Focus: Celtic Music of Ireland

15Focus: Celtic Music of Ireland, Scotland, and Beyond is intended for undergraduate and graduate area studies courses in music, ethnomusicology, anthropology, literature, and Celtic (particularly Irish) Studies. It unfolds as a general study of the Celtic regions (Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Bretagne, and the semi-Celtic region of Galicia), then builds a comparative study of the instrumental music traditions of both Ireland and Scotland, and as the central piece of the text focuses specifically on Irish song in both Gaelic and English. The two main nationsIreland and Scotlandshare a significant history as colonies of England and as important sources of immigrants to the United States and Canada; in addition, they have much in common in terms of performance practice and instrumental traditions (fiddles, pipes, harps, etc.). The book concludes with a discussion of Irish and Scottish traditions in North America.