From The Peopling of New York City
Contents |
Music
Traditional Irish music has remained strong in Ireland since the beginning with folk accents from the majority of rural places that the songs originated from, places where the songs were passed down mouth to ear. This grew even more important after the Irish were taken control of by England who used music to keep their traditions and heritage alive. Most Irish music is composed of street ballads, popular songs with light themes, many about drinking and love. To sing these songs, the Irish used many different instruments such as the fiddle, the pipes, the harp, the accordion, the banjo, the guitar and the harmonica. The most famous Irish composer was Turlough O' Carolan, a blind harpist who traveled the country sharing his music, thinking up words first before adding the melodies.[1]
Irish musicians found much success by incorporating these folk attributes into modern-age music. For example, Enya, the most successful female artist in Irish history combines Celtic music with New Age. Van Morrison and Sinéad O'Connor mix traditional Irish music with blues and alternative work, respectively. Grammy Award-winning Irish group Clannad has appealed to younger artists by fusing traditional Irish folk music with pop music. As for rock music, U2 definitely fits the category, selling more than 145 million albums worldwide and winning 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band, as well as Snow Patrol, famous for "Chasing Cars" and "Run."
There are many other successful Irish musicians who do not harken to their cultural roots. These include pop bands such as the Corrs, B*Witched and Boyzone, Celtic metal groups including Cruachan, Geasa, Waylander, and indie bands like Fight Like Apes and Bowlegged.
Movies and TV
Perhaps the most well-known movie about Irish Americans is the 2002 historical Gangs of New York film. This movie deals with the hordes of Irish immigrants flooding New York, especially in Manhattan's Five Points, where things are run by gang leader The Butcher and Boss Tweed. This film was praised for its historical accuracy with lots of bloody gang warfare between rival groups.
Early Irish figures in the show business included Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Grace Kelly and Maureen O'Hara, who was for the United States, the symbol of Irish spirit. Since recently, Ireland seems to have a knack for promoting many actors while few actresses, examples such as Colin Farrell, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cillian Murphy while the only Irish actresses coming to mind are Greer Garson and Anjelica Huston.
In television, there are numerous Irish comedians who poke fun at their roots, such as Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Bill Murray, Kathy Griffin and Conan O' Brien.
Walt Disney, maker of several dozen animated and well-loved films, can trace his roots through his mother back to Ireland.
Books
Irish literature leans towards a dramatic narration and amazement of nature as well as satire. Its history begins with Irish ancestors passing down stories through the generations through word of mouth only and this aspect helps to differentiate Irish literature from the rest.
Ireland is home to four Nobel Prize for Literature winners: William Butler Yeats, a Symbolist poet, George Bernard Shaw, a playwright with stories of comedic social issues, Samuel Beckett, a minimalist literary figure, and Seamus Heaney, a poet and writer of the small, everyday details of life. Other significant Irish authors include "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" and "Finnegan's Wake" author James Joyce, "The Great Gatsby" author F. Scott Fitzgerald, and "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and "The Importance of Being Earnest" author Oscar Wilde.
- Return to Entertainment
- Return to Irish