Irish Music and Dance Irish traditional music dates back over 2000 years with the Celts, according to IrishCentral: "Irish traditional music began as an oral tradition, passed on from generation to generation by listening, learning by ear and without formally writing the tunes on paper." "The Celts were influenced by music of the East (which is why you may think you hear some resemblance of an Irish tune being played at Canal Street station) and it’s believed that the traditional Irish harp may in fact have originated in Egypt." "The harp was the most popular instrument in ancient times with harpists employed to play for chieftains and to create music for nobles. This was until the Flight of the Earls in 1607 when native Irish chieftains fled the land under threat from invaders. With the flight of their patrons to mainland Europe, the harpists were left to travel the country and play where they could." Compiling of tunes did not take place until the 1760s. Dublin has the largest archive of Irish Traditional Music from Ireland's 32 counties. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Irish dance. Historians believe that since the Celts were sun worshippers, pagan dance with a circular formation of stones may have been the early beginnings, but not confirmable. According to CelticSteps: "The earliest reference to dance in Irish history details a visit between the Mayor of Waterford and Mayor of Baltimore. A processional combination of singing and dancing took place called carolling which originated from European folk‐dance histories and was thought to be introduced to the Irish by the Normans when they arrived in 1169." "The Irish Jig is widely accepted as Irish in origin and was likely to have originated from an Irish Clan marching tune. The first jig was published by John Playford, a music publisher and choirmaster of St. Paul’s Cathedral in 1986. Queen Elizabeth I was a very public advocate of the Irish Jig." "The three most popular dances mentioned in Irish records from this time include the hay, the rinnce fada (rince is the Irish word for dance) and the rinnce mór. The hay was thought to be a circle or chain dance where people would chain in and out of each other in a circle. The first mention of the Irish rinnce fada, which means the long dance, was recorded in 1689 as it was danced in honour of the arrival of James II to Ireland. It was believed he was already familiar with the dance which suggests it was already in practice long before this time."

(Please check this site for much more information on this subject.) The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) formed in 1970 had fostered and promoted competition regarding Irish dance. This spirit and enthusiasm remain today in schools and communities throughout Ireland. Irish Dancing Commission involves World Championship events around the globe that include over 6,000 dancers from 30 countries. claddaghdesign.com> "The Riverdance was first performed in 1994 during an interval of the Eurovision Song Contest being held in Dublin. By 1995 it caught the fascination of millions worldwide." Lovetoknow's history on Irish Dance History gives us a clear perspective on what promoted such dance. Cultural events such as Druidic worship, animal worship, work, war, courtship and social recreation were performed at tribal dances, some dating back to 1600 BC. According to CladdagnDesign: Irish dance routines and clothing. "There are three main types of Irish dancing routines; set dancing routines, social or céilí routines and sean nós or step routines. In all cases, the style is relatively formal and regimented, with little upper body movement, precise and quick foot movement and a strict number of steps to be completed. This was mostly because of the limited space performers would have had in the 18th and 19th centuries; small rural pubs or barn dances crowded with locals didn’t afford much room for arm movement or for dancing around the floor." "Ornate and sometimes ostentatious costumes can be common in overseas Irish dancing competitions and showcases, but in both historic and modern Irish dancing, more modest and flexible costumes are used. Soft or hard shoes are used depending on the style of dance; hard shoes have tips and heels of fiberglass to add percussion noises and rhythm, while soft shoes are leather lace ups, also known as ghillies. Boys have their own version of the soft shoe, known as ‘reel shoes’, which still have a hard heel and produce noises, but not to the same extent as the hard shoes do." This photo program takes you to an evening at the Merry Ploughboy Gastro & Music in Dublin, Ireland. Besides this program, you can also enjoy a YouTube video taken that night. Go to acuri.net/Ireland.

Sources: https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/history‐origins‐traditional‐irish‐music, https://www.celticsteps.ie/our‐ story/the‐history‐of‐irish‐song‐music‐dance/, https://dance.lovetoknow.com/Irish_Dance_History, https://www.claddaghdesign.com/history/everything‐need‐know‐irish‐dancing/, https://www.mpbpub.com/ and https://www.yourirish.com/culture/traditional‐irish‐dancing. acuri.net John R. Vincenti Irish Music and Dance