Girl singing Sean Nós

"The Famine" is a very narrow time frame 1845-48. There were actually 15 famines between 1819 and 1848 and a catastrophic one in 1742 that has been all but forgotten. I have no doubt that sean nos singing didnt just afterr during the great famine. It evolved over a longer time and significantly hebridean singing is very similar so an origin from at least the middle ages is likely before these two cultures diverged somewhat.

Hey, can anyone tell me the reason behind the tradition of keeping your eyes closed when you sing sean nós? I always just accepted that that was they way it was done but now I'm really curious as to why!

Because you are listening to your heart. It is difficult to do with your eyes open.

Aww :)

feeling . emotions and feeling in its deep form .

basically , the irish sanged songs without instruments because lack of m oney to buy them due to the potatoe famin . the songs are now well known and quite beautiful .

Are you sure it dates from the Famine?
I think from before then to the time of the Penal laws and perhaps even earlier, as Gaelic culture was being supressed. With the Flight of the Earls and the plantations, the bards and harpers lost their Gaelic noble patrons, and became vagrants and intinerants.

yes , i am sure about this . songs without instrument before the famine were as a personal choice , however during the famine crisis it was a ' have to ' thing . thank you

Please don't use the phrase 'potato famine', there was no such thing.

There was a famine, exacerbated by a potato blight, which is something quite different.

Phrases like 'potato famine', or 'potatoe famin' if you prefer, just feed ignorance.

Besides that, sean-nós predates the 19th century famines by hundreds of years.