The
web offers hundreds of Irish music sites and most of them are what the Irish
would call, you should pardon the expression, "shite". Your best bet
is to ignore the web, stay at Eliza Lodge and wander the streets of Temple
Bar any night of the week with your ear cocked for the unmistakable sounds
of music - Irish. There's always a session (link) or three on tap as well as
a Pint.
But, till you can arrange
your visit, here are some worthwhile web resources.
The
National Organisation for Irish Traditional Music and Musicians has a site that
doesn't do justice to the organisation. There are hundreds of Comhaltas groups
scattered throughout Ireland and if you're into traditional music, you're likely
to end up a member.
This is the voluntary group that gave rebirth to Irish traditional music following Irish independence in the 1920's and 1930's. Stronger than ever, Comhaltas ( pronounced Colt-us) has put up a site with some information about the organisation. Better, there are schedules of local comhaltas shows and overseas tours.
Unfortunately, there ain't
much music.
Turlough O'Carolan:
Irish Harper
Without a doubt, the greatest of all traditional Irish composers was Turlough O'Carolan. O'Carolan, blind and something of a rake and hellion, lived in the 18th century. His airs for the Irish Harp are astonishing and the basis of the traditional repertoire.
There
are a number of web sites devoted to O'Carolan. Nothing compares to the richness
of that most beautiful of all musical instruments, the Irish Harp. But, Midi
files do a surprisingly good job of capturing his melodies. This is because
his works survive only as single line melodies.
This site includes single line melodies as well as full arrangements, and if your sound system is decent, you can get some reasonable idea of the music. Midi files will play on almost any computer setup you're likely to have, so don't worry. Click and enjoy. Your PC or Mac will take care of the rest.
Dublin City University Traditional Music Society
This is a probably the single best resource for Irish traditional music on the Web. The Society has put up a huge database called TradSearch of biographies, midi files, music sheets, music theory and information about each traditional instrument. It's as full a compendium of Irish traditional music as anything out there.
Ireland
Now is a fairly decent site for just about anything Irish. It's music area features
lots of midi files and is particularly strong in O'Carolan music. There's also
an excellent short history of Irish music.
Here is possibly the single largest compendium of links to the web sites of key Irish musicians and groups. Irish Abroad, in case you haven't come across them before, does an excellent job at being a worldwide resource for the Irish Diaspora.
This is the monthly magazine devoted to the Traditional Irish Music Scene. There are ads for those of you looking to pick up your own set of Uileann Pipes, lots of news, and links about the Irish music scene.
Irish Music, Song &
Dance - direct from Ireland. The webmaster does a pretty good job of keeping
up to date on the Irish traditional dance scene.
Irish Times
The Irish Music scene is so thriving that even the newspaper of record can't keep up with all the musical events in Dublin. But, they try. For reviews, articles and news of what's happening, their web site is about as good as it gets.
Temple Bar Associates - calendar of events in the area and local map of cultural spots
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