Traditional Irish Music

The Rocky Road to Dublin
Performed by The Chieftains and Kelly Family in an Irish pub. Note the use of traditional Irish folk instruments: the bodhrán (hand-held goat skin drum played with a stick), uillean pipes (a variant of bagpipes), flutes and fiddles.
The opening narration of this video is spoken in German (not Irish!).



The uilleann pipes sound softer and sweeter than Scottish bagpipes, are often played indoors, and are almost always played sitting down. “Uuilleann” means elbow in Irish, a reference to the use of the elbow to work the bellows, which are strapped to the waist.

The Gaelic (Irish) harp is a triangular, wire-strung harp known as a clàrsach. The use of wires strings, as opposed to gut or nylon, gives the Irish harp a more penetrating sound. Harps have been played in Ireland since the 10th century. Note that Irish harps are played over the left shoulder, distinct from modern pedal concert harps. Smaller ones can be played while being held in the lap.

Gresham Hotel Dublin

The Gresham Dublin, the flagship of The Gresham Hotel Group, opened in 1817, making it Ireland's oldest hotel. It is a Dublin institution that operates today as a four star deluxe property offering 288 rooms and suites distributed over six floors. The Gresham is located on fashionable O’Connell Street Upper, near the Millennium Spire. Following a major refurbishment in 2006, The Gresham Hotel Dublin now offers all updated services demanding travelers expect, while building on its long established reputation for superior service and excellent facilities. The Gresham will be our home while in Dublin.

The Chieftains, the most famous exponents of traditional Irish music in the world, first performed in public together in the Gresham Hotel in 1964 as dinner entertainment for an Irish Harp convention, and they've become renowned across the face of the globe for their sparkling virtuosity and musicianship.

Thomas Gresham was a foundling child, abandoned on the steps of London’s Royal Exchange. He was named after the founder of that institution, Sir Thomas Gresham, a famous merchant-politician in the Elizabethan era. Upon coming to Ireland young Thomas worked as a butler before opening a hotel on the spot where it still stands.