, in spite of the many outside influences of the modern world.
Below are a few related links for future study:
Traditional Irish folk songs:
http://www.ireland-information.com/irishmusic/irishsongs-music-lyrics-midis.htm
Sample from a workshop on traditional sean-nós singing and dancing (Dublin, 2011):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B_7cjn4CNU
The Globalization of Irish Traditional Song Performance (book):
http://books.google.com/books?id=n1Ya0CDrHJwC&dq=irish+music+standardization&source=gbs_navlinks_s
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Kirstie Gorthy
2/4/2014 03:00:36 pm
Leave it up to Jessica to implement economics in some fashion! Haha! It is interesting to read that the Irish used to not like their own culture, yet now it is so embraced. It's weird how humans are like that. For example, I always hated how my dad made me do cross country in high school, but now that I am in college, I'm proud to have programmed great running habits into my life so I can stay healthy. I enjoyed reading your perspective.
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Jazmin Fontenot
2/5/2014 02:23:18 am
I also found the concept of marginalization in the documentary interesting. Another aspect, aside from the ones you mentioned, was how older music was marginalized and people where dismissed as drunks. Now, after watching the documentary, people appreciate it much more.
Kara Brown
2/5/2014 01:28:43 pm
Good points. The oversimplification is somewhat tragic. It is unfortunate that people resort so soon to stereotyping. I guess it's all in an effort to make sense of things and categorize/simplify them in ways, but it sure makes us miss out on what is really there if we would just dig deeper.
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Derrick G.
2/4/2014 12:30:56 pm
This documentary discussed the evolution of Irish music and all of the phases it went through to gain the popularity it has today. The part that I found truly fascinating about the Folk Revival was that it started abroad. Ireland was in a time of upheaval and those looking for revolution “saw Irish future in its past.” That being said however, it was intriguing to see that the Folk revival in America helped the transition in music. Essentially there was this dreadful environment for inspiration as people were “skeptical of their own Irish culture.” Out of this to be tasked with reconstructing a nation, despite the constant changing and ongoing trials and tribulations that are such a famous part of Irish history, seems impossible. Yet upon traveling to America and other places and hearing music and being struck with the idea to take old songs and remake them, or building off of the traditional music and beginning to adapt, it seemed like a brilliant idea. Perhaps leaving the situation and being exposed to other atmospheres was necessary to capture the lightning in a bottle as it were.
I was really intrigued by the process and how it coincided with the boom in Irish economy known as the Celtic tiger. The process of being traditional and then slightly changing and changing as it is filtered through different countries amazed me. The video spoke on how it united them and let their creativity and zeal flow through and I couldn’t help but wonder if Irish music would ever have taken the same path had the historical events not occurred. It really seemed like everything, as crazy as it sounds, happened for a reason or had a profound effect on Irish music and its impact on the country.
Celtic Tiger, Irish Economy : origins, crash, boom, property, origin ...
http://www.finfacts.com/celtictigereconomyireland.htm
PBS - American Roots Music : Into the Classroom - Historical ...
http://www.pbs.org/americanrootsmusic/pbs_arm_itc_historical_background.html
Northern Ireland: Eyewitness accounts of 1972 "Bloody Sunday" massacre indict British army
I really liked how you connected the celtic tiger to the music documentary. I also liked your connection between Irish music and Irish-American (influenced) music. Good work.
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Kirstie Gorthy
2/4/2014 03:30:01 pm
I never thought I could be this into Irish music on the first day Dr. Coe introduced it to us. Leaving class on Monday was almost difficult. I wanted to keep searching for talented Irish musicians and listening to their magnificent stories in class, but instead I continued in the confines of my room. From this documentary and the various YouTube videos I came across, I realized how Irish music is more along the lines of storytelling. I felt like I was sitting around a campfire, roasting marshmallows, and listening to their brutal and amazing history. It must be exhausting to produce songs with such deep meaning that is not only moving for the author, but also for the consumer. In Ireland, the music is always the center of attention, not the person performing it. In a video of Karan Casey (a member of the group Solas) singing at a concert, you see that she is not putting on a show. She is closing her eyes and letting the Gaelic words she harmonizes tell the entire story (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cBsWIpkuT0). As the viewer, I am able to see that the song has become a part of her. To me this is beautiful and unique because in America I’m used to the performer overpowering the song, causing some of the meaning to be lost. The idea behind most of Irish music, like I have said, is to recite the history of past events such as battles, immigration, love, etc. These musicians attempt to tell people of the future what happened in the past through art rather than in a text book.
This video incorporated a wide range of musicians, some of which had perfectly pitched voices and others, not so much. However, not every Irish singer needs to be “good,” or have a perfect voice, as long as they are telling the story word for word. Same goes for the other musicians on the concertina or fiddle. Their only requirement is to play note for note the way the tradition was passed on to them. Music in Ireland is a hobby for all; even those who are blind can recite the music due to the method of oral transmission. This idea is so much different than what we are used to in America. Musicians have so much pressure put on them to be perfect, whereas in Ireland, anyone can be a musician if they desire. Just think about how dynamically different TV shows like The Voice or Irish Idol would be! (How incredible would it be to visit Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, an annual competition in Ireland between musicians, to see how raw and imperfect many are?) Everyone, traditionally starting at a young age, has a chance to interact with music and learn the stories from generations before. In the video, the interviewer asks an Irish violinist if it’s hard to play the violin. The older man proceeds to tell him no, absolutely not, and shows him that he is able to play as well. As we’ve learned with Traditional Irish music, many creators of popular songs have so long been forgotten after being passed down so many times. But the history of who wrote the specific song is not as important to the people of Ireland as is the actual story behind what is sung or played. In America, we know who has produced the song we hear because it’s written down. Sometimes the author of the song is not the same person who performs it and gets all of the credit, though it is not exactly allowed to copy the song completely and perform it at your own venue. The difference between Irish and American music is something of which I hope to study further, for my “cybersleuthing” has only just begun.
Tomás Ó Maoldomhnaigh explains traditional music (Sean-nos’):
http://comhaltas.ie/music/treoir/detail/amhranaiocht_ar_an_sean_nos/http://www.irish-expressions.com/irish-folk-songs.html
An article about Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann:
http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/travel/music-music-more-music-converging-on-cavan-town-100719804-237710611.html
An outline of Irish music as a part of their culture:
http://www.visitireland.com/aboutireland/music.asp
Just another video to show how talented Irish people are – Two Irish men dancing to one of my favorite songs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSIMbqVP4ns
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Rachel Jones
2/5/2014 02:29:59 am
Kirstie, I watched, the dubsteb/step dance remix of Crave You-- Wow. I think this is a great example of the integration of traditional Irish dance and music with modern themes... A topic that continues to excite me. This is great, thank you for sharing.
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Rachel Jones
2/5/2014 04:41:25 am
Original folk music was not revived in Ireland during the 20th century--rather, it was changed. I am fascinated by the evolution of Irish folk music and how that relates to its popularity. In general biology we learn that as an environment changes, organisms that exist in the ecosystem must adapt along with it or be lost completely. This is the underlying idea of evolution. Irish folk music nearly became extinct, until it made a dramatic comeback--but not without a few significant changes.
Before Irish folk music could begin to be fully accepted in Ireland, it needed to be admired and popular elsewhere. Once America openly glorified Irish music, Ireland began to start changing the view it held of its own musical history. The Clancy Brothers in New York recognized that folk music as sung by the old timers of the past could not be popular with today's people. They retained the stories expressed in the folk songs, but shortened them and sped up the beat, making them exciting and inspiring for listeners. They began to give folk music a contemporary twist, and it worked. A lot of early folk music began to cross over into mainstream. The Dubliners in Ireland soon followed suit, and brought Irish folk music to a new audience and a new generation. I think this was an important step in the ultimate acceptance of folk music from Ireland's past.
This "new" kind of old music ignited passion in the nation's youth, especially with Planxty's revitalized folk songs. By modernizing the telling of older stories, Planxty opened the door for numerous other bands in Ireland (ranging from traditional to pop/rock) to represent the historic folk songs in a new and exciting way that resonated with the public. Without these drastic changes in its style, folk music would have been unable to bring a renewed interest in traditional music to Ireland. It had to change, in essence, to survive.
A few interesting topics of consideration I stumbled upon:
An article from the Journal of Music about the post-revival age, and what the revival even meant.
http://journalofmusic.com/focus/time-kill-revival
An article about the band Plantxy, dubbing them the "most influential band in the history of Irish traditional music." (gives you an idea of how revolutionary/big of a deal they were!)
http://www.taramusic.com/biogs/planxty.htm
The Horselips music video " Dearg Doom " from the documentary, because I liked it that much:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5G8AJf4Xzw
A JSTOR paper about Music and Politics in Ireland: The Specificity of the Folk Revival in Belfast-- I see this being useful for future topics, check it out!
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3060683
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Adam G.
2/5/2014 10:26:32 am
I never thought about how the development of Irish Folk Music could be related to biological evolution. It's a really good comparison, and can certainly be applied to other types of music as well. The work of the bands you talked about can certainly be considered evolutionary. It's interesting to think about how much changed in Irish Folk Music, and what stayed the same. Thanks Rachel, this is a great post.
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Jazmin Fontenot
2/5/2014 06:17:46 am
I love how Irish music mirrors the history of Ireland. In the documentary you could see how as culture changed the songs did as well. The music is able to show how people lived and felt at that time. It is very different from music most of us listen to because the emphasis is on the story instead of a strong beat. For example, Willie Clancy produced music that expressed “nothing to lose” because no one was listening. This makes you question how music changes when people have something to lose.
My favorite part of the documentary was hearing the Dubliners. I particularly like the sound of the violin and the upbeat tempo that makes you want to clap. There seems to be a strong contrast to Irish music that is slow and more mournful. Both types of music are a form of unity for the people; however, the Dubliners (as in the video below that I linked) are able to get everyone up and dancing!
The Dubliners. This is interesting to see how well the music brings people together.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZxtOGSJ7lc
Also the Dubliners. I found this interesting because the artists really put on a performance and the story is prominent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e14nXoxofk4
More on the Dubliners history
http://itsthedubliners.com/dubs_01.htm
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Adam G.
2/5/2014 08:00:09 am
One of the central themes of the documentary was the way in which Irish music played a part in the complicated political situation of the twentieth century, especially in the latter half, which I, personally, found fascinating. Music became very important in Irish politics in the latter half of the twentieth century, around the time of Bloody Sunday and the Hunger Strike, and the music of the people living in Southern Ireland reflected much of the views of the younger generation on the situation. Many viewed the government as incredibly corrupt, and they used music to protest what they viewed as a highly oppressive government. This is something that is commonly seen throughout human culture, as people tend to resist cultural wrongdoings in the form of music, as seen in American Jazz. I found the relationship between Irish music and the politics of the region to be fascinating, as, though I was aware of the existence of an Irish musical style, I did not know just how entrenched recent Irish music was in Irish politics. Of course, the conflict in Ireland was a very complex and ambiguous situation. I found it very interesting to find that sometimes when U2 plays in Ireland, they are asked not to do “Sunday Bloody Sunday” (one of U2’s most well-known songs) due to the fact that it because it can insight a large amount of tension and rabble rousing. Really, the role of Irish music in Irish politics of the latter half of the twentieth century illustrates just how complex and dire the situation really was. For me, it's a very interesting subject which I hope to dig into further this semester.
Of course, Irish music didn’t play a large role in politics just in the latter half of the Twentieth century; it certainly was important to earlier periods of Irish history as well. This wasn’t covered as heavily in the documentary, so I had to do some cyber sleuthing on the subject, and what I found was quite interesting. As discussed in the documentary, Irish Folk Music was largely performed by the lower class of Irish society, playing into the severe class struggles Ireland has gone through. Certainly, as the Irish Network for Nonviolent Action Training and Education claims, music was used to protest societal wrongdoings in Irish politics for quite a long time. The songs discussed include the issues that I have talked about, but also cover other topics surrounding Ireland’s relationship with Great Britain, and wars the country was involved in. As Helen O’Shea discusses in her article on music and politics, Irish music was central to the conflict between Irish Nationalist and British Colonialists, one of the most defining aspects of historical Irish politics. In the end, I found that the documentary and my cyber sleuthing illustrated remarkably well just how important Irish music is to the issues of Irish politics, something which is certainly essential to many other countries and cultures.
Here are some articles for further study:
Defining the Nation and Confining the Musician: The Case of Irish Traditional Music:
http://www.music.ucsb.edu/projects/musicandpolitics/archive/2009-2/oshea.html
Troubled Tunes: The Musical Legacy of Bloody Sunday: http://renouncereverb.com/2012/02/04/troubled-tunes-the-musical-legacy-of-bloody-sunday/
Musical Musings on Irish History and Culture: http://www.innatenonviolence.org/old/pamphlets/wrimusic.htm
“Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQZLPV6xcHI&feature=kp
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Peter C
2/5/2014 10:40:25 am
It has become apparent to me, from watching this video, internet sleuthing, as well as discussions in and out of class, that throughout Ireland’s long history of occupation, many Irish had lost a sense of self. One of the major causes of this was Britain’s tight regulation upon traditional Catholic values. Traditional language, culture, music, and religious beliefs were thrown away and replaced with a British mentality. In addition to this, as Ireland grew and city centers grew more prosperous, many Irish moved out of their traditional lands and into the growing cities. Both of these occurrences meant that a large portion of the Irish populace was forced to take a step away from their traditional roots. This meant that the traditional Irish culture was preserved in the small towns and counties that had little direct interaction with the British and the urbanization. This is where the sean-no’s singing and dancing were preserved, specifically in the areas of Donegal, and East and West Munster. The music of these areas was never popularized, and was often used in a private, local manner. This all changed as the Irish people begin to wake up from the slumber of British occupation.
Though the creation of the Republic of Ireland sparked a political and personal return to roots for the Irish people, a cultural return was still essential. It’s fascinating that this traditional cultural return did not initially spark within Ireland, but instead within the United States of America. It was as if the people of Ireland needed to view their culture from an outside perspective to see what they had lost. It was at this time that there was a great movement to reconnect with those communities who still heavily invested themselves in the sean-no’s tradition. Musicians that had a mix of varying perspectives, of American culture, modern Irish, and classical sean-no’s, such as Sweeney’s Men, were essential in connecting the urbanized centers with those traditional Irish communities. This bringing together of the future and the past not only brought together the people of Ireland into one community but also transformed them with a new identity. Though the history, the troubles, and traditional beliefs, still ran hot in their blood, they now had a new sense of identity, one they had been lacking for hundreds of years. Not only were they Irish in blood, but Irish in the global community. It’s amazing to me how something we might often overlook, such as music, truly can be defining of a people.
Washington Post Article on Irelands Troubled History
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/nireland/overview.htm
Sean-nós in Donegal
http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/sean-nos.htm
Discussions on the Session Concerning Irish Music as Cultural Identity
http://thesession.org/discussions/12985
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Amanda T.
2/5/2014 11:01:28 am
After watching the documentary, I learned that music plays a significant role in Irish culture. I thought it was especially interesting that one of the Clancy brothers mentioned something about the “pub tradition” which I would infer to include drinking and singing. I feel like I compare a lot about what I learn in this class to the Disney movie “The Luck of the Irish” since that was my first encounter of anything having to do with Irish culture (even though Disney’s portrayal may be stereotypical). The music at the beginning of the film reminds me of the scene in “The Luck of the Irish” where the bad guys are singing in a restaurant and Seamus (the main antagonist) feels the presence of someone trying to steal the gold he supposedly stole from other leprechauns hidden away in his RV. After reviewing the movie scene, I discovered the songs they sung were “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye” and “Molly Malone” which just so happen to be famous Irish drinking songs (I’ve posted links to these songs below if anyone wants to take a listen, I’m almost certain you’ve heard them before since they are pretty popular). This scene in the movie ties in with the documentary because it supports the Irish pub culture of drinking and singing and just people coming together to celebrate or have a good time.
Another part of the documentary supporting Irish pub culture was the formation of the Ronnie Drew Band (aka The Dubliners). The documentary stated that he put his band together with his musical drinking pals which I thought was pretty funny because it makes me think that a pub is more than a pub in Ireland. It seems like not just a place to go to get drunk and hang out but it could also serve as a place to share interests and possibly do business (interestingly enough). This also raises the question of why Irish people like to drink. Is it just part of social interactions? Is it tradition? Both? On the same topic of music but disregarding pubs, I thought it was amazing when Mr. Dunn, the old fiddle player during the 7:00 minute mark, gave his bow to the reporter to hold and he began moving his fiddle against the bow to play music. I’ve never seen anybody do that before so I thought it was pretty incredible because it displayed his talent in such a unique way and produced the same kind of sound.
Additional Research
“The Luck of the Irish” soundtrack
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1424813/soundtrack
One of the songs off the soundtrack is “Fermoy Lasses” by Wintergreen which features many of the traditional Irish instruments we learned about in class:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rqc-5kaeUE
Seamus and pot of gold scene:
“Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye” – I chose the Karan Casey cover of this song because she was mentioned in class
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6bqTIQh1FI
Molly Malone (Cockles and Mussels) – Sinead O’Connor cover
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ouqhCtIh2g
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Jordan W
2/5/2014 12:10:12 pm
Amanda, you are absolutely right. The pub functions as a place of social glue, business exchange(s), and personal meetings. It appears as if the pub is the "third place" between home and work. I find it interesting that Irish pub culture gets an interesting reputation in other countries. Check out this video of Who's Line Is It Anyway performing an improv game known as the Irish Drinking Song: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icUU3MCrACc>.
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Jonah Shuman
2/5/2014 11:23:59 am
The film gave a nice overview of Irish music, I think, because a lot of topics were touched on, none of which stole the spotlight for too long. I appreciated the historical overview and information on the instruments quite a lot; there is a rich slice of history in this information. I found it interesting that Ireland had two folk revivals despite the ongoing traditional music and sean-nós music/dance. I’m not entirely sure if they mentioned the Conradh na Gaeilge (Gaelic League) in the film, but it is interesting that upon breaking free of British occupation, the Irish people/government sought to revive their language, history, and culture. This movement, although not directly tied to traditional music, is now controlled by the Foras na Gaeilge and has effectively preserved the Irish language. Without this, the traditional music would have been lost almost entirely, as the songs and stories in Gaelic are supremely important to this portion of Irish history and culture. From this, we can gather that the art of the Irish language is supremely important to their sense of identity. In language, native people can express themselves in the rawest forms, which of course helps when making equally beautiful and personal music.
What really struck me were the sections on traditional instruments. As a musician, I have picked up and played so many instruments, but I have never had the opportunity to play the uilleann pipes, basúcaí Éireannach (Irish bouzouki), or the bodhrán. When they explained the history of the bouzouki, I wanted to know more about it because it looks like a funny mandolin. Upon looking into the history, I found that the bouzouki originated in Greece; the original design sported a domed back and long scale, which made the instrument a little cumbersome. Modifying the design to a flat backed body, the Irish bouzouki stuck with the long scale and is therefore in its own class of stringed instrument. Well, not really, but it should have its own category because, although it is similar to the mandolin and lute, it is not the same. This instrument has become a typical find in Irish music because of Johnny Moynihan, who is now “driven berserk because you cannot hear Irish music without some fucker playin’ the bouzouki.” I know that sentence is a little much for academic purposes, but I feel it sums up the sense of Irish love-hate we mentioned in our discussion on popular Irish music. Without the spread of Irish music, these instruments would have had a much harder time being known; it is an accomplishment to have musical styles and instruments branch out from their motherland, yet the Irish seem so nonchalant about their culture.
Here are some links to consider, based on what I’ve covered.
Websites for the Conradh na Gaeilge and Foras na Gaeilge, which can be translated into English:
https://cnag.ie/ga/ and http://www.gaeilge.ie/
An article on the history of uilleann pipes:
http://www.taramusic.com/features/lofpipes.htm
An article on the history and mechanics of the Irish bouzouki:
http://www.mcdonaldstrings.com/zook_article.html
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Jordan W
2/5/2014 12:06:38 pm
The Irish documentary posted did a wonderful job of documenting the progression and evolution of Irish music. I was fascinated to learn today (from the documentary, our class discussion, and from cyber research) that Irish musicians purposefully avoid isolating themselves, boxing themselves into a specific scene or genre. While many people on this blog noted that Irish music required American acceptance to grow, I find that Irish music was, in fact, intended for a wider audience than Ireland itself. I do agree, however, that Irish music was appreciated more abroad than it did in Ireland, and, because of this, Ireland gained a greater sense of community and identity. To make my case, let’s examine one of the most popular (Irish) rock bands of all time, U2.
Ireland’s U2 sings songs not only related to Irish events, such as their hit tune “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” but also spirituality, like their tune, “40,” which is a musical adaption of Psalm 40. By avoiding labeling themselves as strictly “Irish” music or “religious” music, U2 is able to reach a wider, more expansive audience. By ignoring labels and specific sub-genres, U2 is able to share stories of their faith, their country (Ireland), and their experiences with all countries, peoples, and cultures. If U2 labeled themselves as religious, for example, their music would only reach religious people. It follows logically then that Irishness, and Irish music, is not only for Ireland, but for the entire world. Looking deeper into U2, and Irish music, we can uncover their desire for an audience greater than Ireland. In “One,” one of U2’s more popular tunes, Bono sings “one life with each other: sisters, brothers. One life, but we’re not the same. We get to carry each other, carry each other. One, one.” It is clear from the lyrics that Bono is arguing for diversity and diverse people to discover “oneness.”
Making the case that Irish music is not only for the Irish, the narrator of the documentary opined, “We’ve wrapped our identity in this music . . . and to understand the music fully, we may have to undo that, too.” U2 exemplifies this quote as they sing and share stories of Ireland and spirituality, but do so in a way that other people who aren’t Irish can understand and connect to the greater “story.” After all, music isn’t only for one type of people, but for all peoples.
I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts on this brief analysis.
Beyond location: The relevance of regional identities in Irish Traditional music: http://eprints.dkit.ie/254/1/Beyond_location_Kearney.pdf
Hybridity & National Musics: The Case of Irish Rock Music: http://0-www.jstor.org.skyline.ucdenver.edu/stable/pdfplus/853667.pdf?acceptTC=true&acceptTC=true&jpdConfirm=true
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Kirstie Gorthy
2/5/2014 01:45:13 pm
Jordan - I find it so strange that some cultures choose to express themselves throughout the whole world as a way to validate their pride and identity. I would think communities would be selfish of their culture and want to keep it all to themselves rather than share it with the rest of the world. But I know even I take for granted several aspects of my life until I am able to see how meaningful it really was. My dad started taking me camping as soon as I could walk. As a child, I absolutely hated even hearing the word. But now I realize how special those bonding moments with my father were. I enjoy being outside whether it's camping, hiking, or running. Just over break I went winter backpacking for three days, and over the summer I went on a five day backpacking trip in Hawaii. Those moments are ones that I'll never forget. I have become exceedingly more proud of that part of my identity. It takes time and sometimes even other people to show you what you really have.
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Tegan
2/5/2014 12:33:52 pm
The documentary was really helpful in contextualizing the significance and depth of the musical culture in Ireland, both from a historical standpoint and a social standpoint. I was fairly unfamiliar with Irish music before. The majority of my experience with it, in fact, has been with the tiny, commercialized "Celtic Women," and some vague images of bearded men playing fiddles and bagpipes (which, as we've learned, they do not use, but rather prefer the uillean pipes.) I thought it was really interesting that music played such an important role in politics. It seemed pretty clear that the music held part of the Irish identity, but I had no idea that British rule had really tried to wipe out the entire tradition (because that's never happened before...) I also found the whole Irish-American "revolution" in music pretty interesting. America has been a sort of catalyst for a few revolutions. However, despite the American influence, and the influences of all the other nations, Irish music has remained very much its own domain; extremely distinct, and gracefully so. I really enjoy and respect that.
There was a point in the documentary about 55 minutes in where the speaker says "You could come out as being a fan of traditional music. We were kind of sneakily in love with the music, but didn't want to admit it. There was a split between what it was and what it meant. What it was is one thing, you know; it was life affirming, it was joyous, it was energetic. The meaning that had been attributed to it was... backward... just presenting it in a different way, it was okay to admit that you liked it." There's something very genuine about that conversation, which of course, can be applied in so many aspects of life, and it resonated strongly with me.
Another point to Irish music that I found interesting was the juxtaposition of the upbeat dance music and the slower, story-driven performances. Its strange to me that the dance music tends to not have lyrics. Much of American pop-music is upbeat, but almost always has lyrics to it. I wonder if there is any particular reason for the lack of lyrics in sections of Irish music.
For further study (of so far, nothing in particular other than interesting Irish music relations):
This a website for the artist Roy Todd, an Irish composer from Belfast. Many of his songs are influenced by the "troubles." His piano instrumentals might be of interest to some.
http://www.roytoddmusic.co.uk/roytodd.html
A blog post from New York Times in 2012 on the North American Irish Dance Championships, their costumes and history.
http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/06/whats-up-with-those-irish-dancing-costumes/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1
An essay on the significance of storytelling in Irish music.
http://www.o-em.org/index.php/fieldwork/25-the-importance-of-story-in-irish-traditional-music
Some history of famous classic Irish musicians.
http://basilwalsh.wordpress.com/
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Cynthia J.
2/5/2014 12:45:50 pm
This documentary was not only moving but also difficult to watch at certain moments. As a singer, I cannot imagine my cultural interests being marginalized and pushed to the outskirts of the community. After years of repression and persecution of Irish culture, the Irish people themselves were unable to cope with the rising interest in preserving this tradition. Although Eamon de Valera is not a universally popular politician his efforts to reintroduce Gaelic language and music was arguably a beautiful decision. As the documentary mentioned, he saw the future of Ireland in it’s past. Some might call this a stagnant view of the world, but this courageous decision propelled Irish music towards a more global stage. As musicians slowly began to come out of their shell they were met with prejudice and uncertainty. The catholic church was not their biggest fans and did not approve of their rural background. As one speaker mentions, these artists were most likely to be found in pubs providing entertainment and getting drunk.Therefore, these artists marginalized themselves. However, not all was lost because other places besides Ireland was highly interested in traditional Irish music. The UK’s folk music revival and american music producers milked Irish musicians for their incredible music. Soon the music that was being sent back was what became popular in Ireland.
I think this integration of Irish music with other global folk music revivals is powerful. The purpose of music is to not only display the emotions of the time but to also help a people group evolve. The great fear with De Valera had been that he would have held Ireland back but these artists were able to work past that. They never lost the “irishness” of their music, but by changing tempos and introducing newer instruments they were able to introduce a new generation of Irish music lovers. Groups like The Dubliners, and The Clancy Brothers not only made the music popular but also maintained the heart of the music. With the eve of a civil war looming, Irish musicians dug even deeper into their pasts. Artists like Sweeney’s Men moved past the folk scene and went back to the traditional Irish music competitions. They were the first group to introduce the mandolin and other stringed instruments such as the Greek bouzouki. Bands such as Thin Lizzy incorporated other themes of rock and roll and increased the audience base for Irish music. This was similar to rock bands that would do covers of old jazz staples. Although the integrity of the passion behind the music remained, changing the sound allowed for a new generation of people to enjoy it.
For further enjoyment:
Brief Biography of Eamon de Valera
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/de_valera_eamon.shtml
The Chieftains- O’Sullivan’s March
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vffqnYUyFVQ
Van Morrison- Raglan Road (Originally played by The Chieftains)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLCYH36ahpE
Here’s the original version for comparison:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjDw0MTcIY8
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Amelia
2/5/2014 12:52:06 pm
Irish music was fading because of the flight of the Chieftains in 1607 and the great famine in which one million people died and with them traditional songs. The great famine also helped because there are people migration across the world and the spread of Irish culture. There were Irish musicians who started recording in the other countries with more upbeat songs. This influenced the music in Ireland to become faster and thus became danceable. The interesting part is that dance wasn’t a big part of Ireland culture but now music was made to be danced to. Somehow the music had changed so dance was the major purpose for it in places such as houses and pubs in the rural areas. That is until Sean O’Riada came into the picture.
O’Rianda wanted to create new music built on traditional songs. He set up a band to build on traditional music, this music was made to be listened to, not danced. He used many traditional instruments such as the fiddle, flute and accordion. This music was no longer just a part of rural culture but became popular in all parts of Ireland. In the 1970’s there was a different revival where traditional music and contemporary music were mixed. Instruments such as the bodhran and uileann pipe were played with the guitar and other modern instruments. Not only was the music changed but the dancing as well. Jean Butler and Michael Fleetly made a combination of traditional dance with American tap dancing in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Additional Research
Irish Folk Music Revival
http://www.litere.uvt.ro/vechi/documente_pdf/RJES/no3_CULTURAL_STUDIES.pdf
Thought-Tormented Music
http://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/james_joyce_quarterly/v045/45.3.dowling.html
Story of Irish Music
http://www.discoverdublin.ie/musical-pub-crawl/story-of-irish-music/
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Kara Brown
2/5/2014 01:23:20 pm
The aspect of this documentary that resonated most strongly with me was the report that Irish traditional music was underestimated and largely dismissed by the artist groups of the time, particularly those writing alongside Flann O'Brien, such as Brendan Behan. It is interested how the artistic life was centered around the pub scene. The writers were associated with heavy drinking and folk musicians were playing in the bars, yet the attitude of the former was that folk music did not fall under the realm of art form. There is no denying that it has a rural element, but that does not necessarily mean that it lacks culture. Ronnie Drew admitted to being untalented as a musician and the fact that his guitar skills do not meet virtuoso standards is something to take into consideration.
Art is difficult to define and those that participate in its creation usually prefer to keep it exclusive. As I thought more about Ronnie Drew's comments, I wondered if musical training could be a key factor in determining whether folk music is art. If the initial folk musicians participating in the 1960s revival lacked formal education in music, what about today's generation? I did more research and found that there are now government programs in place to bring musical education to young people in Ireland, and this includes education in traditional and folk music. Clearly, attitudes have changed and folk music is gaining recognition as an art form integral to the celebration and continuation of Irish culture not only abroad, but in Ireland as well.
Sources:
Changes in Music Education in Ireland
http://journalofmusic.com/focus/changes-music-education-ireland-part-1
The Arts Council Website
http://www.artscouncil.ie/en/areas-of-work/actions/schemes-and-initatives-traditional-arts.aspx
Music Network
http://www.musicnetwork.ie/education/background/
Your comments on what defines art are interesting. As a classically trained musician, I like to think that I made art when I performed. When I was playing upright bass competitively, the songs I played were often learned from sheet music, but the expression that came from my own style was the more artistic part. Also, there are parts of songs, sometimes, called cadenzas... In a cadenza, the musician has a vague notion of music to branch from, but there is no marked meter or real rhythm. In a sense, it is completely improvised and therefore, is an artistic expression.
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Riannon Atwater
2/5/2014 01:28:26 pm
One thing that really interested me about this documentary was that there was skepticism of anything Irish after freedom was finally won for the Republic of Ireland in 1949. For almost 800 years, Ireland was ruled by Great Britain and her kings. During this time, the English continually tried to stamp out any signs of Irishness. Living as a people unable to show any of their traditions would make it difficult to feel comfortable enjoying traditional Irish music, dance, and culture. Naturally, the people would feel skeptical of traditional Irish culture since showing it meant they would be in trouble with the ruling government. It wasn’t until the Irish saw how much the rest of the world enjoyed their music that they were able to trust it. And even then, it wasn’t trust and enjoyment of all types of Irish music; rather, it was mainly only enjoyment of Irish singing in the traditional Folk style. As skepticism faded, the revival of traditional Irish folk music arose.
Traditional Irish music told stories of the land, love, death, sorrow, and myths. Irish music was deeply tied to the life of Irishmen and their experiences. As the revival arose, the topic many artists sung of changed. Politics entered into Irish music. It became an outlet for the frustrations caused by the duality of Irish life: the division between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, the Protestants and the Catholics. Even after freedom from England had been won, civil war and strife plagued Ireland. Irish music became an outlet for this conflict, a way to illustrate the difficulties that the Irish people still faced.
Here are some further readings that might be of interest to you: