The bodhrán is the heartbeat of Irish music. This ancient framedrum is traditionally made with a wooden body and a goat-skin head, and is played with a double-headed stick called a cipín, tipper, or beater. The modern Irish word bodhrán is properly pronounced bow-rawn, like Cow brawn, with a slight emphasis on the first syllable. I have some more information on the word bodhrán, including discussion of the right word for a bodhrán-player.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to these pages. Special thanks to Gerard Manning for giving me a new home; to Pat Murphy, Brent Santin, Bob Denton, and Lark in the Morning for material I've snitched to use here; to Kevin Rice for all the stuff he provided; and to David James for scanning some of the knotwork I've used.

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Return to the Bodhrán home page.

Part of the Ceolas celtic music archive

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Josh Mittleman bodhran@ceolas.org

Except for material noted as written by other authors, these pages and their contents are copyright 1995 - 2007 by Josh Mittleman. Nothing on these pages may be published, distributed, or copied for any purpose other than fair use or personal use, unless specific permission is given by the author. Some of the knotwork used on these pages is in the public domain, and you are welcome to copy it. Please read the details first, copy only what is allowed, and don't use the knotwork bars in the same colors I've used.