bodhran

Or bodh·rán

[baw-rahn]

noun

1. a handheld, shallow Irish drum with a single goatskin head, played with a stick.

bodhrán

/ baʊˈrɑːn, ˈboːrɑːn /

noun

1. a shallow one-sided drum popular in Irish and Scottish folk music

Word History and Origins

Origin of bodhrán¹

1965–70; Irish Gaelic bodhrán, from Middle Irish bodrán, from bodar “deafening, deaf”

Word History and Origins

Origin of bodhrán¹

Irish Gaelic

Example Sentences

The crowd sang along as Sheeran played the guitar, accompanied by the other artists on violin and the bodhrán - a traditional Irish frame drum.

Read more on BBC

Although the lineup shifted, the Chieftains came to include celebrated musicians such as Martin Fay and Sean Keane on the fiddle, Derek Bell on harp, Matt Molloy on flute and Kevin Conneff on vocals and the bodhran, a traditional drum with a goatskin head.

Read more on Washington Post

Amid the roiling chaos of Reconstruction, Simon puts together a “scratch band” with the guitarist Doroteo Navarro, the whistle-player Damon Lessing and Patrick O’Hehir, who plays the bodhran and bones; each one of these characters is dogged and distinct in his own way.

Read more on New York Times

“Fiddler” is suffused with music, and some of its most crystalline scenes feature the motley troupe: Damon, a Poe-quoting whistle player; Doroteo, a Tejano guitarist; and Patrick, a sweet, underage bodhran banger.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But sometimes local motifs creep in: Numbertheory included a sample of sean nós, an Irish tradition of haunting, melismatic singing; Syn’s track Coy included a sample of the bodhrán, an Irish drum made with goatskin; Lighght’s excellent 2019 album, Gore-Tex in the Club, Balenciaga Amongst the Shrubs, makes use of the harp.

Read more on The Guardian