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Now that the hype and the hubbub has died down to a certain extent, the Internet - once the province of boring computer nerds - has become a practical and useful resource, especially for those with an interest in Irish music.
Although you may not own your own computer, or not know a modem from a mouse, the increasing availability of computer technology is making the Web accessible to anybody. These days, most public libraries have computers which are linked to the Internet and staff on hand to guide you on your way; in addition, almost all educational establishments have Internet access and classes to teach the basics. It's not difficult - even an idiot like me can soon pick it up.
The Irish Post, of course, has its own website where you can catch up on the latest big music interviews with the likes of Christy Moore in the Craic!.
One of the most interesting new sites on the web is Jigtime [www.jigtime.demon.co.uk/] which promises to bring us "the best of live entertainment in all its glorious Celtic forms "and includes news of gigs and events of Irish interest, initially in the London area, but hoping to spread to the rest of the country soon. You can find out, for example, about the new album by Danny Collier and John Cutliffe, Waxy's Dream, and even hear a sample of it (if your computer can handle sound files). You can also read of how The Whiskey Priests got caught up in an earthquake in Italy (!) and find out all about new band Beware of the Dog. There's lashings of interesting stuff here, not least of which is a map of Donegal, noting recommended "watering holes". Grand.
Another excellent site is the Irish Music Store, which in Internet terms is something of an old timer, having been launched in June 1996. This site has now established itself as "the biggest and most successful shop trading in Irish entertainment product on the world wide web." It carries thousands of Irish CDs, tapes, videos, sheet music and books, all of which you can buy. Here you can find the work of such artists as Noel Hill and Tony Linnane, Jackie Daly and Seamus Creagh, The Chieftains, Luke Kelly... and thousands of others. Just the place to find that rare Daniel O'Donnell 12" remix of 'The Men Behind the Wire' that you've been looking for.
Fans of Christy Moore should check out the website dedicated to him at homepages.iol.ie/~pcassidy/christy.html which is packed with all sorts of stuff: lyrics, photos, articles, and plenty more, which will keep you going through many a dark winter evening. Christy gets his bodhráns made by Malachy Kearns, and you can find out all about Malachy and Roundstone Musical Instruments of Connemara at [www.musweb.com/kearns/introduction.html], which is another fascinating site.
If you're trying to track down a song, but can't remember the words, you could try the Irish Folk Songs site [www.cs.hut.fi/~zaphod/irish/], which will attempt to find the lyrics for you. Just key in as much as you can remember, and the database of over 350 songs will try its best to help you out. Whistles and hums don't work, unfortunately.
Lyrics don't come any finer than those written by the very wonderful Shane MacGowan, and his talent has inspired some wonderful work on the web. If you're going to click on to any website relating to Irish music, I recommend that you begin with the Shane MacGowan Paddy Rolling Stone page [www.csc.liv.ac.uk/~laurence/macgowan.html] , which is, in fact, the best Internet website I have ever seen. Here, you can find out anything about the 'oul bamboozerler that you want to know. There is a detailed tour itinerary; a complete discography; press and photo archives; lots of samples of Shane's new album and much, much more. A true labour of love, and Laurence from Liverpool University who put the site together certainly deserves credit.
Shane's old band, The Pogues, are well served at the award-winning In The Wake of the Medusa page [www.dzm.com/pogues/] which offers tons of information on the band. This is the definitive Pogues website and it has a discography, lyrics, sound files, cover art, press articles, lots of links and even a trading area, where you can swap that old Pogues T-shirt for a Croatian bootleg [maybe].
Other interesting Shane/Pogues websites include: A Rusty Tin Can and an Old Hurley Ball at [members.aol.com/tom01pm/poguema.html] and King of the Bop, at [www.bcpl.lib.md.us/~lpettijo/1rstpage.html].
If you're more interested in the rock side of things rather than folk, then you can check out WILMA, which is the Internet guide to live music and gigs database [www.wilma.com/] which will tell you if your rock superheroes are due in town to play, and if they are, where and when. Very useful if you're desperate to avoid The Cranberries.
And where better to read about Ireland's new music (other than in the Craic!, of course) than in the raucous Hot Press [ireland.iol.ie/hotpress/], which has been discovering and promoting new bands since U2 were knee-high to an amplifier. Now, you can't actually read the current edition of Hot Press on the web - since otherwise nobody would bother their heads to actually buy the magazine - but you can browse through years of back issues, which contain zillions of interesting articles. Careful, though, there's some right gruesome stuff in there...
One of the problems with the Internet is that there's actually too much information, and too much to read. Trying to get through just one of the websites listed above could take you a considerable time, and considerably damage your phone bill; so plan carefully what you want to find out, and don't waste time "surfing the net". But the Internet is an amazingly efficient way to distribute information, particularly among those with an interest in common, like Irish music. As we approach the 21st century, it is gratifying to see that new technology is being used to good effect, helping to increase the popularity and accessibility of such specialist genres as traditional music, and giving Irish culture a new voice.
If anyone knows any websites which would be of particular interest to readers of The Irish Post, you can e-mail me at 113444,1021@compuserve.com with the details.