Irish Tin Whistle
Irish Tin Whistle
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US $45.50
![New Original From Ireland Feadog Irish Tin Whistle in D Green Color 5057]](http://www.irishjewelry24.com/images/e/380440721815_0.jpg)
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![New Original From Ireland Feadog Irish Tin Whistle in D Black Color 5056]](http://www.irishjewelry24.com/images/e/380441452672_0.jpg)
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When Is A Ceilidh Not A Ceilidh?
Historically, such social or family assemblies might celebrate weddings, funerals, betrothals, christenings (or the pagan equivalent) and other calendar events, and, along with the obligatory feasting and drinking, would centre around music, dance, poetry, song and storytelling. For a closed nuclear society where news travelled at horse-speed along inhospitable, hazardous or non-existent roads, these social gatherings were important means of communication and information-exchange with the outside world. For a largely illiterate population, epic storytelling through saga, song and poetry were principal educational and entertainment vehicles, and as for general merry-making (and perhaps matchmaking), music and dancing broke down barriers and oiled the wheels.
Fast-forward through many centuries to our modern age, and ceilidh is still very much alive and kicking, although certain original features (poetry, storytelling) have gradually been de-emphasised in favour of music and dancing; the feasting and drinking element, unsurprisingly, has largely been retained! Thus 21st century ceilidh follows, respects and preserves an ancient Gaelic tradition of social interaction and cultural development.
In the strictest sense, ceilidh is Scottish; ceili is its Irish equivalent. As well as the obvious similarity, there is a great deal of commonality between the two, both in music and dance repertoire, although each has its own unique stylistic features and its own favourite tunes and dances. Whereas in Irish ceili you might have The Siege of Ennis, Belfast Hornpipe and Bridge of Athlone, no Scots ceilidh would be complete without The Gay Gordons, Dashing White Sergeant and Strip the Willow. Although some purists might raise an eyebrow, there's no good reason why all the above should not feature in an evening's entertainment.
Despite the commonality of much of the musical repertoire, the preferred instrumentation of modern-day ceilidh and ceili bands somewhat diverges. In a typical Scottish band, the rhythm and bassline are emphasised with drumkit and piano or accordion, whereas its Irish counterpart is less bass-dependent, relying on bodhran (a hand-held single-skin baritone drum played with a double-headed beater) to sustain the pulse and give depth to the sound. In a ceili band, melodeon and guitar or mandola take the place of piano or accordion in fulfilling a harmonic, textural function. The topline melodic instruments for both examples include fiddle(s), flute and small bagpipes (not the iconic Scots warpipes!); banjo and tin-whistle are popular Irish additions. As in Wales, the harp has an important and influential historic position in Irish music, and this tendency towards lyricism is reflected and demonstrated in ceili, where song still plays a prominent role in proceedings, much more so than in Scottish ceilidh.
Throughout the rest of the British Isles, parallel national cultures are still preserved and celebrated, with Eisteddfod in Wales and Festnoz in Celtic Brittany, and country dancing or barndancing survives as a popular pastime in England. In fact, a barndance is the nearest thing to a ceilidh many Sassenachs will have experienced. In English country dancing, however, the basic model is the same as in ceilidh; plenty of food and other refreshment (the style of dancing is fairly energetic), traditional music played on traditional instruments, and organised dancing usually led by an instructor who demonstrates the steps for each dance beforehand. In this way, the novice can pretty much keep up with the experienced dancer, and thus the skills and the traditions are handed down through succeeding generations.
A similar picture emerges from the rest of the English-speaking world, especially in the USA and Canada. Compared with the Anglo-Celtic monoculture found in Australia and New Zealand, British folkdance and music tradition in the Americas has to a greater extent over time fused with other European and (later) African migrant cultures, resulting in a unique polyglot amalgam of styles. From America we now have hoedown, hootenanny, squaredance and linedance instead of (or corresponding to) ceilidh, barndance or hoolie, but they all add up to pretty much the same thing:- a social get-together, celebrating for a good reason or for no good reason at all, perpetuating a tribal or clan tradition that reaches back over countless generations, arguably beyond the dawn of earliest civilized society to our hunter-gatherer forbears.
Jennie Evans runs Hop Till You Drop, a company that provides music of all styles and types for weddings, birthday parties and corporate events in the UK. To find out more about all aspects of wedding music planning and to get up-to-date info on live music for weddings in the UK, why don't you check out Wedding Music Services
The Hop Till You Drop team is only too happy to talk through the logistics of your particular occasion with you. You can call free from a UK landline on 0800 316 2175. Why not take a look at some great London Ceilidh bands to get you started!
About the Author
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Irish Tin Whistle $9.99 Easy to play, this Irish-made tin whistle in the key of D lets you perform traditional Irish tunes instantly, even if you can't read music. Includes instructions and diagrammed sheet music. |
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Instant Tin Whistle: Irish $17.99 Author: Mallinson, Dave Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 32 Publication Date: 2001/11/01 Language: English Dimensions: 11.60 x 8.30 x 0.10 inches |
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