Celtic Music, Ancient and Modern, Part I

In this post Christian author Mark Fisher begins a quick look (and listen) at Celtic music, both ancient and modern.

Celtic Music, Ancient and Modern

What can we say about Celtic music? I love it! True it is that what we hear today is not the same as what they played in the early Middle Ages. Modern musicians have borrowed, reshaped, and made the ancient music their own. The instruments today present a wider range of sounds and  options. But I think we can still get a flavor for what they must have listened to in ancient times.

Kyteler’s Inn—My Introduction to Traditional Irish Music

My first exposure to really good Irish music was on our first night in Ireland in June 2014. My wife and I just had flown into Dublin, rented a car, and navigated the narrow roads and left-hand-side-of-the-road driving. My white-knuckled wife wondered the whole way if this were her last day on earth. But lo, we did arrive safely at our B&B in Kilkenny. After a short nap and supper, we found Kyteler’s Inn, one of the oldest inns in Ireland. There we landed a seat, grabbed a Guinness, and sat down to hear the traditional Irish music of the Raglan Rogues. It’s just two guys playing guitar, mandolin, banjo, Irish flute, and sometimes the tin whistle Their stringed instruments were unknown to the ancient Celts. Nevertheless they are keeping alive the spirit, rhythm, and sound of Celtic musical culture.

Captivated by an Irish Folk Sound

I listened and was dumbfounded. Perhaps embedded somewhere in my DNA was an affinity for this Irish folk sound. Perhaps it was too little sleep after a long flight. But the music took me away. I bought both their albums and have been listening to them ever since—perhaps more than any others I own. (Outside of Bob Dylan, thank you.) If you’re in Kilkenny on Monday through Thursday nights, you absolutely must stop by Kyteler’s Inn and hear these two guys. It was the first surprise of our Irish trip—how traditional Irish music is being kept alive in the pubs.

Now I cannot give you a flavor of what we heard without providing some links where you can actually hear the music. I hope you’re reading this where you can go there and listen. After expending so many words, your ears just have to be exposed to the captivating sounds of Irish folk music that stays with you long after the notes fade away.

Here’s the first link: The Raglan Rogues, playing “Galway Girl”, with guitar and mandolin:

 

To access the first video in a different way, click here.

In the next link, they’re playing “Whiskey in the Jar” with guitar and banjo. The music starts at about 1:30 into the video.

 

To access the second video in a different way, click here.

They’ve only produced two albums that I know of: “Lord of the Dance” and “Whiskey in the Jar”. And sorry, I’ve been unable to find the links where you can buy them. If I learn where you can, I’ll update this post later.

I admit this isn’t ancient music. We should perhaps call it Irish folk music, with definite Celtic roots. Next time we’ll try to dampen our enthusiasm for the modern version and focus on an instrument that definitely was a part of ancient Celtic musical tradition: the harp. And again, I promise to bring you links where you can actually hear the haunting sounds we’re talking about. (Click here for Part II.)

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Mark is the author of The Bonfires of Beltane, a novel of Christian historical fiction set in ancient, Celtic Ireland at the time of St. Patrick. To learn more about his book, follow the link above.