May/Summer 2006

The Weekend

Elizabeth in Dublin, on her (non-drinking) "Musical Pub Crawl"

As soon as I walked into the pub on Oliver Saint John Gregory, I knew I was in for a treat. To my delight, loud Irish music blared from the stereo. Finally! I don't have to listen to Ashlee Simpson in an Irish pub. . . . Thomas, the older and more talkative of the two [musician tour guides], exlained that the Pub Crawl gives us an opportunity to pester them with questions. Generally, the musicians found in pubs don't play for others, but for themselves, and want to be left alone. The tour offers us not only the music, but the reason behind it all. That being said, Thomas and Guy started the night with a song called "Maid." Their feet tapped, bodies swayed, and fingers flew on the instruments.

What she learned about Irish music

Almost all Irish music is meant to be both played and danced to, and it's only in the last 50 years that the music has been listened to without dancing. Jigs and reels are no different, so to keep music from getting boring, sets of jigs and reels are combined instead of playing each song separately. They played an example, then went into an explanation of various Irish instruments, such as a crit. The crit is an Irish harp, and the most noticeable difference from a concert harp is that it is small enough to rest on the musician's lap. The strings are made of grass and plucked with the fingernails instead of the fingertips. Next, Thomas described the bodhran, or Irish drum. Appropriately, the bodhran means "deafener," because it was used during festivals and ceremonies for people to chant along to. Thomas mentioned that unlike some other countries, in Ireland a drummer is expected to follow the melody, not the other way around.