Music in Britain and Ireland: Culture and Travel Context

Britain and Ireland have a rich heritage of music, from folk songs, through classical music, to pop genres such as rock, grime, and electronic music.

Scotland has a thriving music scene. Outdoor popular music festivals attract vast crowds and attract internationally-renowned live music acts. Scottish bands and musicians are also prominent, particularly those originating from in and around Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. This city is home to a fantastic music scene; must-visit destinations include King Tut's Wah Wah Hut (where Oasis were spotted and signed for their first record deal).

Scottish folk music is also flourishing, with traditional and modern folk music sung in both English, Scottish Gaelic (and sometimes Scots). Folk music often features instruments such as fiddle/violin, acoustic guitar, harp, accordion, piano, various sorts of bagpipes, and other traditional instruments as well as voice. You may also encounter Scottish forms of dance which are also popular. This may range from simple, as at a ceilidh (pronounced "kay-lee", a mix of dances performed to traditional music and descended from ballroom and country dancing), to more complex Scottish Country Dancing which is a form of social dancing descended from renaissance dance styles, to solo Highland Dancing (which has a military heritage) if you go to a Highland Games. These styles exist alongside other popular forms of music and dance also found in other modern countries.

Wales is often referred to as "the land of song", and is notable for its harpists, male voice choirs, and plethora of solo artists like Charlotte Church. Cardiff has a big rock scene and has produced some of the biggest acts in the UK today. The principal Welsh festival of music and poetry is the annual National Eisteddfod. The Llangollen International Eisteddfod echoes the National Eisteddfod but provides an opportunity for the singers and musicians of the world to perform. Traditional music and dance in Wales is supported by a myriad of societies. The Welsh Folk Song Society has published a number of collections of songs and tunes.

Although England's Classical music tradition lags somewhat behind its continental counterparts France, Germany, Italy, Austria and Russia, it has nevertheless produced several world-renowned composers such as Henry Purcell, Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst and Benjamin Britten. Despite the relative lack of famous native-born English composers besides Purcell, Elgar, and Arthur Sullivan of Gilbert and Sullivan fame, London has for over two centuries been an important city in the classical music circuit, with famous foreign composers such as George Frideric Handel (Georg Friedrich Händel), Johann Christian Bach, Joseph Haydn and Felix Mendelssohn having lived there or spent a significant amount of time there on tour. The English choral tradition is particularly famous among classical music enthusiasts, with composers such as Purcell, Handel, Mendelssohn and Elgar having employed it to great effect in their sacred music.

The second half of the 20th century is where British music came into its own. The starting point has to be The Beatles who are arguably the greatest band of all time. They became synonymous for coming from Liverpool. Then you also have The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Animals and The Yardbirds. This continued to the 21st century where you have the likes of Coldplay, Oasis and Mumford & Sons.

London; home to the Royal Albert Hall, and other world famous stages. Pretend to be one of the 'Fab Four' at the Abbey Road zebra crossing.

Liverpool; hometown of the Beatles, the Beatles Story, the Beatles museum, Hard Days Night hotel, the Philharmonic Hall and the Cavern club.

The Hebrides shouldn't need Mendelssohn's help to get you there, but if that's what it takes, you'll thank Mendelssohn.

2 National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2 (Dublin, Ireland), ☏ +353 1 417 0000. Offers classical concerts. Frequent performances by the resident orchestra, the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. (updated May 2015)

This cultural overview is an excerpt of a community travel guide. Confirm current access, schedules and prices with the venue before planning a visit.

Source and licence

Text adapted from Music in Britain and Ireland by Wikivoyage contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. This adapted text is shared under the same licence. Contributor history.