This article was published in The Celtic Beat, spring issue, 1999 (vol. 6 no. 2 p. 20)
As Tara's Thistle Sandy and I have been singing Celtic music for the last three years. So we were very excited when I was invited to spend a sabbatical leave fall term, 1998 at the University of Edinburgh. We spent September touring Ireland and October touring Scotland before settling into our apartment in Edinburgh where we lived through Hogmany.
There is a delightful pub outside Waterford called "The Holy Cross," where twice weekly they have a traditional Irish session. They treated us "punters" graciously when we sat in, as did the musicians in Doolin, County Clare. Doolin has acquired the much deserved reputation as a center for traditional Irish music ("trad"), because it is the hometown of the famed whistle-player Micko Russell. Virtually every night you can hear live "trad" in Doolin's foremost pubs, McGanns, McDermott's, and, best-known, O'Connor's, though the latter had just changed owners when we were there. If you go there, be sure also to take in Doolin's Traditional Music Shop, which caters to authentic native musicians. We also enjoyed our stay at a B and B called Doonmacfelim House.
Edinburgh pubs are known for their folk music. Five nights a week at the Royal Oak you can enjoy a variety of singers, our favorite of whom is Neil Thomson. Neil has been at the pulse of folk music in Edinburgh since the sixties, and Sandy and I gleaned many new songs from him. He has a delightful new album "Beyond the Mask." But Neil admits that the folk scene has crested in Edinburgh, in favor of Glasgow.
But still every night of the week Finnegan's Wake in Edinburgh hosts a folk rock band. At least once a week Sandy Bell's has a "singing session," during which people take turns around the circle singing their favorites, while the rest join in on the choruses. These were led by the talented Jim Knight, alias "Hamish Mhor." We found "singing sessions" a great way to hear large numbers of new songs in a short time. Hamish also runs a wonderful folk music shop called "Blackfriars Music."
Let me share some reflections on Celtic folk music as we experienced it over these months. Both in Ireland and in Scotland we felt there was an even mix of instruments and vocals during most sessions we went to. Even in Edinburgh's "singing sessions" instrumentalists were welcomed to contribute their tunes when their turn came around. Our experience in the States is that a session tends to be either one or the other. As both instrumentalists and vocalists we appreciated this balance.
We also experienced an openness from both Irish and Scots to sing and play each others music. We felt a real sense that they regarded each other as Celtic people, in contrast to "sassenachs." Sometimes in the States we encounter some exclusiveness, usually from Scots. Once in Edinburgh, after an usually long string of Irish songs, someone in the back yelled out "Noo gie us ane auld Scots sang!" But the jibe was very good humored, and received as such.
But there are some contrasts between Irish and Scots music. Of course, the slip jig is an Irish genre, while the Scots have contributed the strathspey. Irish music utilized the up-beat, while Scots tends more to the down-beat. Irish will slide a note, especially on the whistle, flute, and pipe, while Scots pipe majors chide their pipers for this.
But culturally speaking, we found in what we experienced that traditional folk music was more a part of the Irish national identity than the Scots. In Ireland we heard "trad" played everywhere in the background, not just in the folky venues, whereas in Scotland we more often heard American country-western as background music. To us it seemed that the Republic of Ireland was making an exceptional effort to inculcate Gaelic language and traditional music into the daily lives of its people. The Irish seemed more willing to listen to "trad" simply because it is Irish, however their personal tastes were inclined. Perhaps as devolution develops into independence in Scotland, the average Scot will develop a more of a taste for his traditional folk music as part of his national identity.
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