Nicky Woulffe
Ronan O'Brien
Richard Bodin
Peter BurrowsIreland’s musical landscape is as rich and varied as its history, moving effortlessly between centuries-old traditions and fearless modern experimentation. For our St Patrick’s Day Special Edition, we present you with our playlis. We brings together voices from across the whole Irish musical landscape: folk storytellers, punk rebels, hip-hop chroniclers and artists who have shaped the sound of Irish music for decades.
From the rolling imagery of rivers and homeplaces to the restless energy of city streets and dance floors, these songs trace a journey through different moods, eras and identities. The selection slowly builds in energy, weaving together tradition, nostalgia, humour and defiance before settling into a reflective final note — a small portrait of Ireland told through sound.
“The Broad Majestic Shannon”, by The Pogues
by Ronan
A beautiful song dedicated to the outer area of my hometown, Shane MacGowan blissfully paints a picture of Tipperary and the Shannon river that cuts through. A simplistic tale of rambling and roving around the old countryside, its slight swing and accordion and tin whistle combination make it one to jig to.
“Repeal the Union”, by The Gloaming
by Ronan
A supergroup consisting of Martin Hayes, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, Thomas Bartlett and Dennis Cahill can only make legendary music. An instrumental courtesy of Hayes’ expertise provides a skipping melody rife with melancholic emotions throughout. It goes to show that Irish traditional music can be anything from centuries old to modern.
“Galway Bay”, by Dolores Keane
A moment of quiet reflection arrives with “Galway Bay,” beautifully interpreted by Dolores Keane. Long regarded as one of Ireland’s most expressive traditional singers, Keane had a remarkable ability to inhabit a song with warmth, dignity, and deep emotional truth. Her rendition of this classic air captures the bittersweet pull of home and memory that runs through so much Irish music. In light of her recent passing, the song resonates even more strongly — a gentle reminder of the voice she gave to the tradition, and of the lasting grace she leaves behind in the landscape of Irish folk.
“Streets of New York”, by The Wolfe Tones
by Peter
A powerful ballad of emigration and Irish identity that captures both the hardship and pride of the Irish diaspora. It speaks directly to generations forced to leave home in search of opportunity. The song taps into a deep national memory of departure, longing, and the complicated pride of the Irish abroad.
“Caoine”, by Rois
by Richard
“Caoine“, the album’s first single, reinterprets one of the only three known recordings of keening in existence. Keening was considered a sacred and deeply personal practice, and women rarely allowed themselves to be recorded. The track opens with a sample from one of these rare recordings, taken from the album Songs of Aran. Rois then begins her own interpretation, singing over a sparse, minimalist synth arrangement. It’s a powerful, haunting rendition that brings new energy to an ancient art form. In Citi, she also revisits another keening recording—this one by Cití Ní Ghallchóir from the early 1950s—offering her own moving version.
“Song For Mary Black”, by Elaine Howley
by Ronan
Ethereal, ghostly vocals by Elaine Howley set a melancholic tone, surrounded by a melody that is so heartfelt. Creating a tapestry of emotive melodies, the song is soft and repetitive; an absolutely perfect combination for easy listening with the longing for home in one’s heart.
“Karaoke Song”, by Saint Sister
by Ronan
Atmospheric folk duo Saint Sister blissfully serenade the ears with a combination of harp and electronic elements. The duo’s ethereal harmonies and warm vocals detailing the end of a relationship touches the soul in a heartfelt way. The spacey instrumentals create a soft, welcoming atmosphere as the girls wistfully navigate through the melodies.
“The Dancer”, by The Frames
by Peter
A beautifully understated song that builds with quiet emotion, showcasing the band’s gift for intimacy and vulnerability. It feels like the soundtrack to a slightly awkward Paddy’s Day night in the 1990s, when courage came from a few pints. There’s something timeless in that distant admiration of someone across the room, equal parts hope, nerves and youthful bravado.
“Dreams”, by The Cranberries
by Richard
The song, written by an 18-year-old Dolores O’Riordan, was actually about her first love. She explained: « I wrote that about my first love when I was living in Ireland. It’s about feeling really in love for the first time». For someone getting out of their teenage years, writing such a powerful song about love, is nothing short of fascinating. There’s something uniquely raw about “Dreams” — it doesn’t just express love, it captures the moment it awakens. It’s the sound of someone discovering how big emotions can be.
“My Love”, by Hermitage Green
by Richard
During our interview, Barry Murphy admitted having a preference for this song. The song features a love story with Limerick, their hometown, as the background. The storytelling is brilliant, and the melody striking. With lines like “Oh, my love, queen of the city / Green and white and all the rest (…) / My Treaty Stone, my castle walls and my crest / (…) Falling through this city with pride” the song is also a love letter to the Treaty City.
“N17”, by The Saw Doctors
by Peter
A heartfelt ode to home and the pull of the road back west, this remains one of the most beloved Irish songs of the modern era. It perfectly captures the experience of leaving rural Ireland for work while never quite letting go of where you came from. Few songs express the emotional gravity of “going home” in quite the same way.
“Coping”, by Junior Brother
by Ronan
Alternative-folk singer-songwriter Ronan Kealy has an incredibly notable style. A rambler with a strong Kerry accent, his vocal delivery and guitar playing is peculiar yet likeable. The stompbox and twangy guitar accompanying his voice rife with pain is unsettling as it is sweet.
“Double Cross”, by Mary Coughlan
by Nicky
The first time I heard this record back in 1985 when Ian Dempsey played it on RTE 2FM I was pardon the pun stopped in my tracks. It was one of those moments when I said to myself: “Who is that! I have got to have that record.” Those opening lines are still fresh in my mind. “I woke up in the morning / I got out of bed and drag my makeup on”. I can remember buying it on single and playing it to death on my turntable, recorded on Mystery Records with production by Eric Visser. It still gives me goose bumps.
“Justine”, by Cypress Mine!
by Nicky
Cypress Mine was a band out of Cork. In the 80s, the county were bringing a lot of attention to young bands. The first time I heard “Justine” it made me stand up and take notice of the musicianship of the band. Later in the year of 1987, I would get the chance to promote the band in Limerick along with a number of other Cork bands which included The Belsonic Sound and Burning Embers. I have always loved this tune. The band are out and about making noise and playing a number of gigs around the country. The record was produced by none other than Joe O’Herlihy who was the main sound engineer for U2.
“Give A Little Love”, Stagalee
by Nicky
This is one of those songs that for me should have always made the best of Irish albums. Recorded back in 1978 and written by the very talented Errol Walsh. It was an upbeat funky Soul number which contained one of the great guitar solos. This solo was done by the late great Greg Boland who later went on to join the brilliant Scullion.
“Gloria”, by Them
by Richard
Van Morrison wrote “Gloria” when he turned 18, while he was performing with The Monarchs in Germany in 1963. Soon after he came back to Belfast, he formed the band Them. They recorded the song which was released as the B-Side for “Baby Please Don’t Go”, which reached #10 in the charts in UK. The single got a regain of popularity in 1966 when it was covered by The Shadows Of Knight —which was included on the Nuggets. “Gloria” went to become of the most popular songs by Van Morrison who still plays it extensively on stage.
“Downmarket”, by The Blades
by Nicky
Regarded by many as one of the best ever bands to come out of Ireland without the success of their peers. This Irish Classic was released back in 1985. It was produced by Limerick man Bill Whelan who later found Fortune and fame with Riverdance. At the time Bill Whelan was producing a lot of great Irish bands. But this is one of the great 45s in the cannon of recorded Irish Music.
“This Is”, by Aslan
by Nicky
“This Is” was released back in 1986 on Elvera Butlers record label Reekus Records. It would be a label that would be a stepping stone for many bands that she had on her roster. The single was produced by Chris O Brien and will be played by generations to come because it is that good. The late Christy Dignam vocals on this track are at their very best and if I am honest has he better this as a vocal track I would say it’s up for debate.
Still for me one of Aslan’s Finest Moments.
“Old Town” by Phil Lynott
by Nicky
This Anthem was released by the late Philip Lynott back in 1982 as the lead single from his second solo album The Philip Lynott Album. The song itself is about the end of a romance. In the video that accompanied the song, Lynott can be seen in some of his favourite spots in Dublin. The song is one of Philip’s finest solo efforts. The single is constantly played in clubs and on the radio which is a sure sign the record has stood the test of time and it has.
“I Will Follow”, by U2
by Nicky
“I will follow” is the opening track from their debut album , Boy and it was released as the albums second single in October of 1980. Lead Singer Bono wrote the lyrics to “I Will Follow in tribute to his mother Iris Hewson who died when he was just 14 years old. I have always liked U2’s early output which was mainly produced by Steve Lillywhite whom I love as a producer.
“Freedom Song”, by Thin Lizzy
by Ronan
Squealing guitars notable to the Dublin rockers serenade this tale of Jack McDuff. Irish music often tends to relate to themes of struggle and freedom, and this song is no different. Phil Lynott’s lyricism and cool delivery details the execution of this poor soul, whose valiant cries of “Long live liberty” in the face of death are something to behold.
“Alternative Ulster”, by Stiff Little Fingers
by Richard
The song book ends their album Inflammable Material, released in the midst of The Troubles, with their other epic anthem “Suspect Device”. Jake Burns wrote this song about having nothing to do as a teenager growing up in Belfast. “Because that was the over-riding reality of life in Belfast for a teenager in the mid-70s,” he explains. “Not the fear of riots or bombs or whatever. It was the sheer tedium of having nowhere to go and nothing to do when you got there.” The chorus is a call to get up and change things for yourself and build an Alternative Ulster.
“Teenage Kicks”, by The Undertones
by Nicky
This song is probably up there as one my favourite tracks of all time. I often describe it as two minutes and 23 seconds of sheer bliss. The Undertones used to play this as part of their very short set in the Casbah in Derry, when one of the regulars at the club mentioned to John O Neill what a great song it was.
In 1978 promoter and DJ Terri Hooley finally agreed to release the song on his own record label Good Vibrations. The subsequent EP would contain four tracks: “Teenage Kicks“, “Smarter than You”, “True Confessions”, and “Emergency Cases.”
The band famously sent the record to John Peel, the famous DJ from the BBC for his late night radio show. When he played the record, he famously said “that is so good, I will have to play it again”. This was the only time any record had been played twice on a radio show on the BBC. John Peel had a line from the song famously inscribed on his headstone.” Teenage Kicks So Hard To Beat”. Enough said that is good enough for me.
“Kerosene”, by Fox Jaw
by Richard
Another band hailing from Limerick, Fox Jaw released “Kerosene” on their debut album back in 2014. The song is a slow burn track sweating of feverish intensity, with fuzzy guitars and soaring melodies. The music video directed by Shane Serrano stage this gritty intensity perfectly with a man tied up to a chair, doused with kerosene and set alight by a smiling psychopath. Most of Fox Jaw’s members are now experiencing new musical horizons with Neptune Blood.
“Wisdom Teeth”, by Rusangano Family
by Ronan
Incredibly hard-hitting hip-hop beats courtesy of mynameisjOhn accompany God Knows and MuRli’s sick flows. Completely unashamed of their differing backgrounds, the trio have created a fantastic track detailing pain and annoyance at the state of the world. Both MCs bounce off each other in such likeable fashion and the beat is ridiculously clean yet hard.
“Last Pint”, by Kojaque
by Ronan
A looped sample of a car error chime accompanies some cool old-school beats and snorting sound effects as Kojaque navigates through the bars expertly. Detailing a night of substance abuse and general debauchery. There’s some really cool imagery throughout, notably a nod to Trainspotting in “I’mma pass up on a pill, I’m seeing babies on the ceiling”.
“Horse Oustide”, by The Rubber Bandits
by Richard
Horse Outside by The Rubberbandits is a brilliantly absurd parody of materialism, delivered with the duo’s unmistakable Limerick humour. Over a hip-hop beat, the narrator sets the scene in a wedding and proudly rejects flashy displays of wealth with a car, in favour of a literal horse. The song’s satirical delivery and escalating nonsense turned it into a viral comedy anthem, after the music video was aired on the TV programme “Republic of the Telly”. As a tribute the Hunt Museum in Limerick now features an art installation with two fiber glass horses decorated by children of the city.
“Put ’Em Under Pressure”, by The Republic of Ireland Squad
by Peter
The unforgettable anthem of Italia ’90 that still sparks instant nostalgia and pride for Irish football fans. It captures the moment when a small nation felt ten feet tall on the world stage. The chants, the interviews, and the sheer joy embody that uniquely Irish mix of humour, defiance and belief.
“Like Clock Work”, by The Boomtown Rats
by Nicky
I have always liked Bob Geldof and The Boomtown Rats, a very musically astute band. And this record has huge significance in Irish Pop and music history. The late Larry Gogan played “Like Clock Work” by the Boomtown Rats as the very first record on RTE Radio 2 (now 2Fm) when the station launched on May 31st 1979. I love that I have the original single on Mulligan records and of course signed by Mr. Geldof because they were signed to ensign records when they went the UK.
The band originally formed in Dublin in 1975 and famously signed of in 1985 at Live Aid to bring the curtain down on a ten year career. In that time they had hits , with the above mentioned, “Like Clockwork”, “Rat Trap“, “I Don’t Like Monday’s” and “Banana Republic“.
“In A Lifetime” by Clannad
by Nicky
I have been a fan of Clannad all my life. And this was the third Single from their album Macalla in January 1986. Now forty years old, it still moves me. Bono’s voice is sublime on this track in fact probably one of his finest performances? The track is also notable as it was the first time the band ever worked with a musician outside of the group. The video for this fabulous record was shot in Clannad’s hometown of Gweedore in County Donegal.
