MUS20610 Music in Ireland

Academic Year 2022/2023

This module provides students with both a thorough introduction and an experiential immersion in the music of Ireland, and aims to encompass all its richness and variety. No previous knowledge of Irish musical history is required and neither is it necessary to be able to read musical notation. The module will engage with the music of Ireland from the medieval period to the present day and will encompass three principal types of music – Traditional, Classical and Popular. The music of Ireland will be examined in its historical context and will be situated within the wider international context. The music's historical, social, cultural and political dimensions will be discussed.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students should be able to:
- identify musical examples from across a variety of Irish musical genres.
- describe music in clear language.
- critically evaluate musical works and performances.
- evaluate relationships between music and Irish culture.
- engage critically with narratives of Irish musical history.

Indicative Module Content:

Week 1: Thinking about Music in Ireland
Week 2: Pipes and Fiddle Music in Ireland
Week 3: Music Ensembles from the Folk Music Revival to today
Week 4: Collectors of Irish traditional music
Week 5: Sean-nós’ song
Week 6: Classical Music in a very small country
Week 7: The Early Irish Harp
Week 8: Music in Sixteenth-Century Ireland
Week 9: The Showband Era
Week 10: ‘Country and Irish’: Country Music in Ireland
Week 11: Rock, Pop and Irish Identity and ‘Song Long Forgotten’: Changing Voices in Popular Traditional Singing
Week 12: Contemporary Voices

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Specified Learning Activities

24
Autonomous Student Learning

52
Total

100
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures supplemented by discussion based on close reading of texts.
Experience of Irish music over the course of the trimester. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Journal: Journal-style account of three lectures over the course of the term that were of particular interest to you. Trad. Classical and Popular must be represented. Week 12 n/a Graded No

25
Assignment: Assignment 1. Short essay. 1,000 words. Week 6 n/a Graded No

25
Assignment: Assignment 2. Short essay. 1,000 words. Week 11 n/a Graded No

25
Multiple Choice Questionnaire: MCQ exam covering all the material of the module. End of trimester MCQ n/a Graded No

25

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Name Role
Ms Siobhan Armstrong Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Mr Eamonn Galldubh Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Mr John Millar Lecturer / Co-Lecturer