Dbq Essay On Irish Music

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National LAOH Irish History Writing Contest

“Expressing Irish History Through Music”

Going back centuries you can hear the soft sound of the harp played by the Celts. The music from 2,000 years ago tells the stories of the countless journeys to the country and gave their new home a sense of cultural identity. Looking all the way back to 500 B.C. to present times Irish music has had an effect on you, me, and our ancestors.

Irish music in its early days would be considered an oral tradition, the music was always spoken by word of mouth, never written down. Throughout their voyage, the Celts left an impression on Scotland, Wales, Spain, and Northern France, the Celtic countries. Once arriving home to Ireland, the spread of music made

people come together to celebrate. Ireland and Scotland made up the Gaelic region, with similar languages and some very similar musical styles while others regions such as Wales, Spain, and Northern France (Brittany) were considered to be in their own grouping and had only a few Celtic influences intertwined in their music. Once arriving they openly spread musical knowledge through the land.
Thomas Davis once wrote, “No enemy speaks slightingly of Irish Music, and no friend need fear to boast of it. It is without a rival.” Irish music has always been something everyone has wanted to hear, it’s been something used to lift spirits and bring souls together. Taking advantage of the effect Irish music has on people, the ruling Chieftains during the 16th century employed many Irish harpists as they were professional musicians to compose, create, and perform music for upperclassmen. From the tenth to the seventeenth century the harp was the
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most popular and used instrument throughout traditional Irish music.

The harp is believed to have originated in Egypt along with many theories that Celtic music was greatly influenced by the music of the east. Appearing on many Irish coins and flags today the harp gives Ireland a sense of pride and identity. Sir Frederick Gore Ouseley, Bart., Mus.Doc. says," From its very construction we must assume that Harmony was known to the ancient Irish." Only in the 6th century, the Irish were already very advanced regarding the subject of music. Irish clans are traditional kinship groups sharing a similar heritage. In Gaelic Ireland, power and leadership were established through the idea that through war or politics some groups were wiser than others, therefore, granting themselves power. While the more dominant clans were ruled by a Chief, smaller and more dependent clans were led by Chieftains. The Chieftains became the all commanding ruler of Ireland by the sixteenth century. A revelation took place on September 4th, 1607, the “Flight of the Earls”. The English and the Gaelic Lords of Ireland went to battle and lead to the flea of Ireland to mainland Europe. The Chieftains fled Ireland after pressure from invaders arose. After this the harp wasn’t played as often, it didn’t bring as much life as it used to. Now that the Chieftains have vanished from Ireland the musicians became “traveling” or “itinerant” harpists which affected their reputation, how they carried themselves, and the overall tradition of not only the harp but music as a whole because of the reliance on the harp to make traditional Irish music what it

is.
Leading into the 18th century music was no longer an oral tradition, it was written down for the first time. Since 1762 tracks have been written down from all 32 counties and loads of songs are still kept for viewing in the Irish Traditional Music Archive in Dublin, the largest
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collection of traditional and folk music in the world. The first written collection of Irish music contained 49 vocal or instrumental compositions published by Neale brothers in Dublin. Edward Bunting plays a very significant role in traditional Irish music because in 1792 he created manuscripts performed at the Belfast Harp Festival that are still around today as a result of their great importance. Many of the laws put into play from the British crown were used to diminish Irish culture. When creating a tradition they’re always setbacks, but they came back even stronger.
Another obstacle the Irish faced was the potato famine. Killing one million people and forcing millions more to emigrate out of the country during 1845-1850 the potato famine left countless people hopeless during the time of crisis. When the Great Famine came many dreams were lost due to their involuntary departure from their homes. One positive side to this great loss was the spread of Ireland- born allowing them to tell their stories of back home and playing songs they grew up with or created allowing the diffusion of traditional Irish music to increase even more. When spread across the world many Irish became centered in big cities such as New York, Chicago, and Boston which was a blessing because traditional music had a revival- not only in that states but in Ireland as well. When the roaring twenties came about recordings were being made by Irish musicians in the U.S. and traveled 5,000 miles to reach Ireland which sparked inspiration within the country. Michael Coleman immigrated to New York from Sligo and his recording of playing the fiddle are valued because they were the beginning of an up-tempo pace that would change the tradition of Irish music forever.

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Entering the 1960’s Irish music was most commonly played for the use of dance. Sean O'Riada was a classical musician and composer, he was instrumental in awakening the beauty of ancient written music to the wider audience of the world by listening rather than just dance. Sean created a band, Ceoltóirí Chulainn that practiced musical arrangements of tradition. Performed in Gaiety Theatre, Dublin the association of Irish music with poverty and dance would fade because this kind of music was almost nonexistent up until this point. His music still stays alive in many ways through the competition at the Fleadh Cheoil.
The Golden Ages of traditional Irish music became alive during the 1970’s due to its growing population and continuous breakthroughs. Traditional music teamed up with European and American influences to create magical music. Many artists today such as Sinéad O'Connor, U2, The Script, and Planxty use “Celtic fusion” which is modern music incorporated with Celtic influences. Throughout Irish traditional music, only a handful of very important instruments have been of continuous use. The harp, the fiddle, Irish flute, the tin whistle, and uilleann pipes all have significant roles in executing the beautiful songs that the Irish community allows the world to hear daily.
Ancient times to the world we live in today I’m proud of how hard the Irish have worked to spread their music worldwide for the ears of many to hear. Ireland’s history has been hard to keep alive, just like their traditional music, but both still stand tall to this day. Seeing first-hand Irish music being played from the heart I know that if I sit down, just listen and absorb the music or get up and dance I will be doing my ancestors proud.