Busking in Ireland

On my travels through Ireland and Northern Ireland, I was thrilled to discover that the general attitude towards musicians is respectful and welcoming. This attitude was most tangible in busking situations. The term “busking” means to perform for monetary tips from passersby in public places. Busking can be any type of performance: playing music, reading poetry, caricature drawing, dancing, and swallowing fire all count. The tradition of publicly performing for money goes back to ancient times, but the term “busking” first appeared in British slang in the late 1800s. Busking is common around the world.

The first thing I noticed about the musical buskers in Ireland and Northern Ireland was their endless variety. There were several performers whose instruments I’d never seen in that context before. I spied accordions in Belfast, Dublin, and Galway City, violins in Belfast, and, most memorably, a didgeridoo in Galway City (left)! Levels of experience varied too: one woman in Galway City was clearly struggling to get a sound out of her guitar, and yet she was being tipped just as much as the more experienced player across the street. I’d never seen such a beginning-level player busking before. The people of Ireland demonstrated a level of openness about “appropriate” instruments and experience that I don’t normally encounter.

I was astounded by the sheer amount of respect that street musicians receive in Northern Ireland and the Republic. Unfortunately, buskers are often stereotyped as panhandlers because we play for tips on sidewalks. I’ve witnessed that stereotype here in the U.S.: sometimes, potential customers turn their heads away and walk faster when they see me, as if they’re afraid I might heckle them for change. In Ireland, however, that wasn’t the case at all. When I busked on Eyre Square, the main square in Galway City, passersby would look over and smile, nod, or wish me a good morning. Even a local policeman smiled and waved when he saw me! It was as if the people of Galway City viewed me as a professional musician who automatically deserved respect, regardless of what I sounded like.

Finally, buskers in the Republic and Northern Ireland were very respectful of each other. Performing too close to another musician is very rude and often damages both buskers’ chances of making good tips. Generally street performers are good about this, but I’ve had problems with other musicians performing too close to me. In Galway City, though, I never saw buskers having space issues. They all stayed about ten feet or more away from each other. Even the performers using amplifiers kept their sound levels low enough that they would not draw attention away from others. The buskers of Ireland were much more aware of each other’s spaces than the ones I’ve seen in the U.S.

Ever since I started playing the guitar, I have performed on street corners for fun. However, I have never seen such good attitudes towards street performance as I did while in Ireland. Not only were the performers more open to different instruments and more respectful of one another, but the people they performed for were also more supportive and appreciative. Busking definitely has a much better reputation in Ireland than it does in the U.S.!