Irish Song Tradition

Ireland has a very strong, important song tradition. Irish music was a completely oral tradition and as a result different versions of the same song may appear in different parts of the country. There is a wide variety of different songs in the Irish tradition, which are both in Irish and in English, such as sean nós, ballads, Anglo Irish songs, macaronic songs, laments, drinking songs, working songs, lullabies, love songs, patriotic songs, humorous songs, dandling songs and religious songs.

Many of the Irish songs in English are in ballad style. A ballad is a song that tells a story and is written in verses of either four or eight lines. The same music is repeated for each verse of the song. The words in Irish ballads often come from political and social life in Ireland and themes usually include love, politics, rebellion, alcohol and the sea. Some well known Irish ballads include, “The Foggy Dew”, “The Croppy Boy”, “Finnegan’s Wake”, “The Fields of Athenry”, “The Sash My Father Wore”. Ballads groups include groups such as The Wolfe Tones and The Clancey Brothers and Tommy Makem and solo performers are singers such as Paddy Reilly and Christy Moore.

Patriotic songs are songs about nationalist pride. An Aisling is a song about a beautiful woman representing Ireland in a dream Such as “Táimse im’Chodladh”, “An Droimeann Donn Dílis”. Famine songs describe the abuse that the Irish people suffered from the system of landlords and Rebel songs encouraged people to fight for Ireland such as “Boolavogue”, “Four Green Fields”.

Sean nós is another style of singing and song that is rooted in the rhythm of the Irish language and poetry and has been passes down through generations. Sean nós does not use dynamics, is atonal and has free rhythm. It is usually sung in the Irish language and is a solo, unaccompanied, performance. Ornamentation in both the rhythm a melody is used as well as glissando or sliding. There are regional differences in the style with the Donegal, Connemara and Muster dialect being the three main types. Singers of sean nós include, Lillis Ó Laoire, Séamus Begley, Rósín Elsafty and Iarla Ó Lionáird. Some sean nós songs are “ Úna Bhán”, “Anach Cuain”, “”An Raibh tú ar an gCarraig?”

Drinking songs are lively, celebratory songs that are sung while drinking at a social event and celebrating. They have a lively rhythm. Examples include “Preab San Ól”, “Whiskey in the Jar”, and “Wild Rover”.