Ancient Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Isle of Man  Celtic Bards / Celtic Music   Music: Music, both vocal and instrumental, was very important to the ancient Celts. Each night, as they sat around the campfire, they played music on instruments they made. Kids learned on their parents instruments. When a child reached the age of 14 or 15, they started to make their own musical instrument. It was something all Celts did, whatever their clan. Instruments included flutes, whistles, the bagpipes, the Celtic harp, a drum played with a two-headed stick, and the fiddle. Bards: Music was so important to the ancient Celts that a group evolved called the Bards. Brads were wandering singers, storytellers, and poets. If a bard made up a really nasty story about you, and put it into the form of a song or a story, what that bard was saying would be believed. In time, the Bards became as powerful as the druids (priests and teachers). The bards could destroy your reputation with a song. Today, Celtic musicians are still combining music, poetry, and storytelling. The link below, Celtic Bards and the Way of the Harp, is an interview with one such musician.   Issue 2 - The Celtic Harp Hear Celtic tunes Hear the bagpipes   Webquest: Celtic Music  Celtic Bards and the Way of the Harp  Free Presentations in PowerPoint format  Free Clip Art Return to the Iron Age Celts for Kids Index  All Rights Reserved    Clip Art Credit: Phillip Martin Have a great year!