Customer Reviews

Prehistoric Music of Ireland (Revealing History)

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This book is a major contribution to a neglected area in Celtic/
Irish studies. The text is well written, and and the author has
a detailed knowledge of the subject, even though, at times, it
may be too technical for the general reader. What it does reveal, however, is a sophistication in the design and development of musical instruments that these ancient cultures
had. No doubt many other instruments made of perishable materials were also used but have not survived. There is a CD
that the author produced that illustrate the sounds of the instruments described in the book, and it really should have been part of the total package. There are some intriguing illustrations of how and where these instruments might have been
used. Unfortunately, the author does not discuss the religious
and ritual context in much detail, and one would hope that a
future edition would remedy this.