Music
Irish Instruments Used with Irish Dancing
The most common instruments played at a feis in North America are the button accordian and fiddle, and on occasion flute and keyboards (on recorded tracks this is often piano).
"Accordian: The smaller kinds of squeeze boxes--with one or two rows of buttons for the right hand--are more popular in Irish music than the larger models with "piano" keyboards. The concertina--with multiple rows of buttons for each hand--is much rarer and highly prized."
"Fiddle: You will recognize this as the standard violin, played in an exuberant variety of styles. The other members of the bowed string family are not often used."
"Flute: The kind of flute most used in Irish music is made of wood, with six finger holes, with or without keys. These antique instruments were available inexpensively when the Irish flute style developed; then the recent popularity of Irish music sparked interest in wooden flutes."
"Piano: Most often used for accompaniment, the piano is rarely used for melody."
Source: Irish Traditional Musical Instruments MurphyRoche.com
Since the advent of Ronan Hardiman’s soundtrack for Lord of the Dance in 1996, electronically-enhanced music has dominated Irish dancing shows. The Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames soundtracks and the Bradley Brothers' albums were at one time the most popular music for an Irish dance school’s show. Newer albums include those made by Kin'sha (very popular), Beoga, and Michael McGoldrick.