Musical Dublin - Dublin - page 453

Traditional & Folk
Irish music - commonly referred to as 'traditional' or simply 'trad' - has retained a vi-
brancy not found in other traditional European forms. This is probably because despite hav-
ing retained many of its traditional aspects, Irish music has itself influenced many forms of
music, most notably US country and western. Other reasons for its current success include
the willingness of its exponents to update the way it's played - in ensembles rather than the
customary céilidh (communal dance) bands - and the habit of pub sessions, introduced by
returning migrants.
The pub session is still the best way to hear the music at its
rich, lively best - and thanks largely to the tourist demand there
are some terrific sessions in pubs throughout the city. Thankfully,
though, the best musicians have also gone into the recording stu-
dio. If you want to hear musical skill that will both tear out your
heart and restore your faith in humanity, go no further than the
fiddle-playing of Tommy Peoples on The Quiet Glen (1998), the
beauty of Paddy Keenan's uillean pipes on his eponymous 1975
album, or the stunning guitar playing of Andy Irvine on albums
like Compendium: The Best of Patrick Street (2000).
The most famous traditional band are The Chieftains, who
spend most of their time these days playing in the US and marked
their 50th anniversary in 2012 with the ambitious Voice of Ages ,
a collaboration with the likes of Bon Iver and Paolo Nutini. More folksy than traditional
were The Dubliners, founded in O'Donoghue's on Merrion Row the same year as The
Chieftains. Most of the original members, including the utterly brilliant Luke Kelly and
front-man Ronnie Drew, have died, but the group still plays the odd nostalgic gig in Dub-
lin. In 2006 they released Live at Vicar St , which captures some of their brilliance.
Another band whose career has been stitched into the fabric of Dublin life is the Fureys,
comprising four brothers originally from the travelling community (no, not like the Wil-
burys) along with guitarist Davey Arthur. And if it's rousing renditions of Irish rebel songs
you're after, you can't go past the Wolfe Tones. Ireland is packed with traditional talent and
we strongly recommend that you spend some time in a specialised traditional shop like
Claddagh Records.

Traditional
Playlist
Compendium: The Best of Patrick
Street (2001) Patrick Street
Old Hag You Have Killed
Me (1976) The Bothy Band
Paddy Keenan (1975) Paddy
Keenan
The Chieftains 6: Bonaparte's
Retreat (1976) The Chieftains
The Quiet Glen (1998) Tommy
Peoples