Irish Culture
Irish Folk Music
Irish traditional and folk music, known locally as trad, has retained it vibrancy and popularity. Traditionally, music was performed as a background to dancing, and while this has been true ever since Celtic times, the many thousands of tunes that fill up the repertoire aren’t nearly an ancient as that; most aren’t much older than a couple of hundred years. Because much of Irish music is handed down orally and aurally, there are myriads or variations in the way a single tune is played, depending on the time and place of its playing. For most, traditional music is intimately associated with the pub session but records show that they very first pub session was held in 1947 in London, featuring emigrant Irish musicians who wouldn’t have been allowed to play in pubs at home.
But this all changed soon, thereafter, thanks to the folk explosion in the US and the superlative efforts of Sean O’Riada (1031-71), the single most influential figure in the traditional renaissance. Christy Moore is the most prominent of the contemporary singer/songwriters playing in a broadly traditional idiom. He has been performing since the 1960s, and although a pivitol member of the influential bands Planxty and Moving Hearts, he’s probably best known for his solo albums.
Popular music took off with Van Morrison, who really put Irish music on the map, followed by artists like Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy. Other great 1970s rockers included Horslips, who played an infectious trad-infused style known as Celtic rock; the Undertones, with their biggest hit being, Teenage Kicks; Stiff Little Fingers, ,aka SLF, with their punk style; and the Boomtown Rats, fronted by Bob Geldof.
Castles
There are tons of Castles to be explored throughout Ireland, one of the easiest routes to catch a fraction of the most spectacular castles is the drive from Shannon to Dublin.
Beginning your road trip at Shannon Airport, head towards the direction of Limerick, home to Glin Castle which today exists as a luxury 4-star hotel overlooking the Shannon riverfront.
Winding down to the last leg of your trip, spend the night at Kilkea Castle, which is surrounded by golf courses and the famous racetracks of County Kildare.
Irish castles were originally home to heads of clans, kings or English gentry, with Ireland's turbulent war torn history structures were built with heavy fortification to ward off the enemy as well as making a statement about their social status. This resulted in strong and sturdy constructions that paid little attention to intricate decoration.
Irish fortifications date back to the 1100's which was the time of the Norman Invasion. Mostly built of stone and originally inhabited by the builders, and then by successive invaders to be used as defensive dwellings or military quarters. The 16th and 17th centuries many were given away to loyal patrons of English Kings, as a reward.
Off the beaten track you will find Quin Abbey which was built on the ruins of a Norman castle in the 13th century, atop of the ruins of an earlier church. The Castle ruins are easy to spot despite the fact that the abbey has been around since 1433.
Even though Quin Abbey is in ruins today, there is still plenty to explore, such as mysterious passageways, stairways and the previous monks’ cloister. On the spookier side, the adjoining graveyard still holds the buried remains of people from 6 centuries ago or more marked by some rather interesting headstones.
More popular with the tourists is the busy medieval town of Ennis with its narrow streets and alleyways, the downside being plenty of traffic to deal with.
This may the time to park the car and stretch your legs by taking a walking tour. Take your pick from one of the many tours offered at the tourist office designed to point out sights that you might not notice otherwise. And don’t miss Ennis Friary former home to the Franciscan Order of the 13th century, with its awe-inspiring interior including sculpture from the 5th and 16th centuries.
Thoor Ballylee, which today stands as a museum was once a small castle with an adjoining house and home to the famous poet W.B. Yeats. His interest in preserving the structure is conveyed in a letter that he wrote in 1918: "I dream of making a house that may encourage people to avoid ugly manufactured things - an ideal poor man's house. Except a very few things imported as models we should get all made in Galway or Limerick. I am told that our neighbours are pleased that we are not getting 'grand things' but old Irish furniture".
Guinness
Guinness is the most celebrated of all the Irish stouts, but what most people do not know is that in Ireland, Guinness has competition. The two other major stout producers are Murphy’s and Beamish & Crawford, both from the city of Cork. However, none of the three are Irish-owned these days, so the real treat is the comeback of independent Irish brewers.
However, The Guinness Storehouse remains one of Dublin’s major attractions. This beer lovers paradise pulls out all the stops to pay homage to the country’s most famous export and the city’s most enduring symbol. The Storehouse takes up only a small space within the massive St. James Gate Brewery as well as the only part open to the public, shaped like a giant pint of Guinness, the structure is 7 stories high around a spectacular centre atrium. The head of this architectural masterpiece is The Gravity Bar, from which visitors can get a panoramic view of Dublin city. This is also the best place to soak up the massive size of the Brewery. Since Arthur Guinness founded the St. James Gate Brewery back in 1759, it has expanded down to the Liffey and across both sides of the street. Once upon a time, it had its own railroad coupled with a giant gate stretching across St. James, hence the Brewery’s current name It produces 2.5 million pints of stout every day and visitors will get a sample of the delicious brew at the end of their extravagant tour of the Brewery.
