Slow air

The slow air derives from old Gaelic songs often sung in the sean-nós style (old style) [Caoineadh Na Tri Mhuire - Joe Heaney].

Some slow airs correspond to ballads [Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears - Sean Keane], others are purely instrumental pieces.

There is also another type of air : those composed by Turlough O'Carolan. Unlike sean-nós style airs, Carolan's music has fixed musical metre.

The slow air can include many types of ornementation and have a dreamier and more expressive feel than many other Irish pieces. Ornementation should link and decorate musical phrases (originally vocal phrases) and should be natural and unobtrusive to the melody.

• Port na bPúcaí (Music of the Gods / The Fairy Lament) [Tony MacMahon... à propos du slow air] | [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i3QEkc4hTw]

• O'Rahilly's Grave [Julia Clifford]
• An Raibh Tu Ag an Gcarraig (Julia Clifford) [Martin Dowlings]

• The Old Man Rocking the Cradle [Padraig O'Keefe]

• Sliabh na mBan [Liam O'Flynn] [Matt Cranitch]
• Táimse im Chodladh (I am Asleep)

• Coinlach Ghlas an Fhómhair (Danny O'Donnell) [Clannad]

Fewer and fewer' people are learning airs directly from sean-nós singing. This is because the Irish language is confined to the Gaeltacht areas in certain parts of the country. Listening to recordings of sean-nós singers would help enormously in the understanding and full appreciation of the art of good slow air playing.