In 2019 and 2020, a survey was conducted on survey website, SurveyMonkey.com of over 528 practitioners of Irish traditional music across North America. This was the first survey of its kind to focus on this region and collect feedback about their musical lives and engagement with archival audio files. The survey consisted of forty questions, divided into two sections, in the first a look at the musical backgrounds of practitioners, and in the second a focus on their activities with audio and archives in North America and beyond. It was intended that this research would develop a clearer picture of the musical landscape of Irish traditional music in North America, and how practitioners relate to archives.
A first publication relating to this research has now been published in the journal, Digital Studies / Le Champ Numérique. An article for Ethnomusicology journal focused on interviews with practitioners across North America is now in peer review, and a final publication specifically related to attitudes of practitioners towards archives will be ready in 2025.
The following presents a series of digital visualisations of survey data from the survey, using the framework D3.js and with spatial analysis platform, Carto.com.
Age
See the Pen Age Now by Pádraig Mac Aodhgáin (@rootseire) on CodePen.
Age Became involved in Irish Traditional Music
See the Pen Untitled by Pádraig Mac Aodhgáin (@rootseire) on CodePen.
Do you have experience playing other styles of music/song/dance?
See the Pen Genres by Pádraig Mac Aodhgáin (@rootseire) on CodePen.
Familiarity With Collectors In North America
See the Pen Familiarity by Pádraig Mac Aodhgáin (@rootseire) on CodePen.
Formative Places in Musical Development
Resources Used To Share Irish Traditional Music
See the Pen Resources by Pádraig Mac Aodhgáin (@rootseire) on CodePen.
Devices Used to Listen to Irish Traditional Music
See the Pen Devices Used by Pádraig Mac Aodhgáin (@rootseire) on CodePen.