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Title: .
Post by: aradru on October 24, 2014, 02:24:27 AM
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Title: Re: Irish and English folk culture
Post by: Bobtheboat on October 24, 2014, 09:42:25 AM
Interesting. As a typically British person, i.e. Being a mixed bag of genes and heritage with Irish and Scottish grandmothers and Welsh and Norwegian grandfathers, I feel little 'loyalty' to any particular tradition. Lucky for me I'm interested in and happily take from (and leave from) anything I stumble across, as I suspect folk musicians have always done. Bob
Title: Re: Irish and English folk culture
Post by: Chris Ryall on October 24, 2014, 10:18:05 AM
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   Gosh, that's really thoughtful, insightful, positive stuff! ::)
Title: Re: Irish and English folk culture
Post by: Bob Ellis on October 24, 2014, 10:41:58 AM
Interesting articles. Thanks for posting the links. English folk musicians have long enriched their understanding and interpretation of traditional music through their exposure to Irish music. It may be that a similar enrichment will influence Irish musicians in the future through greater exposure to English traditional music.
Title: Re: Irish and English folk culture
Post by: Theo on October 24, 2014, 11:29:49 AM
I'm not sure how we got to the position where musicians see barriers between cultures, but I'm delighted to see them fading away.  I'm reminded of the Vickers Collection (aka Great Northern Tune Book) compiled in the mid 18th century in the north of England and clearly demonstrates that musicians at that time had connections with England, Ireland, Scotland, France, and Scandinavia.  And that was long before the internet allowed instant exchange, and even before steam powered transport!
Title: Re: Irish and English folk culture
Post by: oggiesnr on October 24, 2014, 10:23:30 PM
My main quibble would be the idea that there is a homogenous "English" folk culture any more than there is an Irish one.

Northumbrian smallpipe, Cotswold morris, East Anglia, all very different and vibrant.

For all that there is this idea that somehow Ireland is different I'm old enough to remember when the dominant music in Ireland (and the Irish community over here) was "The Show Band" and folk music was "that old stuff".

The modern Irish revival is not that much older than the English one and for many it's spearhead is still Riverdance and the amalgam of Irish reels and rock beats rather than the purity of a Donegal fiddler or a Clare concertina.

Steve
Title: Re: Irish and English folk culture
Post by: Chris Ryall on October 25, 2014, 07:27:06 AM
Barriers .. or at least fences between cultures are actually very important. While a vast melting pot might seem superficially attractive it is actually the the differences that define cultural identity?

Counties (or yet smaller areas) both here in Britain and in Ireland have musical idiosyncracies that even I can sense. When over in Dublin City I found its bar music very 'samey'; I got a lot more from the West coast. (Transpired I'd been a bit unlucky in town, though) ::)

So I'm all for occasional larceny of melodies, in both directions and hope that the application of one's local style of play might produce something new and beautiful. And isn't it rather wonderful when such a tune comes back again in its new clothes. :|glug


Title: Re: Irish and English folk culture
Post by: Mutt on October 25, 2014, 09:10:29 AM
Barriers .. or at least fences between cultures are actually very important. While a vast melting pot might seem superficially attractive it is actually the the differences that define cultural identity?

The problem, it seems to me, is that the differences do define cultural identity, but they fail to comprehend cultural commonality. 

I'm a Yank, so I should stop there; I don't have all that history to deal with, and I get that. But we have regional biases about what is or is not genuine "old time" music that I think have a lot to do with blood and gunpowder, although maybe not as much as on your side of the pond. The trick, it seems to me, is to see and preserve the differences while acknowledging the commonalities.  It can even be fun to play one against the other, to see how far we can go without corruption.

It's like a school dance.  We danced and flirted but (mostly) stopped short of union, which might have really messed things up.  Yet there was a real thrill in the dance. 
Title: Re: Irish and English folk culture
Post by: Thrupenny Bit on October 25, 2014, 01:29:01 PM
Just read the article and reply.
Thank you so much for posting them.
I too find them incredibly thought provoking especially from someone in the know outside looking in.....
Need a minute or two to digest them.
Q
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