Traditional Irish instruments produce sounds that sooth the soul.
However, while Irish bands and Irish songs are famous the world over, many aren’t overly familiar with the numerous old Irish musical instruments.
In this guide, you’ll find:
- An overview: Of each instrument, like the Bodhrán
- Their sound: Each description has links to what the instrument sounds like
Traditional Irish instruments for playing Irish folk music
The distinctive melodic sounds that epitomise Irish folk music come from an ensemble of traditional Irish instruments, like the harp.
Below, you’ll find info on the fiddle, the Uilleann Pipes, the flute and many other old Irish musical instruments.
1. The Bodhrán
The Bodhrán Drum has been around for centuries and is one of the most popular Irish percussion instruments.
Measuring between 25 and 65cm diameter and played in an upright position, it is covered with animal skin (usually goatskin) on one side and on the other side the hand controls the pitch and timbre.
Popular in Irish rebel songs, the deep tone of the Bodhrán Drum complements other Irish instruments such as the fiddle, harp and guitar. The name “Bodhrán” means dull and reflects the hollow sound of the drum.
Key info about this instrument
- Category: Irish percussion instruments
- Played with: A hand or a stick called a cipín
- What it sounds like: Listen here
2. The Fiddle
Few Irish musical instruments bring a traditional music session alive like the fiddle and you’ll find it played in pubs across the country.
Now, if you’re looking at this and thinking, ‘Isn’t that a violin?!, you’d be correct. There are no physical differences between the two – the separation comes down to the type of music it’s used to play.
A violin is used for the likes of classical music, while a fiddle is used for folk or more casual playing.
Key info about this instrument
- Category: Irish string instruments
- Played with: A bow
- What it sounds like: Listen here
3. The Harp
You can’t talk about Celtic instruments without mentioning the harp. According to Irish mythology, the first harp was owned by the Dagda from Tuatha dé Danann.
Apparently, he could make his audience weep, smile or even been lulled to sleep depending on his style. The original Irish harp was smaller, carved out of bogwood and did not have a foot pedal as seen in modern instruments.
The word “harp’ means “to pluck” and original harps had wire strings rather than gut. Celtic harps are one of the most authentic symbols of Ireland.
Key info about this instrument
- Category: Irish string instruments
- Played with: Hands
- What it sounds like: Listen here
4. Flute and Whistle
The flute and whistle are two of the more popular Irish instruments for playing Irish traditional music.
The Flute, Tin Whistle and Low Whistle are all from the woodwind family. However, while each requires similar finger placement techniques, they all produce a different tone.
Dating back to the 12th century, the tin whistle or Penny Whistle sounds shrill and high-pitched while the low whistle is larger and produces a deeper, more mellow sound.
The flute is a classical orchestral instrument with a similar tone to the low whistle. It is played by blowing across the mouthpiece rather than into it and creates a soft velvety tone.
Key info about this instrument
- Category: Irish woodwind instruments
- Played with: Fingers and mouth
- What it sounds like: Listen here
5. The Uilleann Pipes
One of the lesser-known Irish instruments for playing Irish traditional music, the Uilleann Pipes, similar to Scottish bagpipes, are Ireland’s national pipes.
‘Uilleann’ means ‘Pipes of the elbow’ as the bag is inflated using bellows strapped around the player’s waist and pumped using the arm.
It saves all that puffing and blowing as with bagpipes and delivers a drier air to the reed. The tube with finger holes is known as the chanter and is used to create the notes on these traditional Irish instruments.
Key info about this instrument
- Category: Irish wind instruments
- Played with: Fingers
- What it sounds like: Listen here
6. Accordion and Concertina
The accordion and the concertina are popular Irish musical instruments commonly used for impromptu music session and accompanying sing-alongs.
Nicknamed a ‘Squeezebox’ the accordion hangs from the shoulders by straps. It has bellows operated by pulling and squeezing the box while the left-hand plays bass notes on buttons and the right-hand plays the main tune on a keyboard.
Concertinas are the smaller member of the squeezebox family, often hexagonal with buttons at both ends of the bellows instead of a keyboard.
Key info about this instrument
- Category: Irish wind instruments
- Played with: Hands
- What it sounds like: Listen here
7. The Banjo
The banjo is a key feature in many of the tunes in our guide to the best Irish drinking songs. Popular with many Irish bands, the stringed banjo has a round box cavity and a neck with five strings which are tuned and adjusted by nuts.
The tenor banjo is a relative newcomer to Irish folk music, as pre-1960 it rarely featured, but things move on.
Banjos can be strummed, picked with fingers or played with a plectrum and most commonly play single-note melodies in Irish music.
Key info about this instrument
- Category: Irish string instruments
- Played with: Fingerpick
- What it sounds like: Listen here
8. Mandolin
The mandolin is another popular traditional Irish music instruments. The Celtic mandolin is a beautiful instrument shaped like an onion with a solid wood back (usually rosewood or mahogany) which is flat or gently curved.
Smaller than a guitar, Celtic mandolins may have round or oval sound holes and the four double sets of strings are played with a plectrum.
Part of the lute family, mandolins rarely featured as Irish music instruments until the early 70s when they were played by the Dubliners, Horslips, Lindisfarne and other formative bands.
Key info about this instrument
- Category: Irish stringed instruments
- Played with: Plectrum/pick
- What it sounds like: Listen here
9. The Bouzouki
The Bouzouki is another of the lesser-known Irish music instruments and it was adapted from the Greek bouzouki.
It was introduced to the Irish music scene by Johnny Moynihan (Sweeney’s men) in the mid-1960s.
In the early 70s, Irish musician Dónal Lunny replaced two-octave strings with unison strings and later commissioned the first bouzouki with these specifications.
Now an integral part of Irish folk music, it is mainly used for chordal accompaniment to the flute or fiddle. You’ll see this featured in many tunes in our guide to the best Irish love songs.
Key info about this instrument
- Category: String
- Played with: Plectrum/pick
- What it sounds like: Listen here
10. Harmonica
The harmonica is a type of mouth organ that has 10 holes and requires practice in breath control and lip training to tame it!
The user must direct the air either in or out one or more holes along the instrument. Although it looks like it’d be easy to master quickly, skill is required.
This isn’t one of the traditional Irish instruments, but it’s a regular featured in many Irish songs.
Key info about this instrument
- Category: Free reed wind instrument
- Played with: Fingers and mouth
- What it sounds like: Listen here
11. The Guitar
Like the Harmonica, the guitar isn’t a traditional Irish musical instrument, but it’s widely used in traditional sessions.
Played with fingers or a plectrum/pick, you’ll here it played alongside other instruments by many if not most Irish bands.
Many traditional Irish musicians, like Dáithí Sproule, use the guitar to create beautiful Irish folk music.
Key info about this instrument
- Category: Chordophone
- Played with: Plectrum
- What it sounds like: Listen here
FAQs about traditional Irish music instruments
We’ve had a lot of questions over the years asking about everything from ‘What’s are some old Irish folk instruments?’ to ‘Which are easiest to play?’.
In the section below, we’ve popped in the most FAQs that we’ve received. If you have a question that we haven’t tackled, ask away in the comments section below.
What are the traditional Irish instruments?
The main traditional Irish instruments are the Uilleann Pipes, the Accordion, the Bodhrán, the Harp, the Fiddle, the Flute, the Concertina and the Tin Whistle. In modern times, the Mandolin, Bouzouki, Guitar and Harmonica are also regular features in traditional Irish music.
What Irish musical instruments are used in folk music?
In Irish folk music you’ll frequently hear the likes of the Bodhrán, the Accordion, the Concertina, the Flute, the Fiddle and, occasionally, the Uilleann Pipes.
Keith O’Hara has lived in Ireland for 35 years and has spent most of the last 10 creating what is now The Irish Road Trip guide. Over the years, the website has published thousands of meticulously researched Ireland travel guides, welcoming 30 million+ visitors along the way. In 2022, the Irish Road Trip team published the world’s largest collection of Irish Road Trip itineraries. Keith lives in Dublin with his dog Toby and finds writing in the 3rd person minus craic altogether.
suzanne
Tuesday 18th of January 2022
Early In Riverdance there is a solo by a man playing an instrument that looks like an oboe but sounds like a flute.
Can you tell me what it is?
Thanks.
ajax
Monday 13th of June 2022
@suzanne, i believe you are referring to a piccolo! it looks like an oboe and has been described to sound like a flute. sorry for the late reply
Joben
Wednesday 19th of January 2022
@suzanne, I am not sure of which performance you are referring to, but I found this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xpvOSFT-es
The fiddle plays a fair solo, but there is a man also playing a distinct line with an Irish tin whistle at first and then with the uilleann pipes. He does not play it as a solo in this performance, though.
Hope this helps. Perhaps share the video link as well. Then we can have a better look
Mary Eileen P Johnston
Saturday 30th of October 2021
Gillian...nice work! However, in the lovely photo of the woman and harp looking out to sea, the harp is actually reversed to the way it's played. Seated and with the "straight" side out. Some oversimplifications in the accordion (or accordian?...both used. Continuity?!) "hanging from the shoulders" when the instrument is, moreover, "secured" to the body with the straps ergonomically to have a stable, unmoving instrument...what with all of thst "squeezing"! If indeed it was "hanging," Houston, we'd have a problem!