An Irish colleague posted the link below on our team chat this morning, after giving us the top 10 as YT links sequentially.
What do you reckon – are these 100 (as voted by the listeners to Today FM) the Greatest Irish Songs? I have no idea. But I suspect you do.
https://www.todayfm.com/best-bits/today-fms-100-greatest-irish-songs-100-51-revealed-2239126
Here’s number 44, which is my favourite
I prefer the original version with Cait O’Riordan on vocals. Powerful Sinead always worked better than choir-girl Sinead for me.
As Dolores Keane died yesterday I think it opportune to put this up.
I can’t get my head around The Cranberries resurgence. Third tier Sinead/Sundays music. Back when Zombie came out it seemed to me like a joke song. When they came back together circa 2010 my recollection is that there was general lack of hubbub. They played the Royal Albert Hall, decent size, but the album got to 37. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roses_(The_Cranberries_album)
I will always have a soft spot for Old Town, which seems to remain relatively unknown in the rest of the world, despite being the unofficial anthem of Dublin.
That list should have so much more U2 in it. THREE Cranberries songs in the top 20 but only one U2 track? It’s like a top 100 Liverpool songs with She Loves You “linger”ing number 71.
Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhaoibh!
Dying has ofren proved good for your musical career. Saying that Linger is wonderful. RIP Dolores, some of the material was poor but she had a sensational voice.
And for me the less U2 the better, confess I used to like them though
Old Town is one of my all time faves. Your observation that it’s not well known outside of Ireland is very true, even amongst friends of mine that are big music fans. Should have been a big hit.
Smashing song – I think I only listened to it a few years ago after hearing the cover by the Corrs which is pretty good, but not a patch on the above.
I don’t know about best, but leaving aside Van Morrison I think this is probably my favourite, and it doesn’t seem to have made the list at all:
Put me down as a yes for Zombie. Always been a fantastic song.
Wonderful, my vote would be for Emperor’s New Clothes though
I probably bought the album based on a review in Q.
Surprised this didn’t make the cut.
Van Morrison is an arse.
I would not like to ever be in his company, but he gets a modicum of forgiveness for recording this song.
Only one Paul Brady? And not this one, either, here as a perfect folk song, with Donal Lunny:
Nothing But the Same Old Story
Happy SPD backatcha, Sal.
To be honest, I would have expected this list to be a lot worse, given it’s the product of the great Irish public’s hive mind.
I assumed this 100 comes from some shortlist given that
(1) it’s not The Pogues’ version of Haunted or Jim McCann’s version of Grace that are listed
(2) Ireland’s favourite Van Morrison song is apparently Into The Mystic
(3) their favourite Christy Moore song is The Voyage
Although the presence of three (3!) songs by contemporary folkies Amble seems to indicate against a 100 chosen from a set menu.
And, if this is the case, my original assumption that someone neglected to include The Blades in the list of options, would have to be replaced by the notion that the country, as a whole, has forgotten Paul Cleary..
Nothing by The Adventures or Starjets! Pah!
List invalidated by the lack of Planxty.
Clearly, the list has been constructed around specific people singing songs. Otherwise, I’d have expected the favourite 100 songs to have included The Galway Shawl or the Mountains of Mourne.
Personally, my favourite Irish song is Creggan White Hare.
Unless I’ve missed it, there’s no Clannad in the list, so it’s obviously wrong.
Also, it’s missing U2’s best song, The Hands That Built America. Here’s a lovely version from the Oscars a few years back:
Nah (it’s in the list)
Are The Pogues officially Irish?
This …
This list might be more palatable to the Afterword demographic…
https://m.independent.ie/entertainment/music/the-best-irish-songs-of-all-time-ranked-the-definitive-top-50/a1314511932.html
Here’s a playlist…
Wot? No A House? Shocking.
They are there. Endless Art.
But where are After All by the Frank and Walters or Parachute by Something Happens. No Republic of Loose either!
After All I could find but No A House. Both should be on the list. Good to see Star Star in the list though.
My (current) favourite Irish song is on my CD Swap 9 compilation, so I won’t post a link to it on here until my swap compadres have heard it.
Where is Cactus World News band @colin-h??
I would have thought that there must be room for Mary Coughlan on a list of the best 100 Irish songs.
The video’s nothing to write home about. Just close your eyes and listen!
No Rubberbandits? A travesty!
I haven’t seen that in an age, still very funny. The non-Blindboy half of the Rubberbandits goes by Bobby Fingers on YouTube and puts up these remarkable videos on YouTube ostensibly about making models and dioramas but so much more…
Surely their finest hour. I think this is genuinely a brilliant song not just a brilliant comedy song
Before the day is out, here’s a thread we did 11 years ago…
Ahh, that list is so tame. here you go:
Fatima Mansions, “Blues for Ceauşescu.”
Virgin Prunes, “Twenty Tens”
I love Blues for Ceaucescu. It still gets a regular airing in our house much to the distress of my children. What a live experience it was to hear them play this one.
…and connecting the two here’s Cathal Coughlan’s final project Teilifís featuring a few seconds of Gavin Friday around 1.20 if I’m not mistaken.
Surprised a little there’s no Divine Comedy in there.
And this is a fabulous song (think the Adventures are mentioned above):
Thank you for all the splendid ripostes to the original post. I knew you wouldn’t disappoint.
Last night, I went out to Bonn Altstadt for our usual (but infrequent) Tuesday night pub quiz. We thought ‘Flynn’s Inn’ would be a bit busier than normal, what with the date and all. It was rammed, and almost every man jack and woman jill in the place had on their head some form of emerald green titfer. Has Bonn been invaded by crews of ex-pat Irish who don’t normally hang out here, I thought?
We beat a hasty retreat to an Ozzy pie shop for some much-needed tucker, before launching ourselves back into the Flynn’s Inn fray later that evening. It turns out that Dave the landlord was dishing out Guinness hats to everyone in the bar. I politely declined (I’m English, and have no Irish in me at all, at all). There was some singer with a guitar on stage and songbooks were scattered across every table for the locals to sing a long to Wild Rover and Molly Malone, etc. They didn’t as the singer was a bit cack, if I’m honest. But there was an offer of two Guinnesses for the price of two, which you’d be a fool not to take up. This story doesn’t really go anywhere and I admire your persistence in making it to the end.
Paul Brady already mentioned but I would go with Islands.
Van Morrisons version of Carrickfergus is superb.
Hothouse Flowers The lakes if pontchartrain.
Why is Fields of Athenry not on the list?
Surely one of the best Irish songs ever.