Art and Music
Bruce Arnold , Irish Art: A Concise History (Thames & Hudson UK). Updated edition provides a fuller account of Irish modernism. Breandan Breathnach , Folk Music and Dances of Ireland (Ossian). Breathnach's classic developmental account and analysis of the structure of Irish music is essential reading. A companion CD features all the songs and tunes from the book's closing section. Ciaran Carson , The Pocket Guide to Irish Traditional Music (Appletree Press; Irish Books & Media). Useful introduction to the world or traditional music, while Last Night's Fun (Pimlico; North Point Press) is a wonderful evocation of the elusive pleasures of traditional music sessions. Tony Clayton-Lea & Richard Taylor , Irish Rock (Gill & MacMillan UK). Popular account of the growth of the Irish music scene, particularly good on the punk and new wave years. P.J. Curtis , Notes form the Heart (Poolbeg IRE). Criminally ignored on first publication, P.J.'s opening chapters provide an admirable overview of the music's twentieth-century developments, while the remainder focuses on major figures in County Clare's music. Brian Fallon , Irish Art 1830-1990 (Appletree Press UK). The development of art in Ireland and its reflection of questions of national identity and culture. Caoimhin o hAllmhurain , Between the Jigs and Reels: The Donegal Fiddle Tradition (Drumlin Publications IRE). A marvellous book which truly captures the richness of the county's musical heritage through a detailed analysis of its history, informative biographies of many musicians and valuable descriptions of their various techniques. Christy Moore , One Voice (Hodder & Stoughton). Not just a scintillating account of Moore's own life through song, but a hard-hitting analysis of ireland over the last thirty years. Thomas Moore , Moore's Irish Melodies; (Ossian; Dover). Various editions of the prettied-up tunes Moore stole from the harpists, along with lyrics of mind-numbingly perfect rhythm. Moore is an important historical figure, who expressed the Nationalism of the emerging middle class and brought revolution into the parlour. Nuala O'Connor , Bringing It All Back Home (BBC UK). Detailed account of the history of traditional Irish music written to accompany a 1991 BBC TV series. George Petrie , The Complete Collection of Irish Music (Llanerch UK). One of the most important cultural documents in Irish history. Mark J. Prendergast , Irish Rock: Roots, Personalities and Directions (O'Brien Press IRE). Dated, but still the best in-depth account of the development of Irish rock music. Fintan Vallely (ed), The Companion to Irish Traditional Music (Cork University Press IRE). Provides constant delight in its copious accounts of the music's form, style and qualities, and brief biographies of many key participants; required reading. Geoff Wallis and Sue Wilson , The Rough Guide to Irish Music (Rough Guides). A quintessential account of the roots and current state of traditional music in Ireland, containing a comprehensive directory of more than four hundred singers, musicians and groups and details of the best places to see them in action.
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