| Irish
music is the general term for music from the island
of Ireland. Irish music has influenced many genres
of music in the U.S. including country, pop and
rock music. Music native to Ireland is called Irish
Traditional Music, and is sometimes abbreviated
as simply "Trad". In
the 17th and 18th centuries Irish
Harpists were
the pre-eminent musicians of the time
and were given financial support by Ireland's aristocracy.
The most well known of the harpists was Turlough
O'Carolan. He was also a composer who wrote
over 200 compositions in the baroque style.
Contemporary
Irish Music
Irish
music has influenced many contemporary
musicians in a variety of genres including
classical flutist Sir
James Galway, new age artist Enya, punk rockers
The Pogues, folk rockers The Corrs, and Van
Morrison, who is usually described as a rock
& roller, but whose music truly defies
categorization.
Irish
Music Online
There
are so many ways to get music online, both free
and for a fee. You can download music from online
stores or listen to free music on web sites both
recorded by live musicians and played by computerized
instruments called MIDI.
The
coolest new ways to get music online are video
sharing web sites like YouTube.com, and podcasts
from Apple's iTunes Music store. A podcast is
a computer audio file that you can download and
play on your computer or on an iPod. I found
dozens of free Irish music podcasts on iTunes.
My search for Irish music on YouTube found no
fewer
than
33,000
videos!
Irish
Music & Dance on YouTube.com
A
YouTube search for the classic ballad "Danny
Boy" finds hundreds of different versions
sung by every kind of singer - baritone, tenor,
soprano, male & female, from Ronin Tynan
to Mario Lanza to Andy Williams. There is even
a version sung by the Muppets!
Did
I mention that this is all free? Click
here to see all the Irish
dance & music videos on YouTube.
Here
is just a sample of how much content is available
on YouTube, and not just performances! I also found
information including Irish flute & tin whistle
lessons from a variety of folks including James
Galway
himself!
| Traditional
Irish Music |
5,240
Videos |
| Irish
dancing |
13,100
Videos |
| Irish
fiddle |
2,590
Videos |
| Irish
flute |
1880
Videos |
| Irish
jig |
1220
Videos |
| Celtic
music |
2000
Videos |
| Irish
dance |
3440
Videos |
| Irish
folk music |
458
Videos |
| Turlough O'Carolan |
127 Videos |
Irish
Music Downloads
iTunes
- Buy Irish music and download free
podcasts
iTunes
is an online store combined with a software program
that
lets you find, buy and organize music on your computer
& iPod. They have a huge library of both classical
and contemporary Irish music, and a fast-growing
collection of free podcasts featuring Irish music
performances and information.
Once
you download and install the iTunes program you
can search the online store, subscribe & listen
to to free podcasts (even without an iPod!), and
even listen to 20 second sample clips
of all
of
the
music for
sale.
Tip: Even
if you don't download any music or own an iPod
the iTunes music software is the best way to
organize and play your CD collection on your
computer, and it's FREE!
Click
here to download iTunes software.
Celtic
Music Membership Site
Song
Henge
Unlimited
downloads of the best independent Celtic music!
- Free
subscription with newsletter plus a for-fee membership
only section.
- 100%
Free Celtic Music & 100% Legal Celtic Music
- Easy-access
links to past Celtic MP3 features over 200 bands
offering over 500 free Celtic MP3s.
- Easy
download of an MP3 CD featuring a minimum of 15
new Celtic MP3s just about every month.
Free
Online Irish music
Here
are a few links to some
great
free Irish music sites!
fionasplace.net -
Lots of
Irish midi files and many links to all types of Irish music
and musicians. ireland-information.com -
Music, lyrics and midis
for traditional, drinking and folk songs.
More
information
about Irish music on Wikipedia (However Wikipedia is infamous
for factual errors & we did find at least
one error where Turlough
O'Carolan
is listed
as Turlough
Carolan). |
From Amazon.com
Irish
Music
Information
A
Pocket History of Irish Traditional Music 
The
history of Irish traditional music, song and dance
from the mythological harp
of the Dagda to Riverdance.
Folk
Music and Dances of Ireland 
A study of the origin, history, and
present condition of Irish traditional music.
Irish
Music
Songbooks
The
Best of Irish Music
80 of the best Irish songs ever written.
The
Irish Pub Songbook 
Good old Irish songs, ballads, and tearjerkers
as they may be frequently heard in the bars of Ireland.
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