bodhran
noun
a handheld, shallow Irish drum with a single goatskin head, played with a stick.
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bodhran
American
[baw-rahn]
/ ˈbɔ rɑn /
Or
bodhrán
noun
bodhrán
British
/ baʊˈrɑːn, ˈboːrɑːn /
noun
Etymology
Origin of bodhran
1965–70; Irish Gaelic bodhrán, from Middle Irish bodrán, from bodar “deafening, deaf”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
From buskers on the bodhran to musicians firing up their fiddles, the atmosphere and the celebration of music and culture has been joyful.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Flautist Jean-Michel Veillon represents the Breton strand of Celtic culture, and John Joe Kelly is a maestro of the bodhran, the traditional Irish frame drum.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 12, 2015
The lush harmonies, intricate acoustic arrangements — fiddle, guitar, banjo, bodhran, whistles and more — make this far from standard fare.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 24, 2014
“This combination of uilleann pipes and bodhran and the stench of Avenue B — it was something I’d never heard before.”
From New York Times ● Nov. 7, 2014
The vocals are high and delicate, the melody – played on guitar and xylophone – is agile, with percussion from an Irish bodhran winding around it.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 5, 2010
The group recorded three albums between 1971 and 1973, with Lunny playing bouzouki, guitar, keyboards and bodhrán throughout.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Certainly the music played a big part, the children busking on every spare square of pavement, a joyful cacophony of tin whistle, fiddle, bodhrán.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
The crowd sang along as Sheeran played the guitar, accompanied by the other artists on violin and the bodhrán - a traditional Irish frame drum.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2025
The fellow with the bodhrán showed that it was all that he said it was.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 31, 2014
Last week at the Mac, the stunning new Metropolitan Arts Centre in the city's cathedral quarter, the cross-community 2012 McCracken summer school was launched to the sound of fiddle and bodhrán.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 7, 2012
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