Few musical genres remain free from Irish influence. Reels, jigs and hornpipes have long been part of folk music repertoire.
Olwen acknowledges that this song may be too simplistic in that it assumes there are only two reasons Catholics and Protestants are at war; such an assumption overlooks complex social struggles.
Doolin Celtic Sextet
Doolin on Ireland’s western coast is famous for its nightly music sessions. Whether you are attending Russell Memorial Weekend or just passing through, Doolin provides an abundance of musicians to create an ambiance and make you feel at home.
Christy Barry is one such musician. Featuring an unusual sound and mastery of flute and whistle playing that brings Irish music alive for everyone to hear, Christy has been creating music throughout his life and it runs deep through his veins.
Doolin Celtic Sextet is a French band that draws their inspiration from traditional Irish instruments such as guitar, accordion and whistles. Their sound fuses contemporary music with Irish influences ranging from rock, jazz, funk and even rap! As a result, Doolin Celtic Sextet creates high energy tunes with distinct personalities – as evidenced by their 2016 album Circus Boy which showcases this impressive ability.
La Bolduc
La Bolduc, born Mary Rose-Anne Travers in Newport on the Gaspe Peninsula, became popular in Quebec during times of economic distress through her music, jigs, comic ritornelles and her signature form of wordless vocalization known as turlutage that delighted Jacques Prevert and other intellectuals of her time.
Fiddle player by trade, she also excelled at the jaw harp and spoons – her talent quickly earning her success and leading to tours across Ontario.
She is widely considered Quebec’s pioneer singer/songwriter and made waves during the 1930s. Her songs in colloquial French often captured the joys and hardships of daily life for commoners; her song “La Cuisiniere” sold over 12,000 copies at that time! Use her song for an in-class music workshop activity where students compose a song together before staging an improvisational performance for an audience.
Pauline Scanlon
Pauline Scanlon was born into a musical family in Dingle, County Kerry (Gaeltacht). By 15, she had begun her professional singing career by touring pub and club venues with local boy band Dayne Scanlon’s Boy Band Dayne’s Dream. Soon thereafter she gained recognition by maverick accordionist Sharon Shannon who mentored and encouraged Pauline Scanlon in expanding traditional Irish music further.
Scanlon’s beautiful harmony vocals have delighted audiences worldwide for over 15 years. Her 2004 solo release Red Colour Sun on Daisy Records (Compass Records in the US) blends traditional Irish sounds with more modern influences.
Over the last year, Scanlon has traveled the globe touring with Galway-based band The Whileaways. Her latest endeavor, Lumiere with Irish musician Eilis Kennedy is an intimate duo devoted to women; their first album pays homage to those in their lives while exploring female struggles and pain often neglected by male artists.
Gaelic Influence on French Canadian Folk Music
Irish and Celtic music have had an overwhelming effect on Quebecois folk songs due to both immigration and cultural factors in Quebec. One genre of Irish folk music known as ballads provides one such influence, dealing with love, revenge, war and disaster themes.
Irish folk music is defined by its use of traditional instruments and unique singing style, making it distinct from other Anglophone styles that employ more structured melodic or poetic structures.
Singer-pipers of Irish folk music are commonly known as singer-pipers and tend to sing either in Gaelic or in an English translation. Additionally, these singers often perform groups songs called chansons a reponse which involves multiple singers repeating verse and chorus after the lead singer has finished speaking or singing their lines. Furthermore, singer-pipers sometimes also engage in ancient forms of dancing known as seated clogging.