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The concept of regional style could be seen as an extensionof the local accent and a representation of the life style of aparticular community. In the case of modern day Ireland,discuss this phenomenon and how the concept could be seenas retained or diluted.

 The concept of regional styles was once outlined by Mícheál ÓSúilleabháin where he stated: “where others share the same style ina particular locality, we are dealing with a recogniable regionalstyle !"##$%&'" The analytical and academic wor( of the li(es of ÓSúilleabháin, along with such household names as Sean ) *iada!"#+%, -rendan -reathnach !"#."% and /awrence Mc0ullogh !"#..%doesn1t aim to determine a categorical structure of 2arying styles,but is instead re3ecti2e of assorted communities with sharedaesthetic, political and other conceptual structures' Such aphenomenon, when understood, can be seen as a representation ofsuch communities including the life style and e2en local accent'

4lthough the concept of di5ering musical styles throughout 2ariousregions in 6reland is widely recognied, an ongoing debate remainswhere many 7uestion the intensity of such styles today' 4ccording toone 8iall 9eegan, the debate on regional styles ser2es a purpose onlocating 6rish traditional music “yet this discourse continues to beconcerned with rural 6reland, largely ignoring the realities ofurbaniation&' This 2iewpoint is not uncommon today where regionalstyles are concerned due to 2arious inno2ations in recent years, it

can be considered that such a concept is “diluted&' 6 do not stri2e tosettle such a debate but throughout this essay, will discusselements contributing to both outloo(s such as the rele2ance ofregional identities in 6rish music and the features which de;ne suchstyles !largely from the 2iewpoint of Sean Ó *iada% and of coursethe in3uences of mar(eting and commercialism on the preser2ationof regional styles' <inally, in support of this concept 6 will ta(e an indepth loo( at the associated style of the 0or(=9erry=/imeric(borders, otherwise (nown as Sliabh /uachra a phenomenon oftendescribed as “a state of mind& rather than a physical place'

Regional identities in modern-day Ireland6t is undeniable that the ac(nowledgement of regional styles createsa sense of identity and remaining tradition amongst members ofcommunities throughout 6reland' >espite the globaliation of 6rishtraditional music, musicians largely associated with regional stylesmaintain a sturdy attachment to such identities' ? @Aamining the

" http:==www'aughty'org=pdf=relocateBtradBmusic'pdf : http:==www'irishworldacademy'ie=inbhear=2olumeC"=nC(eegan=pdf=6nbhearCD"C6"C9eegan'pdf ? http:==eprints'd(it'ie=EF="=-eyondBlocationB9earney'pdf  

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eAistence of 6rish traditional music in a modern world, SommersSmith states:

“*egional styles of 6rish traditional music performance are notrigidly determined entities, de;ned by discrete localities or such

social structures as language or accent' They are con2entions, aseries of agreedCupon approaches to the music that demandmusical correspondence and discussion for their adoption andmaintenance' 6t is also clear that regional styles, and indeed dancemusic in its entirety, are no longer geographically bound !$$":""E%F

4lthough 6 do agree that regional styles aren1t de;ned solely by“discrete localities& or “language or accent&, 6 must admit that 6 dobelie2e the local accents and life styles play a leading role inshaping what we recognie as 2arying styles' *egional styles canoften be percei2ed as a concept that is bound geographically totheir respecti2e areas' This perception is in fact 7uite inaccurate, asthe music displaying regional styles is no longer played solely by themembers of the community but is shared throughout the country'Ghen considering regional styles, features of 2arious styles areoften ne2er agreedCupon but are always being de;ned bymusicologists'

*egional styles are generally analyed on the basis of solo 6rishtraditional musicians, and the regions from which they come from namely >onegal, Sligo, 0lare and 8orth 9erry= Gest /imeric(' Such

styles are established by techni7ues used by instrumentalists thatare interwea2ed into the con2entional practice of 6rish traditionalmusic' These techni7ues include ornamentation, phrasing,articulation, 2ariation, intonation, tone, dynamics, repertoire,duration, emphasis, speed, instrumentation and instrumentCspeci;ctechni7ues'E Such techni7ues are still 7uite prominent in 6rishtraditional music throughout 6reland an attribute that supports theidea that regional identities in modernCday 6reland remain retained'

 The 2aried use of these techni7ues, 6 agree, is in fact an eAtensionof the local accent, where the choice of music could be considered arepresentation of the local lifestyle'

)rnamentation can be de;ned as “the addition of eAtra tones to !orthe di2ision of% a main tone which is regarded as being anembellishment&'H 0uts, rolls and crans are common features ofornamentation used by pipers, and are used accordingly dependingon the common practice of that region' The 2ariation of a roll isheard as two di5erent (inds: a long roll !;g'"% and a short roll !;g'%'

F Irish Traditional Music in a Modern World Sally 9 Sommers SmithE http:==www'irishworldacademy'ie=inbhear=2olumeC"=nC(eegan=pdf=6nbhearCD"C6"C9eegan'pdf H http:==www'irishworldacademy'ie=inbhear=2olumeC"=nC(eegan=pdf=6nbhearCD"C6"C9eegan'pdf 

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4daptations of the long roll are often heard amongst -=0 accordionplayers and many southCSligo 3ute players !notably Seamus Tanseyand Ieter Joran%'. *olls are a mere eAample of ornamentation andhow 2ariations of such characteristics can be a signi;cant elementwhen di5erentiating styles'

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Fig.2

 The cran !see ;g' ?% is yet another popular form of ornamentationoften played on pipes, but also on 3ute and whistle' Today, crans arealso played by ;ddlers and accordion players, depending on thepreferred style and of course, the common style within that region'+ 6t is within the performances of prominent indi2iduals such as pipersSKamus Mac 4onghusa and /eo *owsome that regional styles areoften determined, where 2ariations of such ornamentations areplayed'

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)rnamentation is simply one of the prime eAamples of how regionalstyles can be di5erentiated' 6t is throughout the studies of regionssuch as >onegal !Mac4oidh, $$H%, Sliabh /uachra !Jic(ey, "###L0ranitch, $$HL 9earney, $"$%, )riel !8í allacháin, $$?%,<ermanagh !Maguire, $$?%, Slich 4ughty !0ollins, $"$% and the4ran 6slands !8í 0honghaile, $""% that these elements obser2edand the construction of regional identities begins'# 6 do ;rmlybelie2e that these preser2ed identities are a strong method of

. 8iall 9eegan C The Parameters of Style in Irish Traditional Music+ 8iall 9eegan C The Parameters of Style in Irish Traditional Music# http:==eprints'd(it'ie=EF="=-eyondBlocationB9earney'pdf 

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illustrating the cultural traditions and social en2ironment of theregion' Some of the most conspicuous regional identities are foundin regions such as Sligo, South Sligo and 8orth 0onnacht' Thesepro2ide prime eAamples of the factors that are beyond the merelocation, but del2e into and display the essence of each particular

region' The predominant ;gure associated with the musical style ofSligo is generally considered to be ;ddle player Michael 0oleman'Gith a “con;dent, highly embellished musical style with a long,legato bowing techni7ue&"$ and as a musician who emigrated to4merica in the "#$1s, 0oleman is an ideal eAample of how regionalidentities are not only an eAtension of the local elements but arealso constructed through an amalgamation of outsidecharacteristics'

The inuences of marketing and commercialism on thepreservation of regional styles

@2en during the ;rst broadcasting of the radio series Our MusicalHeritage – the ;rst eAploration of regional styles in 6rish traditionalmusic Ó *iada was cogniant of the challenges to de2eloping andunderstanding regional styles' This understanding was based on the

elements contributing to such stylistic di5erences and the fact that,in many places, these di5erences were becoming less and lesssigni;cant due to changes in technology and society !Ó *iada,"#+%'"" 4lthough local conteAts remain imperati2e for thetransmission, performance and consumption of 6rish traditionalmusic, their indi2idual styles are being constantly challenged bychanging social and economic conditions, technology and the e2erCgrowing a2ailability of transport allowing musicians to tra2el all o2erthe world' )ne can argue that these inno2ations stand solely as athreat to regional styles' Iersonally, 6 belie2e, li(e many others, thatthis connecti2ity rather than isolation is what helps shape thesoundscape of each region and their indi2idual styles andtechni7ues' Therefore, one can Nusti;ably argue whether regionalstyles are in fact an eAtension of the local accent and lifestyles, or ifthey1re largely associated with the integration of societies'

6, personally, consider the transportation of 6rish traditional musicboth around 6reland and around the world C particularly from rural tourban settings C to be an integral part of the de2elopment of boththe music and its1 indi2idual regional styles' 4s ethnomusicologist,Ihilip -ohlman argues:

"$ http:==eprints'd(it'ie=EF="=-eyondBlocationB9earney'pdf "" SKan Ó *iada Our Musical Heritage

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“the geographic basis of fol( music has not disappeared,but it has e5ecti2ely migrated from rural to urbanmodels, from simple to compleA settings' Jere, newboundaries ariseL the in3uences on musical genres aregreater, but no urban musical grayout is in sight&"

 The de2elopment of an urbanCbased 6rish traditional musiccommunity can, unfortunately, be seen as a dilution of the7uintessential regional styles' 6 belie2e that this de2elopment assistsin accurately representing the lifestyle of regions throughout 6reland,as migration was a common element of 6rish life during thenineteenth and early twentieth century'

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