Hey Ladies! It’s Tracey here again!
So I decided this week to dedicate my blog to something that I’d love to talk to you girls about… Irish music

Ireland isn’t just pots of gold and lepreachauns, it’s a country that’s very famous for the music it produces and for the unique forms of music it actually creates. Music is a big tradition in my country and it’s enjoyed by everyone! There are some very cultural areas in Ireland that are trying to keep the traditional Irish music alive and it’s in these places that you’ll be surrounded by constant singing and dancing. Irish dancing is also very scared to Ireland and it’s also very enjoyable! Growing up in school here Irish dancing was even taught as a subject. It was the one class we always looked forward to, and the end of year competitions were always great fun! The outfits that are worn for Irish dancing are very beautiful and unique. They come in a wide variety of colours and have numerous Irish designns stitched onto the front. They’re very heavy and expensive outifts but really add to the performance of the dancing. Wigs are also worn and are almost always brown with tight curls. The shoes are probably the most important part as they allow the dancer to move better as well as make stamping noises to better the performance.

Also here in Ireland many ‘Traditional Irish Music Nights’ are held. These are most often held in pubs and are very intimate gigs. They allow normal people to come out and have a good time, but also to join in on the music with a large groupd of people. During these sessions many traditional Irish instruments are played, such as the Tin Whistle, Accoridan, Fiddle, Bodhrán (pronounced Bow-Rawn), and Banjo! Many people will gather around the group and sing along to all the well known Irish tunes. Irish dancers may also dance during these session and often get ordinary people to join in and teach them the dances a they go along. I’ve been to many of these sessions before and they are very enjoyable for everyone!

In Ireland an event called a Ceilí (pronounced Kay-Lee) is always held. During Ceilís the night is spent doing traditional Irish dances with the help of a Ceilí band. Thee nights aren’t just for trained dancers, but for everyone. They allow people to get together and have a good time, as well as learn and practice old Irish dances! Just like the sessions I’ve been to a lot of these and I’ve had such a great time!

Besides all the traditional music, Ireland is also known for producing some of the biggest names in the music industry today. Band such as The Script, U2, Led Zeppelin and even Snow Patrol are all very proud of their Irish roots and continue to keep the musical success of Ireland alive. There are also some very old and famous bands that may not be known very well worldwide, but to Ireland they are idolised by everyone. The Pogues and The Wolf Tones are just some of these very talented bands that create solely Irish music and keep the tradition alive. I’d recommend you to take a look at some of the work by these bands to get a glimpse of the sort of music they create.

So ladies, I hope you enjoyed my little piece on the traditional music of Ireland! My culture is very important to me and as you all know so is music, so I thought this would be the perfect blog!
Talk to you all again soon,
Tracey
xo

Here’s a little idea of what Traditional Irish Music sessions look like
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_nc4-xxdMA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27nVKzWig8A