The 1920's are particularly important
to Irish music in America, and some say this was the greatest time for Irish
music in America. Of course this is debatable, but nevertheless, it is
important to know why and how the 1920's are viewed the way they are.
The first question to answer is: How did Irish music find its way from its roots
in Sligo County to the pubs of New York and other large cities? As we
know, one thing affects another, and the migration of Irish music to America
can been seen as a result of the Great Famine in Ireland in the 1800’s.
The famine created a large and steady rush of Irish immigrants into America.
A nice sized portion of these immigrants were musicians. The musicians
did not only stop here in New York, but they also pushed on to Boston, Chicago,
and Philadelphia. This first wave of Irish musicians inserted a strong
foothold to a new subculture that exists to this very day.
T
Just like in Ireland,
the music was traditionally played in bars and social gatherings. A great
note about traditional Irish music is that although popular musicians were available
for listening, traditional Irish music did not require them. This nearly
always guaranteed you would have great music to listen to no matter which pub
you frequented. What a great attribute for our favorite local bars to
adopt today. In the 1920's it was usually a band of semi regular members
that kept the bars alive with sound. In bars such as Roger Feeley's Pub and
Killoran's bar under the elevated train at 138th Street, they usually had what
was called a "session". This was not a scheduled performance by a local band
that we may see advertised at pubs. It was simply a kind of drop-in jam
session played and continued by whomever felt like showing up that day. This
tradition continues even today if you are lucky enough to stumble into the right
pub.
The 1920's were important for Irish music just like the first stone in the construction of a new building is important. This is when the major foundation was laid. This was the first time Americans had a chance to listen to, enjoy, and have a great time with this new sound. Of course the major musicians of this time period were influenced heavily from their past, especially the sounds of county Sligo, but you cannot deny that today's Irish musicians draw their influence from the 1920's.