Music Editor Barry Fenton explores the intertwined history of Irish and African music.
By the 1860s - the height of Irish emigration - over 990,000 Irish nationals had emigrated to the United States. They moved to New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, but also to Southern states of Virginia. What is fascinating is how Irish culture, and Irish music in particular, interacted with the existing music scene of the United States.
Going down this rabbit-hole, I came out in the Appalachian Mountains courtesy of Judy Fitzpatrick’s article, ‘Blending African and Irish Sensibilities in Virginia’s Music’. I learned that in the 18th and 19th centuries, waves of Irish immigrants joined other immigrant groups travelling along the ‘Great Wagon Road’ into Appalachia. In this rugged, isolated region, they lived alongside African-Americans, including both freed and enslaved individuals. African and Irish immigrants often worked together, whether on plantations, in factories, or in emerging cities like New Orleans. Here, the distinct musical traditions of both groups began to intertwine. This closeness created a unique blending of cultures that profoundly impacted the music emerging from the area.
The Irish immigrants brought with them reels, jigs, and their beloved fiddles, while enslaved Africans introduced their own rhythmic dance music and drumming patterns. Perhaps most notably, they also brought the banjo - a reimagined version of instruments from West-Africa, which they recreated in the Caribbean and American colonies. This musical exchange gave birth to a new, distinctly American style of music: old-time music. The combination of the Irish fiddle and African rhythms, along with the banjo, became the foundation of a sound that would later influence bluegrass, country, and even rock music.
In Appalachia, this cultural exchange wasn’t just about music; it was about survival, community, and finding common ground in a new world.
The Irish and African traditions blended seamlessly, with jigs and reels flowing into polyrhythmic patterns, creating the foot-stomping, lively beats that became the heart of Appalachian music. This fusion continues to influence musicians today, reminding us of the rich interconnections to be found between our two distant worlds.
The cultural blending in Appalachia is just the beginning of this relationship. This musical fusion wasn’t confined to the isolated mountain regions; it spread far beyond, deeply influencing the musical landscape of early America. From the bustling streets of New Orleans to the rural plantations of the Deep South, the intersection of Irish and African musical traditions played a pivotal role in shaping genres we still enjoy today, including jazz, blues, and country music.
One of the most fascinating aspects of this connection is the role music played as a form of resilience for both groups. The Irish arrived in America escaping famine, poverty, and centuries of British oppression, while African Americans were facing the enduring horrors of slavery and systemic oppression across every state.
Despite coming from vastly different backgrounds, both groups shared one common struggle: the need to preserve their cultural identity in a foreign and often hostile land. For both, music became a powerful tool of expression, survival, and community.
African rhythms, with their complex polyrhythmic patterns and the use of drums as a central element, began to influence the more straightforward rhythms of Irish jigs and reels. At the same time, African Americans were exposed to the Irish fiddle and other European instruments, creating a fusion of traditions. America was a melting pot in these days. Those arriving had travelled on long perilous crossings and they reached a land supposedly full of opportunity.
In New Orleans, these musical exchanges helped give birth to jazz, a genre that combined the improvisational spirit of African music with European harmonies and melodies. African Americans, Irish immigrants, and other cultural groups in the city shared spaces, rhythms, and stories, contributing to the creation of a unique sound - the syncopated rhythms and lively melodies of jazz echo the polyrhythms of African music, while also drawing on the swing and lilt of Irish tunes.
Blues, too, bears the mark of this shared history. While the emotional depth of blues music is deeply rooted in the African American experience, it is reflected in Irish ballads, which often told stories of loss, hardship, and longing. In both traditions, music was a way of channelling sorrow and adversity into something beautiful, transforming pain into melody.
Something to highlight here is the fascinating way in which music served as a language. Both Irish and African Americans used music as a way to connect, to express their emotions, and preserve their heritage. In this way, music became not just a form of entertainment, but a tool of survival and resilience.
As we celebrate Black History Month, it's important to remember that the story of American music is one of collaboration, adaptation, and shared experience. The rhythms of Africa and the melodies of Ireland came together in a unique way, forming the foundation of some of the most influential musical genres in the world. Every time we listen to a jazz riff, a bluegrass tune, or a blues melody, we are hearing the echoes of resilience - the Irish fiddle, the African drum - blended in a harmony that transcends borders, hardships, and history.