More than Buzzing Bluebottles: New Contexts for Céilí Bands in Ireland

Kearney, Daithi (2020) More than Buzzing Bluebottles: New Contexts for Céilí Bands in Ireland. Ó Cos go Cluas: From Dancing to Listening; Proceedings of the 2012 North Atlantic Fiddle Convention . Elphinstone Institute, Aberdeen.

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Abstract

Though Irish traditional music is often referred to as a solo tradition, throughout the twentieth century various forms of ensemble playing emerged and developed. Affected by changing social contexts, audience preferences and even government legislation, the céilí band has become one of the most recognisable ensemble styles in Irish traditional music. Usually comprising of accordion, fiddles, flutes, concertina, banjo, piano and drums, the sound is defined by the performance of the group in unison with rhythmic and harmonic accompaniment from the piano and drums. Since its development in the twentieth century, the form and sound of the céilí band has arguably changed little but the contexts for performance, attitudes to and perceptions of céilí bands have changed greatly. Another important factor in the study of céilí bands today is the development of an understanding as to how and why céilí bands are formed and how this has changed over time, giving particular consideration in this paper to the role of competition. The study of céilí bands may be related to other aspects of the study of Irish traditional music including changes in the processes of transmission, the connection to place and perceived revivals in Irish traditional music.

Item Type:	Book
Subjects:	Arts and Humanities Social Sciences > Geography Arts and Humanities > History Arts and Humanities > Music
Research Centres:	Centre for Creative Arts, Media & Music
Depositing User:	David Kearney
Date Deposited:	22 Sep 2021 11:02
Last Modified:	22 Sep 2021 11:02
License:	Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0
URI:	https://eprints.dkit.ie/id/eprint/753

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