Overview

The last century has seen radical social changes in Ireland, which have impacted all aspects of local life but none more so than traditional Irish music, an increasingly important identity marker both in Ireland and abroad. The author focuses on a small village in County Clare, which became a kind of pilgrimage site for those interested in experiencing traditional music. He begins by tracing its historical development from the days prior to the influx of visitors, through a period called ""the Revival,"" in which traditional Irish music was revitalized and transformed, to the modern period, which is dominated by tourism. A large number of incomers, locally known as ""blow-ins,"" have moved to the area, and the traditional Irish music is now largely performed and passed on by them. This fine-grained ethnographic study explores the commercialization of music and culture, the touristic consolidation and consumption of “place,” and offers a critique of the trope of ""authenticity,"" all in a setting of dramatic social change in which the movement of people is constant.

Full Product Details

9781845456238

Table of Contents

Reviews

A book of rich description and penetrating insight, Turning the Tune pulls the reader into a complex world of music making and social interaction in an Irish coastal village. Through a compelling reflexive voice, Kaul gives us a vivid sense of present experience and remembered pasts in Doolin, County Clare...This beautifully written book will provide music to the ears of all who take an interest in Ireland, tourism, music and social change. -Tamara Kohn, University of Melbourne Adam Kaul has provided his readers with a detailed, admirable account of musical life [in] Doolin, County Clare, arguably the most visible context for Irish instrumental music-making in the world. The immediacy of this narrative not only brings the reader into the inner circle of Doolin's sessions, but also clarifies, enlarges, and engages the context in ways that may surprise the reader.A -Sean Williams, Evergreen State College [This book] addresses some important issues in music study - the commodity, professionalization, the affective content of musical 'identities' - with a keen anthropological eye and a subtle reflexivity. The description of sessions is often excellent - many have tried, few quite so successfully! -Martin Stokes, Oxford University

Author Information

Adam Kaul is a Professor of Anthropology at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. He has written extensively on traditional music, tourism, and the economics of musical performance in Ireland. He is also the co-editor of Leisure and Death (University Press of Colorado 2018) and co-editor of the 3rd edition of Tourists and Tourism (Waveland 2018).

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