Irish Music Research Paper

Listening to traditional Irish music today sounds the same as it did a century ago. Irish music expresses the rich oral history of Ireland. Many of the songs that are enjoyed today have been passed down through the generations with very little change. The music of Ireland, the musicians and bands have influenced not only Ireland but the rest of the world as well. The way music affected Irish culture, had a lot to do with how, where, when and why it was played it. To illustrate this, it is best to start at the beginning of Irish music. It is believed that traditional music came to Ireland two-thousand years ago with the Celts. The traditional Irish harp is believed to have come from Egypt. The harpists would play for the chieftains and nobles. In 1607, the Irish chieftains fled Ireland because it was being invaded. The harpists started to travel, since they lost their patrons, and play all over Ireland. The Music was mostly played in rural and non-suburban areas. These songs were joyful and extravagant, and many people danced to them. As the popularity of the music grew, so did the instruments that were used to play the music. The traditional Irish instruments are the fiddle, the Irish flute, the tin whistle, the Celtic harp, uilleann pipes and the bodhrán. The Irish would dance a jig, reel, polka or waltz to these songs. Irish music uses a melodic line to entice people to dance
In the late 1800s, there was a revival of traditional Irish music. A second revival happened in the 1960s, and is still happening today. Many American artists have been influenced by Irish music. It influenced folk, rock and punk music. The type of music that has been influenced the most by Traditional Irish music is country music. Country music is a blend of Scottish and Irish traditional music with a bit of African influence. Country music is played with simple melodies and is similar to traditional Irish