Bagpipes, Revolution, Green and Potatoes. Thats...

Ireland

by Erin Reid and Stephanie Hawkins

Irish History

Ireland is the northern island of the British Isles. First populated by the Celts, then the Vikings, Ireland remained independent of Britain until King Henry II forced the nobility to accept his rule in 1171. The potato famines of the nineteenth century devastated the county, killing one million and causing the immigration of another two million in just 5 years. Rebellions and independence movements were born of the intense political tension following the famine, and Ireland was separated from Britain in 1921 (although Northern Ireland is still a member of the UK). Efforts to reunite Ireland and Northern Ireland have been unsuccessful.

Irish Music

Irish music reflects the hardships that face the citizens of Ireland. Various times in Irish history, like during the rule of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, music and musicians were outlawed. Songs were written to protest the anti-Catholic mentality of the sixteenth century. By the mid-late sixteenth century, the traditional bard and harpists were disappearing from Ireland. A lot of music was written to fight this growing disinterest. The potato famines of the 1840s had a large impact on music style and content as well as the revolutions and rebellions that followed.

Irish Instruments

Irish Dance

Traditionally the use for music in Ireland is most for dance which is very popular for Ireland. Dances for weddings and celebrations are most common. Tunes, which do not have any words, are most usually divided into two eight-bar strains. These eight bar strains are played over and over again at the performers discretions. Teh eight bars repeating make the music good to dance to; dance has had an influence on Irish music.

-Colin Dunne-

Colin Dunne is a ffamous Irish dancer who is reconized as the world Champion Irish dancer. He was in Riverdance for three years. He was not born in Ireland, yet he still has gained a great deal of recognition there. He moved to Ireland in 2001 to pursue his Irish dancing carrer.

Amhran an Tei - Song of the Tea

performed by Margaret Dirrane.

http://0-internal.btpl2.classical.com.catalog.btpl.org:80/permalink/recording/3221292415/Music

Bibliography

Colin Dunne. Image. < www.sionna.com >

Flag of Ireland. Image. < www.gmu.edu >

“Ireland” CultureGrams 2007 World Edition, print ed. ProQuest Information and Learning. (2006)

Irish Bouzouki. Image. < www.stringsbc.com >

Irish Drum. Image. < www.merrylandsmusic.com.au >

Irish Tin Whistle. Image. < www.amazon.com >

Map of Ireland. Image <http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/maps/base_map.gif>

"Music of Ireland." wikipedia.com. 05 Dec 2006. Wikipedia Foundation, Inc.. 6 Dec 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Music>.

Ó hAllmhuráin, Gearóid. "Early Modern Music. "Encyclopedia of Irish History and Culture.