Lilting, formally sean-nos (old-style) is the traditional Irish singing style, and includes ornamentation, intonation and tempo (The Chieftains Web site).

             Conneff"s other main task is to play the bodhran (pronounced bow-rawn), a hand-held drum with a single skin played with a single stick, although a double-ended one.

             The resurgence of Irish music is, some critics believe, "based on the 'realness" and 'honesty" of the music, in other words, its authenticity as a music of the people. To some extent, the perceived authenticity of this music has led to its exploitation as a selling-point, as in the advertising of other Irish products such as beer (Shuker 2002 43).

             Still, in any discussion of the Chieftain"s contribution to the resurgence of Irish music, it might be helpful to have a handle on all its forms.

             Definition of Irish music.

             Often, Irish music is lumped together into the major category of Celtic music. In fact, however, there are six Celtic nations, and each has its own distinctive musical style. (The Celtic nations are usually considered to be Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Breton, the Shetland Islands and the Galicia area of northern Spain.).

             Musicologists think that piobaireachd (piping) music is probably closest to the traditional music, along with harping, of the Gaelic world-or more particularly the Irish world-as it existed before the 1500s through 1800s, when Britain used "draconian" measures though which they attempted to obliterate the Irish language and culture (Hanway 2001).

             Regardless of specific Celtic land of origin, Celtic music has mainly been passed on, like the rest of Irish culture, orally, or in this case, aurally as well. That is certainly true in Ireland more than elsewhere because the Irish were forbidden, at various times in Ireland"s modern history, to play their music by the British who controlled the island.

             It is therefore all the more amazing that what has been passed on, arguably in Irish even more than the other Celtic traditions, is an extremely complex musical heritage rich in variations.