Hi Bianca,

As you have probably already gathered, this is not a very active
list. But welcome anyway! It's good to see more people
interested in the old traditions.

I am not Irish myself (nor do I live in Ireland), but I do have
some moderately well-informed opinions that might serve as
answers to your incisive but sweeping questions. However, I'd
rather not take the time to type them out and you would be
better served if I just referred you to the forum on mudcat.org.

If you have not already discovered it, you will find a huge
amount of information and well-informed opinion on Mudcat.
Use their powerful search engine to browse their entire archive
and you will find that much has already been written that would
help answer your questions. The contributors include academics,
collectors, many performers, writers, publishers, and lots of
well-informed singers, as well as the usual (but occasional)
trolls and well-meaning ignoramuses. If you don't find enough
information or want more clarification, post a response to an
existing thread, or, at last resort, start a new thread.

If Alice in Montana is still "here" (Hi, Alice. Are you still
here?), she can refer you to another Irish music forum that
might be an even better resource for you.

Good luck, and joyful singing to you!

David







--- meeb_ <no_reply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

>
> Hi, there! I've just joined this group. I've always had a love
> of
> traditional Irish singing and of Irish music and culture in
> general. I
> have a few questions for anyone willing to answer. I'm taking
> a world
> music class and am writing a paper on sean nos singing.
>
> Here's my first question: I'm not sure if there is anyone on
> the list
> currently living in Ireland, but as the influence of mass
> media
> and mass culture has spread across Ireland, how has the sean
> nos
> singing tradition changed with regards to its position in the
> culture?
> (I understand that in the past, it was one of many forms of
> personal
> and/or communal entertainment - a component of ceilis and
> sessions.)
> Has its place in the culture changed? Has its place in
> everyday Irish
> life changed?
>
> Second question: What effects have the Oireachtas na Gaeilge
> sean nos
> song competitions had on the overall tradition? Have they had
> an
> impact on the various individual traditions/styles throughout
> the
> country (for example those of Connemara, Ulster, and Munster)?
>
> Personal experiences and/or opinions would be greatly
> appreciated and
> encouraged.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Bianca
>
>
>
>


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