But the unique sound of Irish music traveled with them, circled the world and then returned to its Irish roots, renewed.

Music has never been far from the pulse of Ireland. One of Ireland’s most famous musicians was a blind harpist, Turlough O’Carolan. He was born in West Meath in 1670 and became blind when a teenager after contracting smallpox.

Fortunately, he was taken under the wing of a wealthy local woman, who spotted his obvious talent for music. He was encouraged to take up composition and one of his melodies forms the basis for John Philip Sousa’s stirring American national anthem, “Stars and Stripes Forever”. O’Carolan’s music is as popular today as it was in the seventeenth century, and is appreciated by a world wide audience. Every August, a ten day festival is held for his many fans in County Roscommon.

One of the largest migrations from Ireland happened in the middle of the nineteenth century, spurred on by massive famine, caused by the universal failure of the potato crop, due to blight. As a consequence, thousands of Irish people left the port of Waterford for a better life in the New World.

One ballad, in particular, is associated in people’s minds with the longing of the immigrant Irish for their homeland across the sea. This song, “I’ll take you home again, Kathleen”, composed by Thomas Westendorf, a music teacher, and published in 1876, became universally popular when sung by the famous Irish tenor, John Count McCormack.

This probably explains how it became so closely connected in people’s minds with Ireland. Not for nothing is Ireland called “The Emerald Isle” and the frequent rains, sweeping in from the Atlantic Ocean keep the lush pastures the brightest of bright green. So when McCormack sung the line, “. . . the fields are fresh and green”, an instant and unbreakable connection was forged.

It’s not hard to imagine many a cold night on the prairie, echoing to the sound of an Irish fiddle playing a haunting Irish ballad or a jaunty jig, as the travelers on the Oregon Trail ate their supper after another long, hard day getting just a bit closer to the promised lands of the far west.

Gradually Irish music was absorbed, mutated and mixed with the other music influences of jazz, blues and Cajun music to form a large part of what we now call country and western music.

Now, in the 21st Century many forms of American music exert influence on modern day Irish music and with singers such as Van Morrison. His music is a unique blend of American soul, rhythm and blues and traditional Celtic melodies.

Other bands, such as U2, also draw influences from American country music and have sold over 50 million albums in the USA.

Copyright 2006 Joseph Donegal and The-Best-Of-Ireland.com

Author: Joseph Donegal

Like the fife, this particular instrument is constructed with six holes bored into the tube that are covered by the musician’s fingers at different times when a different sound is required. It is known by a few other names besides the tin whistle, such as the pennywhistle or the Irish whistle and is known as an end blown fipple flute, because of the long hole that is present on the top of the mouthpiece, just below where the musician blows into the whistle.

While there does not appear to be a specific date on which this particular flute was created, which is the case with many musical instruments, the oldest whistles have been dated back to the 1100s. Though the tin whistle could have existed as far back as the 12 century, it was most noticed in the 16 century. In fact, it was during this time that the tin whistle earned its other name; penny whistle.

Apparently, the tin whistle was quite popular among the poor around this time and earned its title because the beggars would play this instrument on the street for money. The term that this particular instrument is best known by is actually a newer term than “penny” whistle. The term “tin whistle” appears to have only started being used in the early 1900s. This type of whistle also comes in different sizes. The smaller tin whistles will often have a higher sound, while the tin whistles that are larger in size will often have a lower sound than the smaller ones.

Regardless of the size, the whistles are made in such a way that they do not need to be tuned, much like the recorder. It is a simply made instrument that changes its sound when the musician covers different holes. For anyone who is new to music, this is probably one of the best instruments to learn how to play. It allows for someone to easily grasp how to play the instrument as well as to learn how to read sheet music at the same time.

This particular instrument is also relatively inexpensive to acquire, probably because of its simple design and build. It, like the recorder, is an instrument that can be great for someone who wants to get into playing any type of wind instrument. It calls for some discipline in a person’s ability to control the amount of air they blow into the whistle and it gets a new musician used to the different combination of covering holes in order to create the right notes. It is also a great instrument for anyone who wishes to pick something up as a hobby. It is not an overly demanding instrument and can be quite enjoyable and relaxing to play on free time.

About the Author

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for used CDs, autographed CDs, and used musical instruments. You can find the best marketplace for used CDs, autographed CDs, and used musical instruments at these sites for used tin whistle CDs, autographed tin whistle CDs, and used pen

A Celtic Renaissance Wedding by Brobdingnagian Bards. A beautiful and mesmerizing album of romantic Celtic wedding music, and The most popular wedding albums for sale on MP3.com. Here’s what one happy couple had to say about it:

“We had planned on having a string quartet at our wedding. While looking on the web for groups, we ran across The Bards. We immediately called Karen’s dad, since he was footing the bill, and played Tolkien over the phone. It was an instant hit and we later chose it as the solo for our wedding ceremony. We decided to be a little different and use Maids in the Meadow for the recessional. It was wonderful!” -K. & E. Hayden, Newlyweds

Celtic Wedding: Music of Brittany by The Chieftains. If you are looking for Irish music that rocks with reels, then the first place any Celtic music lover should look is to The Chieftains, the official ambassadors of Celtic/Irish music. This CD is actually one of traditional Breton tunes, but nonetheless great music for any Celtic wedding. You will find the perfect songs to get people dancing when your Celtic reception begins and you are ready to celebrate.

Haste To The Wedding by Anne Roos. Anne Roos performs Celtic music on the Celtic harp with accompanying instruments. The tracks flow in the order that music flows at a wedding. Ideal for future brides and lovers of Celtic music alike. This unique CD was recorded live in a church, without overdubbing, to give the feeling of a live ensemble performing at a wedding.

Author: Marc Gunn

And the offerings are amazing: I already wrote detailed articles from my explorations at Toronto’s Doors Open architectural festival, my exciting day at the Dragonboat Festival on Toronto’s Islands, the Taste of Little Italy, Summerlicious - Toronto’s restaurant festival, the Celebrate Toronto Street Festival and Afrofest. There are simply not enough hours in the week to cover all my explorations since I have decided to head out and discover as many places and activities as possible right here in Toronto. Here is a little summary of some of the other activities I have participated in that I haven’t had a chance yet to talk about in detail.

On June 25, 2006 I headed out to Toronto’s Pride Parade, one of the biggest parades in Toronto, and one of the largest of its kind in the world. This year’s parade theme was “Fearless!” to indicate how far Toronto’s queer community has come and how far they still have to go. From its original roots as a protest event, Toronto’s Pride Parade today has become a real family affair with special events for families and children. The city has embraced this event and it has great support from the mayor, the police, various corporate sponsors and politicians from all political parties. The big events of Pride Week included the Flag Raising Ceremony at City Hall, Pride Awards and a Gala Dinner, the Dyke March as well as the dazzling Pride Parade. Seven entertainment stages provided entertainment with about 650 artists, the Community Fair included participants from a large variety of community groups, and the Marketplace enticed the crowd with merchandise, clothing, and various accessories and treats.

Then on July 14 and 15 not only did I attend a street festival, together with my team we actually participated in the Salsa on St. Clair Festival. This festival was held for the first time last year and attracted more than 200,000 participants in its first year. Telelatino, Canada’s Latin broadcasting network, developed the idea for this festival and organized a huge street party. This year the crowd was even bigger than in the first year.

We had a table together with Skills for Change, a local immigrant settlement agency with whom we collaborate frequently. To jointly promote our two organizations we were holding a draw to give away a one-week adventure trip along the Inca Trail in Peru. The trip itself will be provided by G.A.P Adventures, the flagship sponsor of our Travel Story Contest, and a leader in environmentally sustainable and socially conscious travel. Over two days we spent almost 20 hours in the sweltering sun, interacting with the crowd, and many hundreds of people wanted to get to get a chance to explore the mysteries of Peru.

In between these special events I have also had a chance to explore the city by bike and on inline skates. A couple of weeks ago I cycled out to the Scarborough Bluffs and spent some time in one of my favourite Toronto spots: the Rosetta McClain Gardens. This is a beautiful public garden with gorgeous flower beds and serene sitting areas, perched high above Lake Ontario with great vistas of this peaceful expanse of water.

From there I cycled east through a variety of parks abutting the Scarborough Bluffs which are essentially cliffs formed from eroded packed clay soil. They stretch for about 14 km along Lake Ontario in the east end of Toronto, and at their highest point they rise 65 meters above the water. The most interesting formations can be found around Bluffer’s Park, a large waterfront park featuring a sandy beach, picnic areas, walks, lookouts, and berths for over 500 boats.

Toronto, with its location right on Lake Ontario, is a haven for cyclists and water sports enthusiasts, and the waterfront has numerous extensive parks right on the shoreline that are ideal for picnics, sunbathing and relaxing by the water. The Martin Goodman Trail is a multi-purpose recreational trail with a length of about 22 km along Toronto’s Waterfront and gives inline skaters and bicyclists a chance to exercise and soak up the sun right next to the water. Last weekend I strapped on my rollerblades and explored the Waterfront Trail along Toronto’s West end in Etobicoke, and the nicely paved trail continues into Toronto’s neighbouring cities Mississauga, Oakville and Burlington.

But serene nature experiences not only await at the waterfront, the City has several other spots that allow you to get away from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Last week I spent a couple of hours exploring Riverdale Farm, Toronto’s Necropolis and the surrounding Cabbagetown Neighbourhood. Riverdale Farm is actually an early 20th century farm that has been turned into a learning opportunity for urban dwellers that exposes them to farm animals and a rural environment. The peaceful park outside Riverdale Farm is a favourite destination for school groups and adults who relax under the shady trees and cool off in the public fountains.

Right next to Riverdale Farm is the Toronto Necropolis, one of Toronto’s oldest and most historic cemeteries. Dating back to the 1850s, it houses a collection of Victorian buildings and sculptures and is one of the most picturesque locations in the city. The recently restored cemetery entrance, chapel and office are fine examples of High Victorian Gothic architecture and the Necropolis is a favourite destination for photographers year-round.

Both Riverdale Farm and the Toronto Necropolis are surrounded by Cabbagetown, a historic neighbourhood with a very interesting history. The name “Cabbagetown” dates back to the mid 19th century, when Irish immigrants decided to plant unusually large cabbage patches on their front lawn. Cabbagetown has one of the largest and most impressive concentrations of Victorian architecture in all of North America. Local residents take great pride in their properties and embellish their homes with well-tended front and back gardens and the area is a magnificent location for a relaxing stroll.

So many other neighbourhoods beckon to be explored: I have spent some time at Harbourfront and recently took a walk through Toronto’s main Chinatown and the adjoining Kensington Market where exotic fruits and unusual foods can be purchased at reasonable prices. The sheer variety of Toronto’s neighbourhoods is mind-boggling and it feels like you are doing a virtual trip around the world by just walking a few blocks or hopping on the subway. I have made several forays into the Victorian serenity of Riverdale and the adjoining hustle and bustle of the Danforth, one of my favourite neighbourhood hangouts.

These past few days have been busy too. On Friday, my entire crew at the office and I went to a local Pakistani restaurant in Toronto’s Thorncliffe Park Neighbourhood. The entire neighbourhood is perched on a hill overlooking the Don Valley and was developed with numerous high-rise buildings in the 1950s and 1960s. Today Thorncliffe Park is one of the most densely populated and most multicultural neighbourhoods of Toronto with a large proportion of recent immigrants from Muslim countries. We had an absolutely delicious dinner with a selection of Pakistani dishes at Iqbal Restaurant. Several of my co-workers are from Pakistan and we have had a great introduction to Muslim foods and traditions. Toronto offers so many great opportunities for cross-cultural connections. We shared six different delicacies including chicken, lamb, beef and chick pea dishes and had a wonderful time sampling this varied cuisine.

After our truly delicious dinner all of us headed down to Queen Street East where the Beaches International Jazz Festival was being held. This festival is now in its 18th year, and has become a crowd favourite since its 1989 inception. We started at Woodbine and right away ran into our favourite: Dr. Draw, a highly energetic Moscow-born electric violinist surrounded by a team of dedicated musicians. This band produced a highly eclectic, unusual type of music with a diverse mixture of beats with modern and classical elements thrown in. In addition, Dr. Draw has a highly physical performance style and it makes you wonder how he plays the violin so well while jumping up and down. We saw several other rock and reggae bands, and a 3-person group named Johannes Linstead entertained us with virtuoso flamenco rhythms. Incidentally, this group won the Best World Album in 2004 and has top ten charting albums. In total the Beaches Jazz Festival featured over 30 performers in its StreetFest and ten headliners on the Main Stage.

I dropped by at the Beaches Jazz Festival again with two friends yesterday, and at the north end of Kew Gardens we saw Toronto’s Mayor David Miller being photographed with members of the crowd. Mayor Miller makes appearances at many community events and is very approachable. So we decided that we too would get our picture taken with Toronto’s mayor.

We then strolled over to the Main Stage and checked out some of the ecclectic clothing, jewellery and art on sale in the various booths that were located throughout Kew Gardens. People were getting henna tattoos, others were getting readings by psychics, and the majority of people were relaxing on the grass, enjoying the music. Some folks were also getting their surprisingly accurate portraits done…

On the Boardwalk we enjoyed the hot Spanish rhythms of Puente del Diablo before we checked out the action at the beach volleyball courts. One of my friends is a visitor from Austria, so this was her first introduction to Toronto while my other friend is a fairly recent immigrant who doesn’t yet know the city very well either. I quite enjoy taking new arrivals around the city, introducing them to all my favourite spots. As a city on a lake that looks like an ocean, the waterfront is a great attraction, and it’s a really cool place to hang out.

To explore more we then hopped into the car and decided to pay a visit to the Distillery District, a former distillery dating back to 1832. This complex encompasses more than 40 historic buildings that make up the largest and best preserved collection of Victorian Industrial Architecture in all of North America. The Distillery District has been restored recently and has become one of Toronto’s hottest entertainment areas with its restaurants, cafes, galleries and artists’ studios, a brewery, theatres and retail outlets. Every Sunday the Distillery features a farmers market and numerous festivals draw huge crowds throughout the year.

Our “Introduction to Toronto” driving tour continued and I took my friends downtown on Front Street and showed them the Gooderham Building - Toronto’s own triangular Flatiron Building. Then we admired Old and New City Hall, the classical splendour of Osgoode Hall, the imposing Richardson Romanesque structure of Queens Park - seat of Ontario’s provincial government, and the Neo-Gothic splendour of the University of Toronto campus. After a brief tour through Chinatown we had a sneak peak at Little Italy and ended up for dinner in the picturesque Annex neighbourhood on Bloor Street West, just west of Spadina. Along the way we drove through Portuguese, Ethiopian and Korean neighbourhoods.

Finally we had a lovely dinner at the Country Style Hungarian Restaurant, a neighbourhood institution for decades, which impresses with its tasty authentic European meals, reasonable prices and huge portion sizes. All three of us enjoyed a Wiener Schnitzel and to top off a delicious meal we enjoyed “Palatschinken”, a mouth-watering dessert featuring a crepe filled with apricot jam.

Each one of these experiences deserves its own article, but there are just so many things to see and do in Toronto, I just can’t keep up with the stories. But I am hoping this little medley of stories will give you an idea of Toronto’s diverse neighbourhoods, culinary offerings, exciting festivals and things to do during a great long hot summer.

About the Author

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of Travel and Transitions (http://www.travelandtransitions.com), a popular web portal for unconventional travel and cross-cultural connections. Check out our brand-new section featuring FREE ebooks about travel (http://www.travelandtransitions.com/ebooks.html)

Irish Drinking Songs For Cat Lovers is the pet project by Marc Gunn, singer-songwriter and one-half of the award-winning duo, the Brobdingnagian Bards. Full of funny feline folk music, Irish Drinking Songs For Cat Lovers gathers popular drinking tunes and retrofits them with cat-worthy lyrics. The result is a warm and wonderful CD that sees songs such as “Lord of the Dance” redone as “Lord of the Pounce.”

Why take Irish drinking songs and rewrite them with lyrics about cats? “Well, I was a big fan of Weird Al growing up,” confesses Gunn, himself owned by two cats named Tiziano and Torre plus visiting rights with the tabby Jasper, from a previous relationship. “When I listen to a song too often, I typically will change the lyrics. I did that with ‘Wild Rover,’ changing the claps to meows. It was all downhill from there.”

“The CD is also not just Irish drinking songs,” Gunn points out. “It’s more like a traditional Irish CD with a combination of drinking songs and Irish tunes, except the chief instrument is an autoharp and I sing about cats.”

That is the beauty of Irish Drinking Songs For Cat Lovers - the songs are part of the patchwork of American music, a culture with deep Irish roots. Marc Gunn has extensive experience as not only a recording musician but as a veteran performer in renaissance fairs and fantasy festivals. The result is a clever collection of music that appeals to not only Irish and cat lovers, but anyone who appreciates a lyrical laugh.

Japan’s Ari Koinuma, also a cat lover, produced Irish Drinking Songs For Cat Lovers. Participating musicians include Hannah Gunn and Cedric the Fiddler of the Bedlam Bards. Additional musicians include Chris Buckley, Sarah Dinan, Hamby, April Porter, Blake McCaig, and Franco Bordoni. Marc Gunn wrote all the lyrics to the classic songs.

Author: Marc Gunn

IRISH ROVER AND THE CREW ®, the genuine Irish punk rock performer & band was founded in 2005. by Irish Rover( better known as OIrishRover to many ), art. Rover MacGowan MacChroi, lead singer and lyricist, as victim of geography under given circumstances stuck in southeastern Europe, Serbia, Belgrade. With Shane MacGowan as the crucial influence the story is intented to feature STRONGLY INDIVIDUAL IRISH SPIRITED ATTITUDE AND PUNK ROCK EXPRESSION OF ROVER’S WITH SUPPORTING IRISH PUNK ROCK BAND(MEMBERS OF THE CREW) AND THAT IN ALL MEANS GOAL OF CREATING WORLDWIDE TOP RATED IRISH MUSIC PERFORMANCE. OIrish punk rock carries extreme energy, pure emotions, both in fast and slow songs, its the real life talking, philosophy of life, without pretending, faking, acting, posing and that takes rare people who are in the story 101%, with heart and soul included. No poseurs here, no feckin’ way, to hell with poseurs & rednecks legions for they are many! The essence people not surface people! Essence punk not surface junk! OIrish punk rock ain’t a job position, greedy opportunity, hobby or whatever but top positioned expression within spiritual ladder. OIrish punk rock is far from beeing bunch of people just knowing beats and wires! Due to wrong place of creation, far from Ireland and any Irish music roots and people who are to be found in many countries besides Ireland but so far not in Serbia, the story suffered very much from the starts. After enormous efforts and persuit so far, it was the complete lack of Irish musicians I have found in Belgrade, Serbia which led to lack of opportunity to choose, leading to breaking points, small number of gigs and real recorded material with “candidates” for The Crew who had every possible motives but the ones needed for the true Irish band. Due to situation wrong choices sadly followed. And the result? The complete dissapointment, discrace and loss of time with those who in attitude, spirit, devotion, style etc. rather matched Shaban(Serbian turbo folk cultural terorism “music” created under Slobodan Milosevic, the No. 1 European dictator after world war II) than the work of Shane whose songs are the starting point(tribute to Shane MacGowan until reaching enough of Rover’s authentic songs for performing). The invitation for cooperation follows and its for worldwide musicians, no matter what country they’re from BUT honesty, devotion and real feelings for this story come No. 1 and are a must! Irish Rover And The Crew is an enormous potential story, purest Irish punk rock band to be, and it will happen sooner or later, but with real people, real Crew, there were too many attempts by wrong people to put the idea down, to compromise with the essence, Irish music, Ireland, punk rock etc. but there can and never will be any compromise with the greatest stuff in the world! And when time comes the story will happen where and with whom Irish punk rock music is appreciated in its true meaning. For good people my doors are always widely opened. Irish Rover And The Crew story remains the only genuine Irish punk rock music performer & band in Southeastern Europe with Irish Rover as the only genuine Irish lead singer in Belgrade, Serbia. Future gigs are based on finding suitable Crew members or solo performance. Worldwide support and offers are needed more than ever! With Paddy’s furious devotion for you! Slainte.

About the Author

Lead Singer And Lyricist from 2005. Founder of Irish Rover And The Crew Band In 2005. Author of: “St. Patrick’s Day” public lecture in 2005, “Missing Ireland” Paddy Punk Rock lyrics 2006. For more info please visit http://www.irishrover.org

Whelan’s in Camden Street, central Dublin is the place to visit for traditional and folk music. This exciting venue has had most of Ireland’s folk talent perform on its stage at some point. Just a stone’s throw away, also in Camden Street, is The Village – another vibrant music venue, that’s well worth a visit.

Vicar Street - despite its confusing name - is not a street but a fabulous traditional music venue and can be found in Thomas Street in the heart of Dublin. This prestigious venue opened in 1998 promising to give Dublin a mid-size venue that would ‘punch above its weight’. It presents bands and solo artists that play all types and genres of music including traditional and folk, with big-name Irish bands such as the Dubliners appearing at this venue. Other artists that are slated to appear at Vicar Street include Dara O’Briain, Fionn Regan and Brendan Grace proving that it is living up to its promise to deliver quality acts.

Plus, you’ll find many more places where you can enjoy traditional folk music at most times of day or night. Bars, cafes and hotels in Dublin are all places where you can find Irish Folk Music being performed by eager and talented local musicians. Plus, you’ll be able to enjoy just about any other genre of music in Dublin that takes your fancy, from rock to classical. So, if you are planning to visit Dublin, or just toying with the idea, make sure that you are prepared for ‘the craic’!

And if you are in any doubt as to how much the Irish love their music, take note of the following example. The Irish Post Office has recently started selling a series of stamps that pay tribute to four iconic bands whose roots are based in traditional Irish folk music; The Chieftans, The Dubliners, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, and Altan. The bands have been chosen because of the success they have had in taking traditional Irish folk music to the world. The inclusion of Tommy Makem is quite poignant as he recently passed away, and these stamps make a fitting tribute to his life-time contribution to making Irish music popular throughout the United States. They are sure to become collectors’ items, so be sure to pick some up when you visit Dublin.

Author: Adam Singleton