These days one often hears about Irish "folk (music)" that is neither "traditional" nor "folklore" in the original sense. To avoid confusion, here are some genres defined:
- Celtic New Age Music
Think Enya, Clannad and similar artists combining traditional elements with swirling synthesizers and unintelligible lyrics. - Crossover
Combining traditional elements with other "world music", as done by Afro-Celt Sound System. The result is a new style of music that sounds "familiar" in several ways. - Electric Folk
Music made on modern instruments, but retaining definite traditional elements. The output of seminal English group Steeleye Span might be the best known.. - Folkpop
Basically pop music with some "folksy" elements, think "The Corrs". - Folkrock
Rock with a folk twist, as exemplified by Horslips or Thin Lizzy. Often the lyrics tend to draw more from tradition than the music itself. - Irish Country
A strange brew of good ole C&W and Irish trad, often with a generous helping of lachrymose lyrics detailing (personal) disasters of epic proportions. - Rebel Songs
Any song featuring the fight against the dastardly British, often reinterpreting history in a quite unique way. Anything "they" did was despicable, anything "we" did was justified. - Speedfolk
Traditional music played loud and fast with a cavalier disregard for the composers' intentions and actual lyrics. Started with the Pogues, though later imitators constantly lowered the standard.
