When it comes to music, Ireland hits all the right notes. The island boasts a proud musical pedigree, and you don’t have to look far to find music being enjoyed in all its forms, whether it’s buskers on the bustling streets of Dublin and Belfast, or lively traditional music sessions in atmospheric old pubs along the Wild Atlantic Way.
Every year on 21 June, Ireland honours its musical heritage on World Music Day – an event that first began in France in 1982. But in Ireland, melody and storytelling are woven into everyday life, and music is enjoyed year-round, whether it’s soul-stirring ballads of times gone by or cutting-edge post-punk hits.
Music links past and present
Irish musicians have long been inspired by the sounds and experiences of Ireland’s past. Game-changing bands, such as U2 and Thin Lizzy in the 1980s and the Cranberries in the 1990s, left an indelible mark globally by showing that Irish music could speak to a specific moment while never relinquishing its roots.
Today, Ireland continues to be home to some of the world’s biggest pop and rock acts, including Dermot Kennedy, Róisín Murphy and Hozier. Hozier’s last album, Unreal Unearth, saw him sing in Irish language and pay tribute to the novelist Flann O’Brien.
For a more punk take on things, there’s Fontaines DC, who take cues from bands like The Pogues while using the contemporary concerns of Irish youth as inspiration for their anthemic songs.
Fusing both traditional and contemporary music, meanwhile, has led to incredible success for the Dublin band Lankum. They combine classic folk songs and instruments with distinctly contemporary attitudes and angles, creating a deep connection between the island’s past, present and future.
Heritage and instruments
Instruments native to Ireland play a special role in evoking the folk and traditional sound. Take the Uilleann pipes, which date back to the 18th century and are often referred to as “the sound of Ireland”. In 2017, UNESCO placed the Uilleann pipes on its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, underscoring their importance.
Irish harping was added to the list two years later. You can find the actual harp that inspired iconic logos, including the Guinness logo, in Trinity College Dublin. Known as the Brian Boru Harp, it is thought to date to the 14th or 15th century.
For percussion, traditional music turns to the bodhrán, an instrument made using goat hide and a wooden hoop. It was re-popularised during the 1960s and 1970s folk revival by bands such as the Chieftains, and today, singers like Imelda May enjoy adding the bodhrán to their sets.
The Lambeg drum, meanwhile, is an instrument that is unique to Ulster and is one of the biggest and loudest percussion drums in the world.
Traditional music sessions
Key to the traditional and folk sound in Ireland are the tin whistle and wooden flute, both of which date to the 19th century. The fiddle became popular two centuries earlier and plays an essential role in Irish trad – especially when it’s in the hands of a stellar musician like Martin Hayes.
Of course, vocals play a massive role in Irish trad and folk, too. Both solo and group singing styles are popular, with sean nós (meaning ‘old style’) singing said to be around seven centuries old as an art form. One form of sean nós is keening, which was used in funeral ceremonies and is now considered a rare form of singing in Ireland.
There’s always a story to be told in Irish folk and trad: an unfurling of an experience or memory, or a tale capturing the country’s history and wild landscapes. It’s spine-tingling to hear a singer perform a multi-verse traditional song from many years ago, creating instant links across hundreds of years of Irish culture.
Live events
This 21 June, people across the island will be celebrating World Music Day in Ireland. But there are many ways to experience the magic of trad and folk across the island of Ireland year-round. Here are just a few…
- The Linen Quarter in Belfast will hold its second World Music Day celebration on 21 June, with local groups and musicians gathering to perform.
- At the National Concert Hall and across Dublin city, the Festival of Voice will take place from 27 to 29 June, including choral and traditional events.
- The Belfast Music Bus Tour is back on 21 June, with local expert guides who will uncover Belfast’s rich musical legacy as the bus stops at Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich, East Side Arts and the NI Music Exhibition.
- Live trad sessions can be found regularly at iconic pubs including Pipers Corner (Dublin) and The Cobblestone Pub (Dublin), Matt Molloy’s (Westport, County Mayo), Peadar O’Donnell’s (Derry~Londonderry) and Kelly’s Cellars (Belfast). Expect talented local musicians, and maybe even the chance to chip in with a song yourself.
- The Belfast Trad Trail can be enjoyed throughout June and sees professional musicians guiding visitors through the city’s cobbled alleyways to private bars for a personal session of traditional tunes, songs and stories.
- Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival will take place in Belfast from 1 to 11 May across the city’s historic quarter and beyond, including over 100 events in dozens of venues.
- Fleadh Nua will run from 26 May to 3 June in Ennis, County Clare, and is an annual celebration of Irish music, dance and storytelling, which has been running since 1974.
- The Doolin Folk Festival, running from 13 to 15 June in County Clare, is where visitors can experience the best of Irish folk, trad, and contemporary music in the heart of Ireland’s musical capital.
- Belfast Trad Fest will take place from 27 July to 3 August, with confirmed acts including Dervish and Notify.
- Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, running from 3 to 10 August, is Ireland’s biggest traditional music competition, organised by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and bringing together the best traditional Irish musicians, singers, and dancers from across Ireland and beyond.
- Enjoy great sounds and laid-back summer vibes at music festivals, including Sea Sessions Surf Music Festival in Bundoran, County Donegal, All Together Now in Curraghmore Estate, County Waterford, and Farmer’s Bash in Belfast.
