Customer Reviews

O'Brien Pocket History of Irish Traditional Music (Pocket History series)

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It lacks an index, but helpful headings on almost every page help you find sections. Really "covers the map" including topics such as Irish Traditional Music in Quebec or The Scots-Irish in the Appalachians. It profiles important musicians in the history of Irish music, but I wanted more details on the recent (1970s-2000) artists.

The list of traditional music organizations, glossary, discography and note on session etiquette were useful.

Good for getting the basic background on Irish music, but I recommend taking a look at Far from the Shamrock Shore for a more emotional, yet historical look at the same topic.

This serves as a great introduction - not too large but plenty in it - to traditional Irish music. After an evening in a pub in the west of Ireland we picked this up in the airport shops on the way homeward. Highly recommended for musicians and certainly for fans of Irish and 'Celtic' music and culture.

Table of Contents

Music in Early and Medieval Ireland

Tudor and Stuart Ireland

Jacobites, Dancing Masters and the Penal Era

Music of the Exiles 1700-1830

Pipers, Spallpins and Patriots: Pre-Famine Ireland

Silence in the Land of Song: Post-Famine Ireland

Quebec to the Klondike: The Famine Diaspora

Records, Radios and Halls: `The New Century'

Ennis, Ó Riada and the Fleadh: A Tradition Restored

From Friels' Kitchen to the New Millennium

Glossary of Traditional Music Terms

Music, Song and Dance Collections

Traditional Music Organisations

Select Discography

A Note on Session Etiquette

I have been interested in Irish music for so long but never found a book that really covered the music in any kind of context. This is a brilliant handy little book which I have often used as an affordable gift. It covers all the historical bases as well as the modern groups and performers. Highly recommended!