| Waving the Irish flag high up in the air, the bands and | | | | distinct Afro-Celtic drum and bass sound in the '90s. |
| musicians from Ireland have certainly made an impact | | | | The notable thing that can be said out of all of this is |
| in the international music scene. From the roots in | | | | that Irish music is truly flexible and can appeal to a |
| traditional Celtic music, Irish music evolved into the | | | | wider audience. |
| more common music forms that we are familiar with | | | | Various musical forms bombard the wide international |
| today. Traditional music and its stylings have even | | | | audience daily. From dance to rock, people do make |
| ended up in songs in more popular genres. We are | | | | their choice when it comes to music. With |
| sure that somewhere out there, right now someone | | | | competition for ears, Irish bands have managed to |
| is listening to a song that an Irish musician produced. | | | | capture the hearts of fans. The '70s saw the growth |
| Irish music is part of the international mainstream of | | | | of punk rock, and several bands from Ireland helped |
| music. | | | | make this a popular genre during its time. Out of this |
| How did Irish music end up in the mainstream? We | | | | period, we saw the Boomtown Rats emerge, along |
| can thank a number of artists for taking up the | | | | with U2. Notably, we can even devote an entire |
| cudgels of promoting the Irish sound. Notable are | | | | book on U2. Emerging from the late '80s, U2 truly |
| Sinead O'Connor, Van Morrisson, Hothouse Flowers | | | | influenced music for years to come. We can also say |
| and of course, Enya. Who can forget her haunting | | | | that U2 paved the way for acceptance of Irish |
| voice in New Age music? We can also mention The | | | | bands throughout the '90s. It will be safe to assume |
| Pogues as a key element in promoting the Irish | | | | that The Corrs, The Cranberries, and even |
| sound in rock music. There was even a time that | | | | B*Witched, could not have had the level of success |
| Irish music blended with African drums to create the | | | | they enjoyed if not for my favorite Irish band, U2. |
