r/Irishmusic

Split Screen Harmonies & Instruments

Filmed in a small apartment in The Czech Republic

Tunes are Within a mile of Clonbur // Gossan who beat his father // John Blessings

I asked a few people if they thought that we were in the midst of another Folk Revival of sorts, a lot of people felt so - noting that especially a lot of younger people are getting more and more interested in Folk Music for example. But also more interested in learning the language.

Looking at the 1950s which started in the US but had a domino effect in the UK and Ireland. But also comparing the Gaelic Revival at the end of the 1800s, they were both similar things - a deliberate step back to our roots. Both did aim to achieve different goals.

These Folk Revivals happen all the time and aren't confined to one or two countries. East Africa.. Asia.. South America. It's all driven by a huge number of factors primarily around - people don't feel comfortable with the pace of change and they look to reconnect with things that were more familiar. Simpler times.

No surprise that AI is everywhere, news for unrelated topics is in your face left right and center, the Social Media ban?? This could accelerate it too, forcing younger people to socialise a bit more outside of their home. Nobody truly knows. I feel history will repeat itself but just on a larger global scale.

This article explores that idea, focusing mostly on Ireland, with a few things to get you thinking about it. A lot of people welcome the idea of giving up technology and reconnecting with our past. I do too to be honest!

You'll notice since last time I posted, there's still quite a few of the same tunes in my top 25. Whatever! Data is fun but this is my hobby and I kinda just float from tune to tune with my friends nowadays. I'm on a huge hornpipe kick at the moment.

Next 25
The Orphan
The Cock and the Hen
The Old Favourite
I Ne'er Shall Wean Her
Sligo Maid
The Batttering Ram
Hunters House
Swinging on the Gate
Fermoy Lasses
Tenpenny Bit
Fox on the Prowl (D)
Hag with the money
Irish Washerwoman
Josefin's Waltz
Monaghan Twig
My Love is in America
Plains of Boyle
Stack of Barely
The Black Rogue / Rose
Tommy People's
Flagstone Of Memories
If We Hadn't Any Women in the World
After The Battle Of Aughrim
Fanny Power

I'd love to know yours.

Hello, again!

A follow-up to a previous post of mine... I’ve got a quick work in progress update on the Hurley Ceol, as our new builds continue on and we get settled into our new workshop.  Check out the attached build progress photos, going all through the process.

Now, what I’m personally most excited about - We’ve got better sound recordings! Best foot forward, here’s what it sounds like in-studio with a legit banjo player! 

https://youtube.com/shorts/ASx_KRuP8r0?feature=share
https://youtube.com/shorts/SOAjDVjmlao?feature=share
https://youtube.com/shorts/MrBIxiGaBp4?feature=share
https://youtube.com/shorts/fvAeiqMTym4?feature=share
https://youtube.com/shorts/FLJkLhhhxEk?feature=share
https://youtube.com/shorts/ou2uOiotSm8?feature=share

And the two last fun pieces of news: 

We’ve fixed the website to be a hell of a lot less “early 2000s” style, and a lot more “yes, hello, we’re serious professional luthiers” - check it out, below, and huge thanks to everyone who gave feedback... it was tough to hear, but appreciated.

And last, but not least - a whole pile of people on the r/banjo subreddit asked if we could make a 5-string… and so we’re working on it! I'll put up a post about how that whole process goes.

Website = Hurleyceols.com

Here's a reel that was composed by virtuoso accordionist Finbarr Dwyer

If you enjoy Irish music today, you probably owe a massive "thank you" to Ellen O’Byrne DeWitt.

She opened a small shop with her husband, a travel agency/music store where people would gather to hear news from home and buy Irish recordings and instruments. But sourcing good recordings was a monumental struggle as none of the major labels thought there was any money to be made in them. She walked into Columbia Records and convinced them, maybe with a degree of force, to record Irish musicians and produce the music, certain that the recordings would sell. She even put up her own money to guarantee the sales. It worked. Within months, she proved there was a massive market for "the music of home," paving the way for the legendary recordings of the 1920s. Not only did she sell the music to those in her community, she sent it back to Ireland with phonographs to play it!

Later on, her son, Justus Jr., opened his own shop in Boston and teamed up with the master player and teacher Jerry O’Brien (who later taught Joe Derrane). Together, they didn't just sell accordions, they redesigned them.

They worked with the Paolo Soprani factory in Italy to create a "Boston-spec" box with custom tuning. They ordered specific reed setups that were loud, crisp, and perfect for the fast, technical fingering style Jerry was teaching. Unlike players back home in Ireland, these boxes were mostly sold in the D/C# tuning, a Hallmark of the Irish-American style.

While these instruments are incredibly rare, with just a handful surviving, I happen to have one. Above is one of those boxes. This one is a 1950s 4 voice model in D/C#. Against all odds, it traveled away from the east coast to the high desert of Northern Nevada and remained here for the last 50 years. The dry weather was the perfect atmosphere to prevent reeds from rusting and the wood of the box from decaying. Still playable, though it definitely needs its first rewax since it was purchased all those years ago! Lol.

Without Ellen’s grit to get the music recorded, and Justus Jr. and Jerry’s vision for a better instrument, the "Boston Style" of Irish music would certainly look different than it does today.

Irish band Motion Sickness @ Fibbers 🇮🇪 24/4/2026

insta: @farrell___photography

Hey folks, my band just released our debut album. We've been plugging away since 2008 when we met in school! So it's taken a while to get to this point to say the least haha.

We're a Rock band from Ireland. We've played festivals, supported big bands, played every pub in Ireland and we've finally got ourselves an album. Totally DIY! All recorded in a rehearsal studio and my box room. Hope you enjoy!

This song is called "Out in Exile" and it's the second single from the album -

https://open.spotify.com/track/1eOI8VYntet9dClWbdofVj?si=df63a7d520c047c4