On this page you will find two main types of Irish music for your listening pleasure--(all files being in .mid format) Traditional Irish tunes & a variety of Enya's music. I include her work because, although Irish, it is vastly different from the traditional pieces, and definitely a personal favorite--and, of course, because I would like our visitors to know that Irish music moves well beyond the tradtional jigs and reels one usually associates with the Emerald Isle. I will add other styles along, so do check back!
A Historical Note on the Irish Harp...
Since this is a music page, I wanted to give our readers a little history on the famous Irish Harp, a well-known and well-loved instrument of Irish origin. It is said that the harp was invented by a man pursued by an angry wife who was forever scolding. As he was pursued by her he found himself walking along the beach where the wind was causing the sinus on a whale's ribcage to vibrate. His wife, hearing the music, was calmed. He then went to a tree and carved a piece of wood to relplicate the whale bone and then strung it with catgut to make the first harp, which the Irish have loved ever since.
The Dagda, a native high-born cheiftan, had a living harp which could play itself, with special effects upon the listeners. The harp was very beautiful to look upon, made of rare wood, and ornamented with gold & jewels; only the Dagda could call forth the magickal music in its strings. When the men were leaving for battle, the Dagda would set up his magic harp and a war song would ring out that gave strength and vigor to each man and caused him to shout, "Forth to the fight!" When the men came back bloodied, weary and heartsore from the battle, the Dagda would play them a soothing melody which made them forget their wounds, and heal their hearts and minds.
Harpists were important musicians who traveled with the chieftains and important persons throughout the land. Through their travels harpists encountered other musical traditions which they blended skillfully with the native Celtic music. With the fall of Celtic civilization the harpers moved from the court to the village where they brought the ancient cultural traditions for safekeeping with the peasantry. Harpers were often blind. In Gaelic the word for HARP is "cla'irseach"---and a HARPIST is "cla'irseoir".
On a more personal note... In my travels around the Web I have picked up some lovely Irish music in the form of MIDI files...what is presented on this page are some of my personal favorites. To the composers: no copyright enfringement is intended--this is just a little place where Celtic music fans can listen and enjoy the work you do. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do! To listen, click on the button after the name of the song.
Traditional Irish Tunes The King of the Fairy Gary Owens The Priest's Leap Snowy-Breasted Pearl Green Groves of Erin TooRah LooRah La Rose of Tralee The Lilting Banshee The Foggy Dew S'Beheag S'Mhor The Mountain Mourne Planxty Eleanor Plunket Planxty Fanny Poer Haste to the Wedding The Black Reel Carolan's Draught Princess Royal The Boys of Tandernmagee Eamonn an Chniuic The Humours of Tuaimgreine The Irish WashWoman The Humours of Whiskey The Rakes of Mallow Our Rural Felicity The Bard of Armaugh The Dark Island
Oh, Danny Boy! The pipes, the pipes are callin'...
To those of you who do not know of Enya, she is an extraordinarily gifted Irish singer, full of fairy imagery, wistful melodies and heartbreakingly beautiful tones. Her music is at once ethereal and yet strong in a way which you remember always once you have heard it.She was born in County Donegal to a musical family, the sixth of nine children. She began her career as a keyboardist for the band Clannad, and later went solo--she broke through to international audiences with her amazing CD "Watermark" (highly recommended), and became Ireland's second largest musical export, U2 being the first. I have listed the two newest Enya CDs, 'Amarantine' & 'And the Winter Came, on the Irish music page of the Celtic Pearl Bookshop, and encourage you to get these CDs and be enthralled by Enya's music--there are many who try to imitate her, but she stands above them and is truly Unique!
The .mid files here are of the music only, with no voice, but I wanted to share them with you to give you an idea of how wonderful her music is. ENJOY!
A Selection of Enya's Music Athair Ar Neamh Evening Falls Exile Hope Has a Place How Can I Keep from Singing Lothlorien Marble Halls Once You Had Gold Silver Inches The Memory of Trees Watermark Wild Child
Shop for Irish Books!
Irish History Irish Arts Irish Fiction Learn Irish Gaelic
Irish Wicca & Paganism Travel in Ireland Irish Music Irish Folklore
Irish Cooking Irish Movies Irish Christianity Irish Books for Children
+ more! Celtic Pearl Gourmet Shop Celtic Pearl Kitchen Shop
Links Page About the Shamrock About the Claddaugh Favorite Irish Recipes
Listen to Irish Music A Garden of Irish Wisdom Celtic Pearl MessageBoard
Copyright 1999-2008, The Celtic Pearl Bookshop. All rights reserved.
The Celtic Pearl Bookshop is a registered trademark and "The Celtic Pearl" logo & website
were designed by, and belong to, Angel Illuminations Studio.
