The 16 Best IRISH Bands of All Time

If ever there was a truly musical island out there, it would definitely be Ireland. From a strong folk music culture that is enjoyed and embraced throughout the world, to being the homeland of some of the biggest and most successful bands on the planet, Ireland is a hugely significant place for music.

Today, I’ve collected together a number of the Emerald Isle’s greatest, most beloved, significant and influential acts, both solo artists and bands. There’s no hierarchy, but each are amongst the best of their type.

To each of these bands - and to you reading at home - I raise my glass and say “Slàinte mhaith”!

U2 are the obvious first choice, aren’t they? The world’s biggest rock band, Bono and co have dominated the world of mainstream rock since the post-punk 1980s. Their sound - widescreen and anthemic -  is perfect for enormous venues, and guitarist The Edge has a genuinely original, highly distinctive and instantly recognisable sound.

Whilst only half of the band (Bono and drummer Larry Mullen Jr) were actually born in Ireland (Edge and Adam were both born in England), they met in Ireland, started in Ireland and remain in Ireland. U2 are Irish superstars through and through.

Hard livin’ 70s rock heroes Thin Lizzy were the real deal: denim and leather, studded belts, twin harmony guitars and tunes about fighting and breaking out of jail. Frontman Phil Lynott provided vocals, bass, attitude, and role model status for any awkward kid dreaming of rising out of Dublin’s estates.

Thin Lizzy are well-regarded to this day, and would likely be as big as AC/DC if Lynnot had survived longer. Still, ‘here for a good time, not a long time’ was never more appropriately applied than to him.

Everybody knows Zombie, the grungy tune that railed against the hopelessness of the Troubles in the 1990s, but people looking for more of that from The Cranberries would find themselves quite mistaken. They tended to write beautiful songs on whimsy and longing, centered around principal songwriter Delores O’Riordon’s extraordinary vocals. Several of their songs are destined to become timeless classics, and rightly so.

Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan was an infamously wild party animal, but I suspect this band was composed entirely of such characters! The Pogues were a lively folk-punk band who knew how to both put on a party and sing to the moon later on as they wandered home drunk and heartbroken. Indeed, it’s the more reflective, better-behaved moments of the group that endures, but I suppose both sides are required or it's only half a story, right? 

The odd halfway point between Frank Sinatra and Tom Waits, The Pogues were a unique proposition who unwittingly spawned a whole genre.

Ethereal elf princess Enya has been known to record over 200 layers of vocals on some of her songs. I’m not going to pretend I can hear them all, but the cumulative effect is mesmerising, and has won her worldwide love since the mid 80s when she broke from Clannad.

Resolutely atmospheric, Enya’s music is no stranger to Hollywood, where her songs have appeared in Lord of the Rings, Far and Away, Last of the Mohicans, Sleepwalkers and The Age of Innocence. Famously reclusive, Enya lives in a fortified castle (obviously) along the road from Bono called Manderley, after the house in Daphne Du Maurier’s book Rebecca.

Without trying to sound like Chandler from Friends, could she be any more mysterious?

Ireland’s top blues rock guitarist was undoubtedly Rory Gallagher. The plaid shirt, the knackered looking Strat, tons of sweat and the most fiery lead guitar runs ever are what Rory brought to the party. It may or may not be true, but legend has it that when Jimi Hendrix was asked what it felt like to be the greatest guitar player in the world, he answered “I don’t know, ask Rory Gallagher”. 

Can you believe even trying to ever get a normal night’s sleep after that sort of praise? Impossible.

When even Prince reckons your version of his song is the best one, you know you’re a pretty exceptional talent. Sinéad O’Connor’s voice was like a beacon of humanity sounding it in the din of chaos that was the music industry. Her moral compass saw her publicly ripping up a picture of the pope, and often asking uncomfortable questions to the powers that be.

An inspiring figure until the end, Sinéad had long since lost faith in the machinations of the industry, but never lost her incredibly emotive voice, nor her empathy.

Ireland had its fair share of the original punk explosion. The Undertones were such a band, and their seminal Teenage Kicks was not only John Peel’s favourite song, but has become an enduring anthem to innocence. The Undertones were from Derry, Northern Ireland, and wrote not about the Troubles, but about being young, growing up and being in love. Lead singer Feargal Sharkey went on to become a successful solo artist after the Undertones disbanded in 1983.

Talking about Irish punk, one of the most recognisable bands is surely Stiff Little Fingers. They were also from Northern Ireland (Belfast this time) and unlike the Undertones, used the issues of the Troubles as direct inspiration and motivation for their politically-charged punk music. Singer/guitarist Jake Burns has been in the band from the start, who continue to tour and record albums.

Ireland’s answer to Fleetwood Mac, only populated entirely by siblings, The Corrs were the perfect pop sound for the early noughties. Their album Talk on Corners (not their debut, as some assumed, but their second album) was a colossal smash due to…well, a line of extremely catchy hit tunes, really.

The three-sisters-and-a-brother Corr family don’t just have great genes, they have sharply honed musical skills, an unpretentious sound and a knack for harmony and melody. There are exactly zero sharp edges to their sound, but sometimes, surely, that’s ok?

This is the first of two ‘are they really Irish?’ bands on today’s list. Excellently, the band who pioneered shoegaze music met at a karate tournament in Dublin! Well, two of them did: guitarist Kevin Shields and drummer Col Ó Cíosóig. They took the band name from the old slasher movie and rehearsed around the Temple Bar area. 

Indeed, whilst Belinda and Debbie are both English, this still makes My Bloody Valentine’s lineup as Irish as U2’s in numbers!

Snow Patrol are another Irish band who are mistaken as being from elsewhere. Well, sort of. Each original member of the band is Northern Irish, but the band only formed when they all met at Dundee Uni, so I suppose it depends on how you categorise this stuff.

Whichever way it forms, they were Irish lads playing all over the place, so that sounds like an Irish band to me! Nowadays, there is only one original member left in the band (vocalist Gary Lightbody), but let’s not get caught up in semantics, okay?

Bob Geldof is arguably better known for his charitable endeavours, but he did used to do a fair Mick Jagger impression back in the day. His day job was with Dublin’s Boomtown Rats, whose biggest hit was 1979’s I Don’t Like Mondays. This tune was famously written as Geldof’s response to news of a school shooting that had occurred in San Diego, and has been covered by several artists including Tori Amos.

Neil Hannon’s Divine Comedy band is not, in fact, a project about the epic biblical poem from Dante, but a rather iconoclastic retro pop band. Hannon, from Derry in Northern Ireland, is the sole full-time member, and the band’s sound goes from 60s pop to full orchestral. You may remember Something For the Weekend (“She said, there’s something in the wood shed), or you may know them as creators of the Father Ted theme tune!

Andrew John Hozier-Byrne is an arena-filling solo artist from County Wicklow. Raised a Quaker, Hozier attended Trinity College in Dublin before dropping out to pursue music. A risky move, but one that paid off handsomely: his folk, blues and RnB mix has propelled him into the A-leagues, where he’s stayed ever since.

Taking their name from a character from The Godfather, Dublin’s Fontaines D.C. (the D.C. part was added to differentiate from a Los Angeles band with the same name) have not - so far at least - made anybody an offer they can’t refuse.

Instead, they’ve spent the last decade and a bit steadily growing their brand of indie rock, and getting Irish actor Barry Keoghan to appear in one of their videos. Time will tell if they are a band for the ages, but they are certainly ticking plenty of boxes for just now.

What a strong ‘team’ this is! When I looked at Welsh bands recently, I was impressed by the quality on offer, and rightly so. Ireland is a similarly small nation in geographical terms, but is also a titan on the world’s stages. From Rory and Phil back in the day, to Enya, to Bono and Delores, there’s a huge heap of treasure right there for any music fan to take.

I can’t offer up much in the way of insights as to why this might be, except that there’s a rich seam of romance and music within the heart and soul of the Irish, and that their national identity is intrinsically linked to songs. Great songs. And lots of them!

As always, space doesn’t permit for every band or artist who deserves a spot, so here are some final honourable mentions for you. Thanks for reading!