| One of the consequences of
England's sometimes strained relationship with mainland Europe is the
role of religion, and no where in the British Isles is the inheritance
of this relationship so bitter as in Ireland. England's fierce independence
has ancient roots: the islands are predominantly populated by peoples
who invaded at one point or the other. Without recounting the bloody history
of England's attempts to dominate its neighbors (Scotland, Wales, and
Ireland), suffice to say that James I in the early 17th century settled
on the device of settling displaced Scottish farmers and merchants in
Ulster in what is today Northern Ireland. These early Protestants came
to dominate the six counties, but not without resistance from the Catholic
farmers. Four centuries later, Irish identity remains contested. However,
the Act of Union (1707) established a new nationality: British identity
is neither English, nor Scottish, nor Welsh, but a recognition of a common
(if combative) history. (See Herman 64-66.) |
| Belfast is the largest urban
center in Northern Ireland and a dynamic meeting place of British ideas.
Like Liverpool, Belfast is/was a shipping port and point of arrival and
departure, particularly to and from the new world. Not surprisingly, the
music that developed there is a mix of Irish, English, and Scottish styles.
At the turn of the 20th century, music halls were popular. In the 1940s
and 1950s with the increasing cultural domination of American consumerism,
Belfast bands quickly picked up on blues, jazz, and rock. Of the notable
musicians (such as Rory Gallagher) to develop in this sometimes hostile
environment, the most notable to emerge has been Van Morrison. (See Harper
and Hodgett) |
| Them |
|
| Sources |
| Harper, Colin and
Trevor Hodgett. Irish Folk, Trad, and Blues: A Secret History.
London: The Collins Press, 2004. |
| Herman, Arthur. How
the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's
Poorest Nation Created Our World and Everything in It. New York: Three
Rivers Press, 2001. |