St. Patrick’s Day is March 17. It is the national day of Ireland, and people around the world mark it with Irish music. This page has eight tunes to hear, the instruments to listen for, and a few surprises about Ireland and classical music.
Jigs, reels, and airs
Most Irish dance tunes fall into a few kinds. A child can tell them apart by counting.
| Kind | How to count it | How it feels |
|---|---|---|
| Jig | “ONE-two-three, TWO-two-three” | Bouncy and skipping |
| Reel | “ONE-two-three-four,” fast | Smooth and running |
| Hornpipe | “ONE-and-TWO-and,” with a swing | Jaunty, like a sailor’s dance |
| Slip jig | Three groups of three | Light and floating |
| Air | No dance beat | A slow song |
Eight tunes to hear
1. “The Irish Washerwoman.” A well-known jig. Skip around the room to it.
2. “The Kesh Jig.” A jig that Irish bands love to play fast.
3. “Drowsy Maggie.” A reel. The notes tumble along with no place to breathe.
4. “The Boys of Bluehill.” A hornpipe, with a jaunty swing.
5. “Londonderry Air.” A slow, sweeping tune. With the words that were set to it in 1913, it is known as “Danny Boy.”
6. “The Minstrel Boy.” A march-like song with words by the Irish poet Thomas Moore.
7. “Sí Bheag, Sí Mhór,” by Turlough O’Carolan. A gentle tune for the harp. The title is said “shee beg, shee more.”
8. “Carolan’s Concerto,” by Turlough O’Carolan. A lively harp tune by the same composer.
The blind harper
Turlough O’Carolan lived from 1670 to 1738. He lost his sight as a teenager and learned the harp. For the rest of his life, he rode from house to house across Ireland, playing for his hosts and writing a new tune for each one. More than 200 of his tunes survive.
The harp is the national symbol of Ireland. It is on Irish coins.
Read the harp for kids.
The instruments of an Irish band
| Instrument | What it is |
|---|---|
| Fiddle | A violin, played in a folk style |
| Tin whistle | A small metal whistle with six holes |
| Wooden flute | An older kind of flute, with a soft, breathy tone |
| Uilleann pipes | Irish bagpipes, pumped with the elbow |
| Bodhrán | A flat drum held in one hand and struck with a short stick |
| Harp | The oldest of them all |
Read violin vs fiddle.
Ireland in the concert hall
Handel’s Messiah was first performed in Dublin. The first performance was in April 1742. Read the Hallelujah chorus explained.
An Irishman invented the nocturne. John Field was born in Dublin in 1782. He wrote slow, dreamy piano pieces and called them nocturnes. Chopin took up the idea. Read short piano pieces explained.
Beethoven arranged Irish songs. A publisher sent him Irish tunes, and he wrote piano, violin, and cello parts for dozens of them.
Leroy Anderson wrote an Irish Suite. It sets six Irish tunes for full orchestra, with “The Irish Washerwoman” first. Read Leroy Anderson for kids.
A flute player from Belfast. James Galway played in great orchestras and then became one of the best-known flute soloists in the world.
Things to do together
Jig or reel? Play two tunes. Count “ONE-two-three” or “ONE-two-three-four” to find out which is which.
Skip a jig. Skip around the room in time. A jig makes skipping easy.
Play a bodhrán. Hold a round cake tin in one hand. Tap it with the handle of a wooden spoon, down and up.
Hear it twice. Play “The Irish Washerwoman” by an Irish band, and then in Leroy Anderson’s Irish Suite. Ask what the orchestra adds.
Whistle a tune. A tin whistle is a simple first wind instrument, with six holes and no thumb hole. Read the recorder for kids.
Find Ireland. Look at a map. Find Dublin and Belfast.
Questions to ask
- Which tune made you want to dance?
- How does a fiddle tune differ from a violin piece?
- Why would a harper write a new tune for each house he visited?
Print and play
Use a listening journal page for one tune. Set a jig speed on the metronome for kids. Read dances in classical music and spring classical music for kids.
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This article is part of How to introduce kids to classical music.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.