Origins

• The earliest Irish dance music dates to the time when the Druids danced in rituals around oak trees. Remnants of their circular dances can be found today in Irish ring dances. The music used moved with the dances, "a residue of pagan vocal incantations," according to Henry George Farmer in "A History of Music in Scotland," published in 1947. Celtic hymns survive from as far back as the 6th and 7th century, and the Church and its functions had a major influence on all Irish music for dance, including contributions from composers such as Saint Gall.
  
  

Middle Period

• The Norman conquest of the 12th century brought the "Carol" to Ireland, where a performer would sing a song and a circle of dancers sang it back to him. This evolved from the minstrel tradition of the time. Three Irish dances--the Irish Hey, the Rinnce Fada (long dance) and the Trenchmore--were popular during this time. Performed in lines, they would be recognizable today as what people think of as Irish dance. The music that accompanied these dances was played on the traditional Irish bagpipes and harp. This era also saw the emergence of the traveling Irish Dance Master, who went from town to town teaching dances to the peasants. The group and line dances also lent themselves to encouraging those less gifted to join in the fun. Irish society underwent a transformation in the 16th and 17th centuries as the cultures of other places, particularly England and Scotland, mixed in with the traditional Irish music. Dance music was also affected, including the use of fiddles as instruments.
  
  

Modern Era

• Today, gatherings called ceilis are still held in large towns and country districts where young and old enjoy group dances. According to Irelandseye, these can be traced to when dancing at the crossroads was a popular rural pastime. The music was often performed by a fiddler seated on a three-legged stool with his upturned hat beside him for a collection. National Irish dance competitions are also held throughout Ireland and in other countries, such as the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. With the recent popularity of the hit shows "Riverdance" and "Lord of the Dance," Irish dance music has been exported around the world.
  
  

Types

• Traditional Irish dance music is most often organized into two 8-bar strains, one for the right foot and the other (the "answer") for the left, performed as often as the dancer finds appropriate, and can be done either "hard shoe" or "soft shoe." The most common Irish dances done today are reels (4/4 time), hornpipes (4/4 time), jigs (most often 6/8 time) and polkas (2/4 time). Throughout Ireland, there are regional variations on all these dances, making them distinctive to certain locales.
  
  

Instruments of Irish Dance Music

• Over time, the musical instruments accompanying Irish dance have evolved and changed. Originally, the harp and Irish bagpipes, called uilleann pipes, were the only instruments other than voice to be used. In more recent times, the fiddle (or violin) has become central to Irish dance music and the harp has receded into the background. Whistles and flutes became popular starting from the mid-19th century. The additions of the bodhran, or traditional Irish drum, and variations on the accordion or concertina, are also more recent additions to the genre. Although not central to making Irish dance music, stringed instruments such as the guitar, mandolin, banjo or bouzouki are also often used today.