Traditional music
When you arrive in Dublin, one of the most appreciated pilgrimages is to run to the best pubs of the city to listen to traditional Irish music (with a pint in hand, of course!). But before going to meet her, it is good to know her a little. Still as dashing and dynamic as ever, exporting wonderfully to the international scene, Irish traditional music knows how to make you forget that it is about two thousand years old. It dates back to the arrival of the Celts in Ireland, who may have imported oriental influences into their music (the famous Celtic harp may even have originated in Egypt). Although also established in Spain, Brittany, Wales and Scotland, it is in Ireland that the musical tradition has visibly survived the best, resisting episodes like the Great Famine of 1845. A period that saw millions of Irish people leave the country, taking with them the traditional instruments and tunes of their country. Cities like New York, Boston and Chicago are now famous for the size of their Irish communities.
An emigration that benefited the country's music. In the 1920s, fiddle players such as Michael Coleman, James Morrisson and Paddy Killoran from the Irish diaspora in the United States had access to recording facilities and were able to immortalize their music. Also, in the 1950s and 1960s, emigrant musicians such as the Clancy Brothers or Tommy Makem offered a faster, more powerful and lively version of the tradition and were a real success on the New York folk scene.
Until the 1960s, Irish music was what you might call "dance music" and was played mostly in pubs. Then in the early 1960s, a certain Sean O'Riada, an expert in Irish music, shook things up and established himself as the great figure of the revival by creating the mythical Dublin band Ceoltori Chualann. Through this orchestra, he set himself the goal of inventing a new music but deeply rooted in tradition. Under his impetus, the orchestra - composed of a violin, a flute, a pipe, an accordion and a bodhran (emblematic Gaelic drum) - now allows solo playing within the group. At the same time, another important change occurred: the bands began to compose pieces that were meant to be listened to and not just danced to.
The work and success of the Ceoltori Chualann inspired a wave of traditional music revival that saw the birth of some legendary entities such as The Chieftains, some of whose members came from Ceoltori Chualann. Pioneers, then pillars, whose influence resounds on a whole generation of bands of the 1970s. It is enough, to realize it, to listen to groups like Planxty, or, later, The Bothy Band, seminal orchestra whose complex arrangements, productions in studio and stage ardour synthesize all that makes the current success of the Irish music.
In addition to The Chieftains (still active), the Dublin scene has seen the birth of a number of essential musicians who are highly recommended. Starting with Mary Black. For forty years, this major Irish artist has been giving the whole country a thrill with her crystal clear voice and her strong interpretations of traditional music. The Dubliners are also one of Ireland's leading traditional music groups. More recently, the tradition has shone through in bands like Lúnasa - who have achieved international success with their modern vision of folklore - or Lankum, a powerful and abrasive reading of Irish music, somewhere between The Pogues, Sunn O))) or Swans.
Important groups whose works are as many opportunities to cross the typical instruments of the country. In addition to the bodhran and fiddle mentioned above, it is common to hear in their compositions the thin whistle, brass flute with six holes and national instrument or the villean pipe, Irish bagpipe, quite different from its small Scottish sister. And then of course, there is the famous Irish harp. Always popular, the instrument knows some famous interpreters in the country like Moya Brennan, one of the pride of Dublin.
As said before, one of the most exciting sports in Dublin is to hunt for good traditional music concerts in the pubs. If Dubliners and/or purists will raise their eyes to the sky when we talk about Temple Bar, which is probably too much of a tourist attraction for their taste, the area is still a must to see good concerts and you have to let your ears guide you to the right places. A little advice: it's a good idea to go to The Auld Dubliner, a particularly warm pub, as well as the well-named Temple Bar and its bright red and black façade, one of the city's most popular images. It is also in this area that the TradFest, Dublin's annual Irish music festival, is held, offering more than 200 free performances in a myriad of venues.
Otherwise, the institution in town is by far The Cobblestone. Located in the Smithfield neighborhood, the venue hosts concerts seven nights a week, sometimes featuring some of the country's best musicians in a setting full of personality and history. Also famous,
O'Donoghue's is the mythical place where the band The Dubliners formed. Very sixties, very authentic, it is the guarantee of a good evening. Still an institution, The Brazen Head is officially the oldest pub in the city (1198!). It's hard to find a more authentic setting for an Irish music concert. And that's good, they are often very good. Pell-mell, let's also mention The Celt, a pub with good Irish music every night, or Pipers Corner on Marlborough Street, more specialized in bagpipes.
Popular music
Maybe it's the energy of England's neighbor spilling over into the country. Or maybe it has nothing to do with it (most likely), but Irish music has spawned some of the world's most famous pop artists. Starting with Dubliners you can't not know: U2. The world either loves them or hates them (and loves to hate them), but these kings of pop-rock have managed to sell over 200 million albums throughout their career. U2 is synonymous with Irish popular music, but Irish popular music didn't wait for Bono's band to make its mark internationally. As early as the 1960s, it was the birthplace of beloved figures like Van Morrison. Born George Ivan Morrison, the singer started in 1965 in the rock band Them (author of the hit Gloria) and embraced many styles and periods during his career (blues, jazz, folk). Then, shortly before the explosion of punk, the Dublin band Thin Lizzy prepared the ground with a wild rock that was a hit all over the world (especially in the United States).
The 1990's were truly Ireland's. It was at this time that the country attracted massive attention with big hits like The Corrs, four siblings who became stars around the world with their mix of traditional Irish and pop-rock. On the darker side, The Cranberries wrote one of the country's most important works with Zombie, a song openly about war. And of course, the era is also the one of Sinead O'Connor, a strong personality, as famous for her great hits like Nothing Compares 2 U as for her antics. The 1990s will also see the explosion of Enya, a huge international success thanks to its new age/Celtic fusion.
Current music
The Dublin scene is in full swing. The standard-bearer of its energy, the band Fontaines D.C. ("D.C." meaning "Dublin City"), tells better than anyone else the story of its city (" Dublin in the rain is mine, A pregnant city with a catholic mind..." are the lyrics that open their track Big, from their album Dogrel) with a frank, punk and icy rock that has earned them praise from the international press. Coming from the same movement, we find the black post-punk of The Murder Capital and the more singular one of Odd Morris, two other faces of the new Irish scene. Worthy heirs of Gilla Band, icons of the noise scene who never knew the success of the above-mentioned bands but served as their mentor. More indie, Rachael Lavelle is also making a name for herself with her refined pop somewhere between Agnes Obel and Anohni.
Less known than its London sister, the Dublin hip-hop scene is also doing wonderfully well. Rejjie Snow was the pioneer of it almost ten years ago. He was heavily influenced by MF Doom and put Dublin on the rap map. Then came Kojaque, more committed and very skilled in telling the life of his fellow citizens in modern Ireland. Two names that opened the way to a whole scene where talents and aesthetics are multiplying: Luka Palm and Malaki, but the young Monjola, Shiv, Jafaris, Gemma Dunleavy or Nealo are not left behind.
One of the best venues in town to get up close and personal with the local new guard is The Workman's Club. Located on the banks of the Liffey, this former apartment transformed into a club, hosts the best of the young Dublin creation.
Theater
As theater lovers know, Dublin is the city of two of the geniuses (let's not mince words) of the field: Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), a Dublin dandy who "put all his genius into his life but only his talent into his works" (to paraphrase him) and Samuel Beckett, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969, who wrote some of the most important plays of the last century, such as Waiting for Godot. Less famous are another Nobel Prize winner (1925), also a native of Dublin: George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), a great author of avant-garde theater, and William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), a figure in the struggle for Irish independence. An iconic Dublin artist, he founded theAbbey Theatre, which is still active and well programmed. Bilingual theater lovers will love to visit.
