ABSTRACT
The relevance of the popular traditions for an adequate understanding of Irish history is clearly perceived by Thomas Moore in his 'Prefatory Letter on Music'. Popular culture changes in time; new events change the meaning of old tunes; the most recent past may well be more significant than older events. Far more extreme than Thomas Moore was another Irish Protestant writer, namely Thomas Osborne Davis, the real 'Founding Father' of the so-called Young Ireland. His nationalist verse was intended to 'awaken' the 'Spirit of the Nation'. More often popular traditions act as forms of tacit knowledge and they are not always reflected in the conscious activities of individuals. In 'normal' situations these forms of life function as a sort of reservoir for the collective memory of peoples. This chapter explores the difference between the roles of popular culture in 'normal' times and in 'extraordinary' times. It emphasises the revolutionary function of popular culture.
