The Bodhrans were utilized during the rebellion of the Irish in the year 1603, by the forces of the Irish as a battle drum. The drum is used for the warriors to keep them in confidence and as well as to announce the arrival of the army. This information leads us to think that the Bodhran came into existence from an old Celtic war drum. It is suggested that the word bodhran is derived from the Irish word bodhar, which means deaf. The bodhran has now replaced the role of tambourine, which exists at one time. It is quite similar to the frame drums have spread widely across northern Africa to the Middle East. The Native Americans made drums of traditional skins, which are close enough in design to the bodhran.

The bodhran drum is one of the well-known members of the drums world. The players all over the world now play it and all hugely appreciate its sound and thus it falls in the group of World Instruments. There is a very close similarity between the Spanish military drums and the Irish who had served for the Spanish military teams might introduce bodhran drums suggesting the fact that it.

The bodhran drum is usually played in a sitting position held vertically on the thigh of the player, supported by the upper arm or body and the hand placed inside the skin in order to control the tension applying various amount of pressure with the back hand. The bodhran drum is in some way connected and similar to other musical instruments and hence referred as ethnic instruments.