ABSTRACT
This chapter explores interactions between various music and film genres in modern Irish cinema. It first contemplates how the ubiquity of folk and progressive-traditional soundtracks to Irish-themed feature film of the late 20th century was reflected in many documentary series, with fewer audiovisual histories based on popular music subjects. Next interpreted are the film and TV scores of composers Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Bill Whelan and Shaun Davey who advanced Ó Riada’s earlier film music sound through hybrid approaches to orchestral and traditional resources.
The chapter then considers how jazz featured in several narratives titles, before charting the growing imprint of popular music in Irish cinema from the turn of the 21st century, whether through original composition, compilation soundtracks, or both. Finally, the category of ‘music-film’ is adapted to a review of screenplays and soundtracks that embraced historical and contemporary genres, from dance band, traditional and country to soul, punk, rock and pop.
