I live in Aberdeen, I'm not Irish and I don't necessarily use this site for ITM either.
The sessions and tune search functions are what drew me to this site, and "sessions" aren't just Irish, nor are a good number of the tunes here
You have asked two questions.
Irish Traditional music has spread throughout the entire western world. Also is played in pockets of the globe "occupied" by Irish people.
The majority of people who (openly) use this site are not Irish.
A point to note is that, as Bren says, a good proportion of what passes as "ITM" is actually imported and improved in Ireland, and then rebranded as ITM. Some people are rather sensitive, as I would be, about this.
I however am Irish, so I just enjoy it for what it is.
I live in Durham City, England. I'm not Irish (my only exotic connection is a Jewish grandfather). I got into ITM via The Incredible String Band, folk clubs and the Geordie / Northumbrian music from just North of where I live, so I've been playing 30+ years.
Durham has had sessions that long, and is a "trad-friendly" area overall.
The furthest afield I have ever played ITM must be Athens.
Yep, it has spread from my ears into my brain and down into my fingers, which effect further transmission via vectors called instruments to other persons called listeners.
There are some OZ people too. But I can tell you more people play Irish music here in Japan though there are fewer dancers. We even have a Comhaltas branch: http://www.comhaltas.jp/cce_common/html/what_cce.php
Chicago, South Side, Polish. When they wheeled me out of the delivery room, my parents stuck an accordion in the bassinette.
I always claim to have been kidnapped by faeries at a young age though.
Actually, Chicago being a City of 'boundary lines', grew up on the Irish side of the street separating the Poles and Lithuanians from the Irish.
Ended up marrying Herself-a red headed lass whose family traces to Donegal by way of Mayo. Then we moved into Chicago's big Irish neighborhood and I found that my PA was popular at least once a year.....St. Pat's!
Seriously though. Now play button box and complete the conversion to real ITM. Not as big in Chicago as one would expect. But there seems to be signs of life. Strange a Pole would be part of that! Some say our cultural styles are paralell.
I am from the Detroit, Michigan, USA area. Wee bit Irish and maybe Welsh, some scots-Irish. Mostly not, I suspect.
At times of the year one can find a session on Sunday (used to be two), two on Tuesday, two on Wednesday (another an open mike at a pub) and CCE on Thursday. Occasionly there are house sessions or other occasions at a brewery or two, a Curling club, etc.
I guess that would mean that it has spread to here.
well i'm Irish and i can tell you i was in australia last month and played played 3 different sessions one of which took place in the arse end of nowhere so its pretty common.
American of Irish and German extraction and neophyte trad player in Montana, western USA. There are some fine musicians out here, just lots of distance between and around them!
Jerry Holland really had a good interview in which he spoke about playing with other people . . . Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton . . .
I have a very high regard for him when it comes to traditions in music. To answer your question I live and play in the U. S. & have found sessions here as well as British Columbia, Tokyo, Clare, & Kerry. Cheers!
You all jumped on how ITM has spread physically around the globe. But it has spread musically as well, becoming a bit blurry around the edges as it mixes with other musical traditions. We always hear arguments about how Flook and AfroCelt fit into things--both groups who show how the music spreads and blurs due to outside influences.
Backer wrote: "A point to note is that, as Bren says, a good proportion of what passes as "ITM" is actually imported and improved in Ireland, and then rebranded as ITM"
That's not quite what I was saying. What I meant was that this site is a great resource for sessions and tunes, but, particularly here in Scotland, both can and do exist entirely outside "ITM" and nobody should mistake them for part of the "ITM " phenomenon, filtered or otherwise.
I know Jeremy's site description describes this as a site for the dissemination of Irish music and culture but its open nature means that it isn't confined to that. Although I am interested in Irish music and culture, my presence on this site doesn't necessarily indicate that - I might be just looking for Scottish or Shetland tunes, or sessions
So it's Irish music you like. That might include the Strathspeys of Scotland, the syncopation of Shetland reels, the Breton Gavottes, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZiSTBJumMQ, the harp music of Wales, Kwela music in Africa, the mazurkas of France & Poland, & of course all the O'Carolan planxties which never receive play time in the regular session.
They are all in O'Neill's. It only seems like more than 1,001!
Upon reading this article I'm wondering whether the influx of the Irish diaspora has had any impact on the so-called demise of yer Cockney: http://www.timeout.com/london/features/3110.html?DCMP=EMC-London-06-July-2007
Interesting when they start talking about "Mockneys" though. And the resurgence of interest now that the original culture is being threatened.....now, where have I heard that before?.....
I'm American, from the Chicago area. I'm part (a little) Scottish, and to my knowledge not at all Irish, but I have liked the music since my violin teacher in the summer started teaching them to me.
I really am not quite sure where I am (dark, actually).
Since those strange men snatched me off the street the day I picked up my set of uilleanns and threw me in the back of that van, somee has been taking great pains to keep me isolated from the world outside.
Mostly I just here in my little room with my practice chanter, trying to learn the Jerry O'Sullivan version of Colonel Frazier.
On the internet, where you can check it for yourself, I found ITM being played well in Poland, Japan, Ukraine, China, Germany ... in fact all over Europe, Argentina and some other S American locations.
I think the Scottish poster raises a valid point, asking why limit the discussion to Irish music, why not Scottish as well.
So if you looked at that one, locations anywhere the British Empire ruled would also be listed since the Bagpipe was so widely known.
Other than that, I cant think of any other news except that it is very difficult to migrate onto a bigger TW if you played only the wee D or C for all of your 5 decade life.
An Irish work contributed to postwar Greek music. Brendan Behan's play "The Hostage" was translated into Greek at the beginning of the Sixties, and songs in this translation were scored by Mikis Theodorakis. They were enthusiastically taken up by left wingers etc, to the extent they got suppressed by the government. Many Greeks at that time and after instinctively related their history to Ireland's, because of Britain's occupation of Cyprus and heavy-handed intervention in Greece in the 1940s.
The session I co-host is in my small village in Somerset UK. None of the participents has Irish connections - that they know about.We play all sorts - Irish, Scottish, East European, original compositions, Cajun, Cape Breton, Welsh (!) and even some English tunes. I've probably missed some out. Although Scttish and irish tunes predominate, I don't think we'd pass muster with the ITM Police!
Bye now
Keith
Well, looks like theres noone from Czech republic yet, so I have to remedy this sorry situation ) I'm from Olomouc, but I play in Brno (a bigger city where I study). I've never been to Ireland, but visited Scotland many times and I love it. Lovely mountains, lovely people... But I must say I prefer Irish music to Scottish. It has more live and energy in it.
Unfortunately, there are not many people infected with this "Irish disease", so we organize bigger sessions every 3 months, with musicians from the whole country plus Slovakia comming.
And to give you an idea about how mad we are here... There are definitely more people with the "Riverdance disease") and they organize a summer school of Irish dance and music in Prague.
If there are any Central European folks reading this, then have a look at www.rinceoiri.cz
And we also do Scottish ceilidhs occasionally, so if anyone is interested in that, have a look at www.skotkypes.cz
I play down on the riverbank. The bullrushes clatter in the wind, as the trout dimple the surface of the water, sipping mayfly. Sometimes mole and ratty drop by and we have a few tunes, though if Mr Toad clatters by in his motor-car, parp-parping his horn, we stop and keep quiet till he passes.
I certainly remember salmon anglers in the late Sixties being anxious to know how far "the Irish disease" had spread.
It was a highly contagious and deadly disease of salmon and sea trout that first came to notice in the South-East rivers of Ireland, and was called "the Irish disease" as a provisional title. It soon spread throughout these islands, and was duly given other names. Eventually, fortunately, it died down.
I was in Miraflores, Lima, Peru in 1988 and I left the album (casette) Ceol Aduaidh by Mairead Mooney and Frankie Kennedy, plus one or two others, with a Peruvian couple I'd befriended, and who put me up. I never found out if they liked it or even played it, but it must have been the furthest, or maybe the least "Celtic" location Mairead and Frankie's music had travelled at that time.
ITM is, whether you like it or not - the pop music of trad! its idioms are very simple, catchy and easily accessible. ITM also seems to have (as is the Irish habit) made it's music inextricably linked to the pub and pints of guinness.
ITM is ideal for mass appeal - it's simple, accessible and marketed
It is the habit of the Irish to ask for & listen to anyone's story.
All traditions change over time & distance. There is more to any tradition when one takes the time to listen.
Hey bliss - we all know you are British. You are from Belfast. That makes you as British as they come.
" point to note is that, as Bren says, a good proportion of what passes as "ITM" is actually imported and improved in Ireland, and then rebranded as ITM. Some people are rather sensitive, as I would be, about this."
Backer - consider yourself lucky I have only just seen this and the moment has now passed. "Improved in Ireland" - Why I oughta...........!!!!
And I didn't say what he said I said!!!! If anything , filtering Scottish music through the kidneys of "ITM" musicians has the effect of making it blander, not a good thing in my book
How far has ITM spread?
How far has ITM spread?
Out of curiosity are the majority of the people who use this site Irish? If not where do you play?
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by ConfusedConcertina
Re: How far has ITM spread?
I live in Aberdeen, I'm not Irish and I don't necessarily use this site for ITM either.
The sessions and tune search functions are what drew me to this site, and "sessions" aren't just Irish, nor are a good number of the tunes here
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by Bren
Re: How far has ITM spread?
You have asked two questions.
Irish Traditional music has spread throughout the entire western world. Also is played in pockets of the globe "occupied" by Irish people.
The majority of people who (openly) use this site are not Irish.
A point to note is that, as Bren says, a good proportion of what passes as "ITM" is actually imported and improved in Ireland, and then rebranded as ITM. Some people are rather sensitive, as I would be, about this.
I however am Irish, so I just enjoy it for what it is.
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by Backer
Re: How far has ITM spread?
I live in Durham City, England. I'm not Irish (my only exotic connection is a Jewish grandfather). I got into ITM via The Incredible String Band, folk clubs and the Geordie / Northumbrian music from just North of where I live, so I've been playing 30+ years.
Durham has had sessions that long, and is a "trad-friendly" area overall.
The furthest afield I have ever played ITM must be Athens.
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by nicholas
Re: How far has ITM spread?
Half Welsh,half Scottish and I live and play in Flanders.
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by dafydd
Re: How far has ITM spread?
Crap, it's getting everywhere. Someone should really clean this up.
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by mcdevincabe
Re: How far has ITM spread?
Yes, it's brain fungus.
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by nicholas
Re: How far has ITM spread?
Yep, it has spread from my ears into my brain and down into my fingers, which effect further transmission via vectors called instruments to other persons called listeners.
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by Rudall the time
Re: How far has ITM spread?
There are some OZ people too. But I can tell you more people play Irish music here in Japan though there are fewer dancers. We even have a Comhaltas branch: http://www.comhaltas.jp/cce_common/html/what_cce.php
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by slainte
Re: How far has ITM spread?
Chicago, South Side, Polish. When they wheeled me out of the delivery room, my parents stuck an accordion in the bassinette.
I always claim to have been kidnapped by faeries at a young age though.
Actually, Chicago being a City of 'boundary lines', grew up on the Irish side of the street separating the Poles and Lithuanians from the Irish.
Ended up marrying Herself-a red headed lass whose family traces to Donegal by way of Mayo. Then we moved into Chicago's big Irish neighborhood and I found that my PA was popular at least once a year.....St. Pat's!
Seriously though. Now play button box and complete the conversion to real ITM. Not as big in Chicago as one would expect. But there seems to be signs of life. Strange a Pole would be part of that! Some say our cultural styles are paralell.
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by zippydw
Re: How far has ITM spread?
I am from the Detroit, Michigan, USA area. Wee bit Irish and maybe Welsh, some scots-Irish. Mostly not, I suspect.
At times of the year one can find a session on Sunday (used to be two), two on Tuesday, two on Wednesday (another an open mike at a pub) and CCE on Thursday. Occasionly there are house sessions or other occasions at a brewery or two, a Curling club, etc.
I guess that would mean that it has spread to here.
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by feardearg
Re: How far has ITM spread?
Greetings from Helsinki, Finland.
We've always got at least one weekly session running here, attendance is normally quite active...
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by matti
Re: How far has ITM spread?
well i'm Irish and i can tell you i was in australia last month and played played 3 different sessions one of which took place in the arse end of nowhere so its pretty common.
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by Kevo32A
Re: How far has ITM spread?
American of Irish and German extraction and neophyte trad player in Montana, western USA. There are some fine musicians out here, just lots of distance between and around them!
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by PatrickJWK
Re: How far has ITM spread?
Jerry Holland really had a good interview in which he spoke about playing with other people . . . Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton . . .
I have a very high regard for him when it comes to traditions in music. To answer your question I live and play in the U. S. & have found sessions here as well as British Columbia, Tokyo, Clare, & Kerry. Cheers!
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by Ben Steen
Re: How far has ITM spread?
I just play the local music in a couple of nearby establishments - you could have knocked me down with a feather when I discovered it was Irish!
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by RichardB
Re: How far has ITM spread?
You all jumped on how ITM has spread physically around the globe. But it has spread musically as well, becoming a bit blurry around the edges as it mixes with other musical traditions. We always hear arguments about how Flook and AfroCelt fit into things--both groups who show how the music spreads and blurs due to outside influences.
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by AlBrown
Re: How far has ITM spread?
Backer wrote: "A point to note is that, as Bren says, a good proportion of what passes as "ITM" is actually imported and improved in Ireland, and then rebranded as ITM"
That's not quite what I was saying. What I meant was that this site is a great resource for sessions and tunes, but, particularly here in Scotland, both can and do exist entirely outside "ITM" and nobody should mistake them for part of the "ITM " phenomenon, filtered or otherwise.
I know Jeremy's site description describes this as a site for the dissemination of Irish music and culture but its open nature means that it isn't confined to that. Although I am interested in Irish music and culture, my presence on this site doesn't necessarily indicate that - I might be just looking for Scottish or Shetland tunes, or sessions
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by Bren
Re: How far has ITM spread?
So it's Irish music you like. That might include the Strathspeys of Scotland, the syncopation of Shetland reels, the Breton Gavottes, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZiSTBJumMQ, the harp music of Wales, Kwela music in Africa, the mazurkas of France & Poland, & of course all the O'Carolan planxties which never receive play time in the regular session.
They are all in O'Neill's. It only seems like more than 1,001!
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by Ben Steen
Re: How far has ITM spread?
Upon reading this article I'm wondering whether the influx of the Irish diaspora has had any impact on the so-called demise of yer Cockney:
http://www.timeout.com/london/features/3110.html?DCMP=EMC-London-06-July-2007
Interesting when they start talking about "Mockneys" though. And the resurgence of interest now that the original culture is being threatened.....now, where have I heard that before?.....
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by Rudall the time
Re: How far has ITM spread?
'av a banana
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by pavlf
Re: How far has ITM spread?
LOL pavlf http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvqSaQ1yijs
# Posted on July 6th 2007 by Bren
Re: How far has ITM spread?
Greetings from the red planet... Mars!, Paddy Maloney was right..... the folk music here is mostly Irish in origin!
# Posted on July 7th 2007 by The Merry Highlander
Re: How far has ITM spread?
I'm American, from the Chicago area. I'm part (a little) Scottish, and to my knowledge not at all Irish, but I have liked the music since my violin teacher in the summer started teaching them to me.
# Posted on July 7th 2007 by sharkbat
Re: How far has ITM spread?
The Muse wrote - "... & of course all the O'Carolan planxties which never receive play time in the regular session."
Muse, you might be interested to know that they receive plenty of play time in our regular sessions!
# Posted on July 7th 2007 by Ptarmigan
Re: How far has ITM spread?
I really am not quite sure where I am (dark, actually).
Since those strange men snatched me off the street the day I picked up my set of uilleanns and threw me in the back of that van, somee has been taking great pains to keep me isolated from the world outside.
Mostly I just here in my little room with my practice chanter, trying to learn the Jerry O'Sullivan version of Colonel Frazier.
Giggle. Look, more paper dolls!
# Posted on July 7th 2007 by Piece
Re: How far has ITM spread?
On the internet, where you can check it for yourself, I found ITM being played well in Poland, Japan, Ukraine, China, Germany ... in fact all over Europe, Argentina and some other S American locations.
I think the Scottish poster raises a valid point, asking why limit the discussion to Irish music, why not Scottish as well.
So if you looked at that one, locations anywhere the British Empire ruled would also be listed since the Bagpipe was so widely known.
Other than that, I cant think of any other news except that it is very difficult to migrate onto a bigger TW if you played only the wee D or C for all of your 5 decade life.
# Posted on July 7th 2007 by Schlongbow
Re: How far has ITM spread?
An Irish work contributed to postwar Greek music. Brendan Behan's play "The Hostage" was translated into Greek at the beginning of the Sixties, and songs in this translation were scored by Mikis Theodorakis. They were enthusiastically taken up by left wingers etc, to the extent they got suppressed by the government. Many Greeks at that time and after instinctively related their history to Ireland's, because of Britain's occupation of Cyprus and heavy-handed intervention in Greece in the 1940s.
# Posted on July 7th 2007 by nicholas
Re: How far has ITM spread?
The session I co-host is in my small village in Somerset UK. None of the participents has Irish connections - that they know about.We play all sorts - Irish, Scottish, East European, original compositions, Cajun, Cape Breton, Welsh (!) and even some English tunes. I've probably missed some out. Although Scttish and irish tunes predominate, I don't think we'd pass muster with the ITM Police!
Bye now
Keith
# Posted on July 7th 2007 by ocarolan
Re: How far has ITM spread?
-or the keyboard skills police either!
K
# Posted on July 7th 2007 by ocarolan
Re: How far has ITM spread?
Well, looks like theres noone from Czech republic yet, so I have to remedy this sorry situation
) I'm from Olomouc, but I play in Brno (a bigger city where I study). I've never been to Ireland, but visited Scotland many times and I love it. Lovely mountains, lovely people... But I must say I prefer Irish music to Scottish. It has more live and energy in it.
) and they organize a summer school of Irish dance and music in Prague.
Unfortunately, there are not many people infected with this "Irish disease", so we organize bigger sessions every 3 months, with musicians from the whole country plus Slovakia comming.
And to give you an idea about how mad we are here... There are definitely more people with the "Riverdance disease"
If there are any Central European folks reading this, then have a look at www.rinceoiri.cz
And we also do Scottish ceilidhs occasionally, so if anyone is interested in that, have a look at www.skotkypes.cz
# Posted on July 7th 2007 by baruskaob
Re: How far has ITM spread?
At least as far as Dixieland.
# Posted on July 7th 2007 by bt
Re: How far has ITM spread?
I play down on the riverbank. The bullrushes clatter in the wind, as the trout dimple the surface of the water, sipping mayfly. Sometimes mole and ratty drop by and we have a few tunes, though if Mr Toad clatters by in his motor-car, parp-parping his horn, we stop and keep quiet till he passes.
# Posted on July 7th 2007 by Ottery
Re: How far has ITM spread?
It is getting harder all the time to start a row on this site. I am British!
# Posted on July 7th 2007 by bodhran bliss
Re: How far has ITM spread?
I certainly remember salmon anglers in the late Sixties being anxious to know how far "the Irish disease" had spread.
It was a highly contagious and deadly disease of salmon and sea trout that first came to notice in the South-East rivers of Ireland, and was called "the Irish disease" as a provisional title. It soon spread throughout these islands, and was duly given other names. Eventually, fortunately, it died down.
# Posted on July 7th 2007 by nicholas
Re: How far has ITM spread?
I was in Miraflores, Lima, Peru in 1988 and I left the album (casette) Ceol Aduaidh by Mairead Mooney and Frankie Kennedy, plus one or two others, with a Peruvian couple I'd befriended, and who put me up. I never found out if they liked it or even played it, but it must have been the furthest, or maybe the least "Celtic" location Mairead and Frankie's music had travelled at that time.
# Posted on July 7th 2007 by Rudall the time
Re: How far has ITM spread?
We have a Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann branch here in Argentina
# Posted on July 8th 2007 by Matt_Celta
Re: How far has ITM spread?
ITM is, whether you like it or not - the pop music of trad! its idioms are very simple, catchy and easily accessible. ITM also seems to have (as is the Irish habit) made it's music inextricably linked to the pub and pints of guinness.
ITM is ideal for mass appeal - it's simple, accessible and marketed
# Posted on July 8th 2007 by kings taxes
Re: How far has ITM spread?
It is the habit of the Irish to ask for & listen to anyone's story.
All traditions change over time & distance. There is more to any tradition when one takes the time to listen.
# Posted on July 8th 2007 by Ben Steen
Re: How far has ITM spread?
Cheers from Genova (Genoa) , Italy.
# Posted on July 8th 2007 by gian marco
Re: How far has ITM spread?
Hey bliss - we all know you are British. You are from Belfast. That makes you as British as they come.
" point to note is that, as Bren says, a good proportion of what passes as "ITM" is actually imported and improved in Ireland, and then rebranded as ITM. Some people are rather sensitive, as I would be, about this."
Backer - consider yourself lucky I have only just seen this and the moment has now passed. "Improved in Ireland" - Why I oughta...........!!!!
# Posted on July 8th 2007 by No Cause For Alarm
Re: How far has ITM spread?
And I didn't say what he said I said!!!! If anything , filtering Scottish music through the kidneys of "ITM" musicians has the effect of making it blander, not a good thing in my book
# Posted on July 9th 2007 by Bren
Re: How far has ITM spread?
Thank you, No Cause, and this week is the 12th.
# Posted on July 9th 2007 by bodhran bliss
Re: How far has ITM spread?
(Twalt.)
# Posted on July 9th 2007 by nicholas
Re: How far has ITM spread?
Alive and well in Slovakia too...
# Posted on July 11th 2007 by cferrie