CONCLUSION
The late Breandan Breathnach gave “one compelling reason” why Irish people should know their own music: “Because it’s our own” (Carolan “Because” p. 6). As demonstrated by this paper, global media’s presentation of Irish music has diluted the ownership of Irish music by packaging an often-stereotypical version of the tradition for global audiences and cultural tourists.
The question of whether or not a cultural tradition can become globally and commercially successful and maintain its integrity is a difficult one. Criticizing global media for ignoring the progression of Irish culture and Irish music and simultaneously arguing for the maintenance of the tradition’s integrity may seem contradictory. Irish music certainly has the right, as does any cultural tradition, to go global, and many Irish musicians are more than worthy of global media coverage. As Ireland changes and diversifies, so does its music. The argument for a pure, “authentic” Irish music, unadulterated by outside influences is backward-looking, but mistaking stereotypical imagery and the simplification and reduction of a culture for progress is equally misguided.
As Jimmy Noonan said, “Good music is good music. The common tunes are the backbone of the music. New tunes are new, but the other ones have survived for a long time for a reason. We’re not playing the old ones just to keep them alive; they move you” (Noonan Interview). The quality of the music is the driving force that
should keep it alive, rather than the political and monetary agendas of global media and state-sponsored organizations like Comhaltas.
It is important to examine the image of Irish musical identity that is being constructed by global media and identify whose purposes that image serves. In the case of early Irish radio, Irish traditional music was adapted to please radio officials and
“refined” for the public. In the case of American television and Riverdance, stereotypical imagery was, and is, used for the purpose of commercial success in the growing Irish-American consumer market. Comhaltas, who claim to be the keepers of Ireland’s
musical tradition, is just as guilty as big media of packaging a simplified cultural identity for the purpose of cultural tourism. Stereotypical imagery, commercial promotion, and antiquated ideologies dominate Comhaltas media and festivals.
It would be a mistake, however, to overlook the positive potential of modern global media and castigate all media as some sort of corporate villain. New and social media, such as YouTube and Facebook, allow for Irish musicians all over the world to share their music and connect with fellow musicians. Ireland’s recently emerging film industry has also made immense progress in the presentation of a realistic Irish identity.
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Through the examination of early Irish radio, Comhaltas media productions, the appearances of Irish musicians on American television, and Riverdance, there is ample evidence that: Global media’s presentation of Irish music fails to accurately portray the reality of Irish musical identity.
APPENDIX
An example of the artwork that lined the streets of Cavan during the 2011 Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann. (Photo by Logan Macomber)
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Bracefield, H. (2004). Gramophone or Radio: Transatlantic Effects on the Development
of Traditional Music in Ireland. Irish Journal of American Studies, 13, pp. 115-121.
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