ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the idea of authenticity is central to a number of dialectical relationships that obtain in constructions of Irishness and music. In what might be termed as its predominant form of expression, authenticity is negatively linked to the commodification of music products, and is constructed by the mythologization and fetishization of 'ethnic' and 'folk' music. There was a clear resemblance between the terms of authenticity used by the interview respondents and those found in domestic music journalism. De-authenticating positions regarding Irish pop can also be found in domestic rock journalism. Although the general aesthetic of rock discourse may differ from that of folk/traditional, these two style categories bear many similarities in terms of the authenticating principles that prevail in their respective discourses. The assumed authenticity of traditional music can come into question when modes of production appear to conflict with idealizations of value and style.
