Music

Celtic Music

154 Comments

Many fundamentalists (especially those of college age) have a love affair with all things Irish that borders on obsession. This yen of fundies for Ireland is a bit confusing on its face. After all, fundies don’t approve of liquor, Roman Catholics, dancing, luck, or kissing people merely based on their ethnic heritage. In fact, they think so little of Ireland that it’s a fairly popular missionary destination. But regardless of all these flaws, what many fundamentalists do approve of is traditional rhythmic folk music played by white guys. And the Irish have plenty o’ that. (So do mountain-dwelling banjo-pickers but that’s a post for another day.)

Now this is not to say that fundamentalists will listen to all Irish music or singers. U2, The Dropkick Murphys or Flogging Molly’s music would never pass music checks at any Fundy U worthy of the name. But when it comes to the instrumental folks songs or hymns played in “Celtic” style, many fundamentalists have love for it that borders on obsession. You’ll rarely find a church bookstore without at least a few CDs of “Celtic Hymns Played Slowly and Drearily Volume III.”

But what is Irish music really but songs of love and loss and oral histories that are sung to variations on tunes as old as time. Are they really that different from the folk music sung by people in Botswana, Kyrgyzstan, or Poughkeepsie? What sanctifies the Irish to sing and play what would cause others to fall from grace with God?

Perhaps it does all come down to color. And I’m not talking about green.

154 thoughts on “Celtic Music”

    1. Yes, top of the second page. I wonder if this will become a new trend.

      I loved this song even as a fundy.

      1. Great song, featuring two of the most distinctive voices in the music business. Sadly Ronnie Drew (the bearded one) is no longer with us. He will be missed by lovers of Irish Music, like myself.

        (By the way, when ever I sing, I sound a bit like Shane Magowan, exept my voice isn’t quite as aweet.)

  2. I guess this post made me realize that I am not that into Irish music at all. 😐

  3. Steve Pettit makes the uncheckable checkable. It’s because of him that any of the Gettys’ songs even made it onto campus legally. Hear it on a Steve Pettit CD, and you’ll hear it on a Soundforth one a few years later. 😀

  4. Enjoyed attending a Keith/Kristin Getty Christmas concert in good ole Greenville back in December. Had a rockin’ good time. Of course, no BJU people in attendance, but I did see several people from my fundy church enjoying the evening.

  5. Ahhhh we used to be obsessed with Irish music.
    I still love them but need to find some new artists!
    Irish Tenors, Celtic Woman, Celtic Thunder, Phil Coulter are my favorites.

  6. It’s not just ethnicity (though that plays a big part, as many a thumper has some Irish descent), Ireland is a Catholic country. What better way to dispose of the hated papists than to flood their land with missionaries and attempt to convert them all into thumpers? The music is just a tool to wedge open the proverbial Irish door.

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