Unit 5, Lesson 2

The documentary called “A Whisper to a Scream” presented the rise of Irish rock in a way I have not seen before. Van Morrison, U2, Sinéad O'Connor, The Cranberries and Boyzone are some of my favorite singers and bands that I discovered when I lived in Ireland in 2003-04. All of the artists listed above, broke through to the National stage, some more well known than others. There was a small pub, near my house and on Thursday nights, a local folk singer would play by the bar.

For fun, I wanted to include an old bar song by T. D. Sullivan I that learned while in Ireland:

God save Ireland ! " said the heroes;

"God save Ireland" said they all.

Whether on the scaffold high

Or the battlefield we die,

0, what matter when for Erin dear we fall ! "

As the music would play, I remember feeling lost in the music, from the sad love ballads to the fast paced jigs. Ireland has a special connection with music.

Millions of Irish Americans live in the United States today and their cultural traditions have influenced many parts of America, from sports teams to dance. I have 3 nieces who live in Ireland and were fortunate to attend a chorus concert. The concert was sung in Irish or Gaelic but I could feel the timeless essence of the Irish tradition even though I did not understand the words.

I feel that Ireland has been true to the tradition of Irish music and has not been directly inflenced by the music of the world. Although, there are Irish artist on music scene of today like Damien Rice, Snow Patrol and the Thrills. All of theses musicians have skillful included the core components of Irish music, including love ballads, violins, harps, and flutes.