Recently I'm really into irish and celtic violin music. I still play classical violin but irish tunes are so fun to play!! Does anyone know some fun irish tune?? The only one I know is the barrage stuff and drowsy maggie.

The best thing to do is go into a music shop and get some Irish music cds, usually compilations of favourite drinking songs are good! Two of the cds I like best are 'The Very Best of Traditional Pub Sessions' and 'Irish Folk Favourites'. I doubt you'll be able to get sheet music for the majority of Irish tunes, so it'll help if you can learn them by ear.

Try 'Jigs, Reels and Hornpipes' by Edward Huws Jones. It's not all Irish music (some English and Scottish folk music as well) but it's well arranged and fun to play.

I'm sorry, but you're wrong there! My inlaws used to have a folk music shop before retirement and stocked many, many books of Irish music. Have a look at this page on the website of one of their competitors for a few suggestions: http://www.hobgoblin.com/local/contfram.htm

"ONeills 1001 Irish Tunes" is not a bad start.

Dave Mallinson's been around for quite some time as well - we used to meet him at folk festivals. Have a look at his website at http://www.mally.com/

Both these websites post worldwide so you shouldn't have any problems there.

These are just a couple of sources I know of in England - there's bound to be many Ireland - just do a google search and I'm sure you'll find them. Don't just stick to the major publishers as a lot of the folk music publishers are small independents.

I would advise listening to recordings though - there's a particular style to playing traditional Irish music that doesn't always come naturally if you're classically trained. It's the same for traditional Scottish music, although the style tends to be rather different.

There are also a lot of wonderful traditional English fiddle tunes as well - it's just that the Irish like to hog the limelight

For those of you in the UK who like folk fiddling, get to hear this lot if at all possible http://www.feastoffiddles.com/ - you'll never have heard anything quite like it before. I've know some of them for years - they used to buy their spare strings from us at folk festivals - but to see them all together is quite an event!

I hope that helps in your search.

Best wishes,

Jane

There are quite a few online sources of irish music online. I dont have the addresses of individual sites but if you do a google search im sure u'l find some

LAst night I was at a music service gala strings copncert, which ended with hundreds of string players from 7 upwards playing a spectacularly lively version of "Toss the Feather", originally by the Corrs... Mind you, my daughter said she couldn't play her part and was miming!

The Corrs didn't write Toss the Feathers - it's a traditional Irish tune . I have several different recordings of it - I didn't know the Corrs had recorded it - but then my teenage daughter is convinced I'm an old fogie anyway! (Mind you, both our children are huge Billy Joel fans & came with us to the NEC earlier this month to see him - how many 12 & 14 year olds would do that?)

Jane

londonderry air! beautiful chords - but lacks vigor

Not Irish I know but quintessentially Celtic - a fantastic CD by the Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster called "My Roots Are Showing" on the Greentrax label. It's got some great jigs and reels which'll have you dancing round the room, violin and all! She's also recorded for Nimbus.