Irish music has developed throughout the island of Ireland since ancient times, sometimes influenced by the political or religious context of the time. Following the massive emigration of the Irish in the XIX century, it spread to the United States in particular, but also throughout the United Kingdom. It has been included in other styles and many Irish reels and jigs have been taken over, including bluegrass and Canadian traditional music, including Quebec.
The earliest known music in Ireland is that of harpist Gaelic clans dating from the IX century. The harp has been an emblem of the country for at least the XIII century. Nothing is known about the non-professional musicians or the dances practiced at the time, but the harpist accompanied a poet who proclaimed the praises of the clan chief to whom he was attached.
Over time, musicians became itinerant musicians as a result of the decline of Gaelic society between the XII century and the XVII < / span >> century, of which one of the last witnesses is the harpist Turlough O'Carolan died in the XVIII century.
In the XVII century, dances became very popular, as in the rest of Europe. Irish dance is at its peak in the XIX century, and many testimonials from travelers in Ireland prove its importance.
