ARTS AND MUSIC IN SOUTHERN IRELAND
For a small country, Ireland has made an enormous contribution to the world in terms of arts and music, which shall be explained in this post.
The early history of Irish visual art begins with early carvings found at sites such as Newgrange and Bronze Age artefacts, particularly ornamental gold objects, Celtic brooches and illuminated manuscripts. During the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, a strong indigenous tradition of painting emerged, including figures such as John Butler Yeats, William Orpen, Jack Yeats and Louis le Brocquy.
The Irish tradition of folk music is also widely known. In the middle years of the 20th century, young people tended to look to Britain and, particularly, the United States as models of progress and jazz, and rock and roll became extremely popular. During the 1960s, and inspired by the American folk music movement, there was a revival of interest in the Irish tradition. This revival was inspired by groups like The Dubliners, the Clancy Brothers and Sweeney's Men and individuals like Seán Ó Riada.
