For generations Irish music has been enjoyed around the world.
Throughout our modern history Irish people have emigrated to the four corners of the globe, bringing with them our rich musical heritage.
The global influence of Irish music is immeasurable, but one thing is clear – it remains as wildly popular as ever.
From anthemic rock classics to heartbreaking ballads, here are the 20 greatest Irish songs of all time.
20. “H.O.O.D.” by Kneecap – provocative beats
The Northern Irish rap trio are just as well known for their political activism, promotion of the Irish language, and their wrangles with the British legal system than for their music.
On “H.O.O.D.” they display their talent for coupling subversive, satirical lyrics with an energy that now sells out stadiums.
19. “Dreams” by The Cranberries – melodic and euphoric
Originally released in 1992 as the band’s debut single, “Dreams” as endured to become one of The Cranberries’ best-loved songs.
Dolores O’Riordan’s sublime vocals elevate a beautiful pop song about young love into something almost spiritual.
18. “Paul” by Gilla Band – post-punk intensity
If you’re in the mood for a dread-fuelled panic attack, blast this on your headphones on a Sunday evening. Here is a song that absolutely batters your senses leaving you drained and disoriented. In a good way.
17. “Running/Planning” by CMAT – one of Ireland’s best songwriters
If we’re all being honest with each other, CMAT should have won the 2025 Mercury Prize. No offence to Sam Fender, but ”Euro-Country” is the superior album and “Running/Planning” is the standout track.
16. ”Orinoco Flow” by Enya – ethereal sounds
How can it be that nobody else in the world sounds like Enya? She is a genre unto herself. Only she could take a song about sailing (we’re 85-90% sure it’s about sailing) and turn it into what feels like an epic whimsical fantasy.
15. ”Alternative Ulster” by Stiff Little Fingers – punk rock from Belfast
A Northern Irish punk band formed at the height of The Troubles in Belfast, Stiff Little Fingers had their biggest hit with “Suspect Device”, but it is “Alternative Ulster” which has perhaps been their most influential song.
A song about being young and bored because the army has taken over the streets it has an undeniable, infectious energy.
14. “The Rare Auld Times” by Luke Kelly – days gone by
If you’re sitting in a Dublin pub and hear the words, “Ring a ring a rosie”, it is all but impossible not to belt out the response: “As the light declines”.
The story of a cooper living through a changing, more industrialised Dublin, its powerful nostalgia reduces even the hardest of men to tears.
13. ”Revelate” by The Frames – teenage bliss
For people of a certain age, “Fitzcarraldo” by The Frames was one of the albums that defined their school years. Angsty, angry, sweet and melodic, it became the soundtrack of a million teenage lives.
12. ”Me and My Friends” by James Vincent McMorrow – sound of the summer
You are sitting in your back garden on a beautiful July evening. You just had an amazing BBQ and the drinks are flowing freely.
All your friends are there, even people you haven’t seen in years. This song comes on the speakers. Life, at moments like this, is good.
11. ”Shave an A” by Doctor Millar – an under-appreciated artist
The first track from Doctor Millar’s 1995 album ”The Bitter Lie” opens with the lyrics, “Shave an ‘A’ into the arse of a skinny puppy tied to your wrist in case you lose it”.
The whole album is sharp, acerbic and heartfelt, but it’s the opener that drags you in and doesn’t let go.
10. “The Boys Are Back In Town“ by Thin Lizzy – an all-time classic
Some people believe Thin Lizzy’s biggest hit was written about the violent Manchester collective known as the Quality Street Gang.
Others think it’s about camaraderie and that incredible feeling you get when you meet up with a group of old friends. It may very well be about both.
9. ”Knock Me Off My Feet” by SOAK – pop perfection
Taken from the Derry native’s second album, “Knock Me Off My Feet” describes a young girl returning to the town she so desperately wanted to leave.
For a song about loneliness and how nothing can ever remain unchanged, the music is pure blissed-out pop perfection.
8. “The Whole of the Moon” by The Waterboys – an 80’s classic
Amazingly, The Whole of the Moon barely made a dent on the charts when it was first released in 1985. It has since become The Waterboys’ most well-known and celebrated songs, and when they re-released it in 1991 it rose to number 3 in the UK charts.
7. “Things Can Only Get Better“ by D:Ream – a song the world needs right now
Just ignore for a moment that this song was used by Tony Blair as the anthem of new Labour in 1997, and take it on its own merits. An incredibly catchy, optimistic slice of 90’s radio pop.
6. ”Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl – the greatest Christmas song
Usually if you hear a song as many times as we have all heard ”Fairytale of New York”, you never want to hear that song again. But for some reason this Christmas classic just gets better with every passing year.
5. ”Put ‘Em Under Pressure” by The Republic of Ireland Football Squad – pumped-up kicks
Has any other song in the history of humanity ever united an entire people as much as Ireland’s official song for the 1990 World Cup? Speaking of which, why don’t we have official football songs anymore?
4. ”Go Dig My Grave” by Lankum – where Ireland old and new meet
Lankum’s interpretation of the old folk standard ”Go Dig My Grave” is a haunting lament that gets under your skin and stays there.
The droning music and beautiful vocals are feel almost cinematic in how they conjure images in your mind’s eye.
3. “Teenage Kicks” by The Undertones – the energy of youth
Has there ever been a song that so perfectly captures the bottomless energy and vibrancy of youth?
John Peel loved the song so much he had the opening lyrics engraved on his headstone: “Teenage dreams so hard to beat”.
2. ”Sweet Thing” by Van Morrison – mystical beauty
Picking a ‘best’ song off one of the greatest albums ever recorded (”Astral Weeks”) is a futile exercise, but it’s hard to argue a case against “Sweet Thing”.
When Van sings of walking through “gardens all wet with rain” it feels like we’re right there with him. A song of exquisite beauty and imagery.
1. “Mandinka” by Sinéad O’Connor – the voice of an angel
It is hard to separate the song from her live performance of it at the 1989 Grammy Awards.
Her bravery, defiance and utterly stunning voice still have the power to take your breath away, all these years later.
One day we’ll tell our kids that an angel lived among us, and her name was Sinéad.
