For the last 4 months almost every Thursday night I have been a guest of a nice traditional pub Carlovian. Of course it wasn’t only a nice room and furniture or a tasty Guinness or Bulmers (I like this cider very much), but a traditional Irish music session. I am not sure how it is called, but one of my Irish friends calls it The Jig.
Every Thursday a party of amateur or professional musicians together with audience also allowed to play or sing is gathering in this nice small pub and having fun. The tunes are brilliant and sound familiar to me, but the most impressing song I have heard so far was signed by a girl from audience. She sang it “a capella” (without support of any instrument) and it was song “Siul a run” that I know in a Clannad version.
As I wrote it before I have been listening to Irish and Scottish music for a very long time and what I can say is that Irish and Scottish traditional/Celtic music is very similar, or maybe Scottish music has a lot of Irish influences. Nevertheless I knew all the tunes and Celtic scales (if I can say something like that) that appeared during the sessions because I had listen to them in Scotland before I ever came to Ireland. Of course music is not 100% the same, but the difference is hard to describe. Again I will compare it to difference in taste of Irish and Scottish whiskies. I think that western parts of Scottland are much closer to Ireland, especially Western Isles – Outer Hebrides. Here is the difference. In Carlow I can listen to live traditional music on every Thursday, but in Scotland I did it only once, on Outer Hebrides. During my many visits in Scotland and time I spent there I couldn’t find a pub with a Celtic music sessions. In Ireland I can find them in almost every town I have visited so far.
I am still not familiar with Irish bands, except Clannad, Planxty or Chieftains. Next week in Carlow there is a Kila in concert, but unfortunately I will be in Poland at this time.
If you are interested how Scots play Celtic music I would recommend you some good bands (in my opinion of course): Capercillie and Wolfstone.
Here is some photos from one of the Thursday sessions at Carlovian:
Click to enlarge
Watch subject. Bush is forever saying that democracies do not invade other countries and start wars. Well, he did just that. He invaded Iraq, started a war, and killed people. What do you think? Is killing thousands of innocent civilians okay when you are doing a little government makeover?
If ever there was ever a time in our nation’s history that called for a change, this is it!
We have lost friends and influenced no one. No wonder most of the world thinks we suck. Thanks to what george bush has done to our country during the past three years, we do!
Pity you missed Kíla. They are great!
By the way, you say:
“As I wrote it before I have been listening to Irish and Scottish music for a very long time and what I can say is that Irish and Scottish traditional/Celtic music is very similar, or maybe Scottish music has a lot of Irish influences.”
Irish and Scottish Traditional music is very similar because Scottish Gaelic culture (music and language etc.) come from Ireland!
The Irish ‘Scotti’ migrated to Scotland from the 5th century onwards. Of course the other part of Scottish culture, the ‘Scots’ (Anglic) part has nothing whatever to do with Ireland except they migrated to Ireland some 400 years ago and are not the ‘Ulster-Scots’.
Also, Wolftones are Irish.
I meant:
“Of course the other part of Scottish culture, the ‘Scots’ (Anglic) part has nothing whatever to do with Ireland except they migrated to Ireland some 400 years ago and are NOW the ‘Ulster-Scots’.”
Thanks a lot
First of all. I know that Scottish Celtic culture came from Ireland (as you could notice on my blog - I did my Masters in Archaeology of Scotland), but - sorry - you are absolutely not right with Scots, especially Ulster Scots.
They are of course Anglicans and they are too proud to be British, but it has nothing to do with division suggested by you. Actually you - Insular tribes - are all mixed totally, like we - Poles are mixed with Germans and Russians.
Many of Ulster Scots probably don’t realize that they have bloody Fenians among their ancestors.
So the Ulster Scots, or Anglican Scots in Scotland can have their ancestors among Picts, Scots from Dal Riata in Ulaid (Ulster), Fenians or English… all options are possible.
Good examples are Scottish surnames of some radical loyalists with word Mac/Mc - son in Q/C group of Celtic languages (Irish, Scottish and Manx), thing which is completely not English…