Folk music and dance play an important role in Ireland. Once upon a time, wandering bards brought the music across Ireland and music passed down the generations by oral traditions. Nobles often employed harpers who played the local music, until the Irish nobility was suppressed by the English.
Irish folk music developed from the Celtic traditions and was influenced by the Catholic Church, the English rule and the rediscovery of Irish identity and Gaelic in the nineteenth century. Emigration brought Irish music to other countries such as the United States. As a result, the sound of Irish folk is known and appreciated worldwide.
This section contains arrangements of some Irish folk songs for guitar.