The Irish Way: Understanding Irish Music through Persecution and Famine

The Irish Way: Understanding Irish Music through Persecution and Famine

Ireland has a rich musical history, especially in the Mediæval period, and today it provides for multiple and varied expressions of religious and secular music. Christianity developed rather differently in Ireland from that of the mainland continent, and its music and rituals were imbued with the earlier Celtic culture to form a uniquely Irish spirituality. Oliver Cromwell’s persecution of the Catholic Church crushed a flourishing musical and religious life, and led to an underground movement, stripping away nearly all cultural identity. A century and a half later, the Great Famine in the mid-nineteenth century lead to mass migrations, with much of it to the United States and New York, specifically.

Instructor: William Mulligan, M.Mus.
Wednesdays, February 28 – March 27, 2024
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM; Zoom Meeting
In-person on March 27 (in Clare Room)

Fee: $50.00