 Irish traditional music and dance has seen a surge in popularity and global coverage since the 1960s . In the middle years of the 20th century , as Irish society was <unk> , traditional music had fallen out of favour , especially in urban areas . However during the 1960s , there was a revival of interest in Irish traditional music led by groups such as The Dubliners , The <unk> , The Wolfe Tones , the Clancy Brothers , <unk> 's Men and individuals like <unk> <unk> <unk> and Christy Moore . Groups and musicians including <unk> , Van Morrison and <unk> <unk> incorporated elements of Irish traditional music into contemporary rock music and , during the 1970s and 1980s , the distinction between traditional and rock musicians became blurred , with many individuals regularly crossing over between these styles of playing . This trend can be seen more recently in the work of artists like <unk> , The Saw Doctors , The <unk> , <unk> O 'Connor , <unk> , The <unk> and The <unk> among others . Since then there have been a number of stylistic <unk> including folk metal and others , while some contemporary music groups stick closer to a " traditional " sound . 
