Irish Folk Songs

Irish Folk Songs range from some of the happiest songs to some of the saddest songs. They tell the stories of just about everything and so many are about the history of Ireland of its good times and bad times. And even some of the saddest Irish music lyrics have a cheerful sound.

Irish Folk Songs

Generally Irish music is performed with fairly simple accompaniment. A guitar and fiddle are all you need to have a great sounding piece!

List of Typical Irish Instruments:

Fiddle
Tin Whistle
Guitar
Bodhran
Uilleann Pipes
Irish Harp
Accordion
Banjo
Flute
Bouzouki

Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore

Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore is a beautiful song about the sadness the Irish faced when they had to leave Ireland for America.

The Foggy Dew

The Foggy Dew is a song about the Easter uprising of 1916. It was written by Canon Charles O'Neill in 1919.

In the early nineteen hundreds the British were trying to take over Ireland. On the Easter of 1916 the Irish tried to take advantage of the fact that the British were at war in World War 1. They didn't succeed and the British executed many of the Irish leaders.

The Foggy Dew is performed below by the Wolfe Tones.

The Town I Loved So Well

Just listen to Phil Coulter's "The Town I Loved So Well" for a taste of some of the hardships the Irish have gone through. What a beautiful and well written song!

The Orange and the Green

In Ireland Green represents the Catholics, which is why you wear green on St. Patrick's Day, and the Orange represents the Protestants. This song is about the hardships of having a Protestant father and a Catholic mother.

The Parting Glass

And so now as you are finished reading this page I'd like to say "Goodnight and joy be to you all". Enjoy the Parting Glass which is a beautiful Irish farewell song!