Article

Commercialisation, Celtic and Women in Irish Traditional Music

Joanne Cusack

Published in: Ethnomusicology Ireland 7 (2021)

Pages: 94-109 | Published Online: April 2021

https://doi.org/10.64208/TVCU6347

Abstract

Recent initiatives concerning gender equality and Irish traditional music have raised questions regarding women’s performance and participation. Focusing on the impact of commercialisation and consequent use of the ”Celtic music” label from the 1990s, this article examines the impact of the commercial music industry on women in Irish traditional music. Utilising Lieb’s (2018) “lifecycle model” as a form of analysis, this research draws on lived experiences of the scene aided by a statistical analysis of a select discography. A subsequent research aim provokes dual understandings pertaining to the impact of Riverdance and Michael Flatley’s later dance shows on women performers. Although the 1990s can be regarded as transformative for women and music in Ireland with an increased visibility of women performing on the commercial scene, such progress can be understood in terms of “ebb and flow” with gender biases continuing to be experienced.

Keywords: Irish traditional music, commercialisation, Celtic, gender, women studies

Author: Joanne Cusack