country
Ireland
From sean-nós ballads to global stadiums, an island that sings far above its weight
Listen through Ireland
5 defining tracks in the order they were released, from 1971 to 2013, each with a line on why it matters.
Preview: plays 5 of 15 tracks.
30-second previews, streamed from Apple.
Few countries have shaped popular music as deeply as Ireland. Its living folk tradition, carried by uilleann pipes, fiddle, and the ballad boom of the 1960s, fed a stream of artists who took the world by storm. Horslips and The Pogues plugged the reels into rock and punk, Thin Lizzy and U2 built stadium anthems, Enya and Clannad turned Gaelic mood into global atmosphere, and a new generation of Hozier, Fontaines D.C., and CMAT has made the 2020s one of the richest eras in Irish music.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is traditional Irish music?+
Traditional Irish music is a living folk tradition of dance tunes such as jigs and reels alongside unaccompanied sean-nós singing and ballads. It is played on instruments including the uilleann pipes, fiddle, tin whistle, bodhrán, and accordion. The 1960s ballad boom, led by groups like The Dubliners and The Chieftains, brought it from pub sessions to concert halls around the world.
Who are the most famous Irish musicians?+
Ireland has produced an extraordinary number of global stars. U2 are the biggest, alongside Van Morrison, Thin Lizzy, Sinéad O'Connor, Enya, The Cranberries, and The Pogues. In the pop world Westlife and The Corrs sold tens of millions of records, and a contemporary wave led by Hozier, Fontaines D.C., and CMAT keeps Ireland at the forefront of new music.
What is Celtic rock and who invented it?+
Celtic rock is the fusion of Irish traditional melody and instrumentation with electric rock. The Dublin band Horslips pioneered it in the early 1970s, building concept albums around Irish mythology, and The Pogues later pushed the sound to a rowdy peak by blending it with punk. The style influenced countless bands and helped define a distinct Irish rock identity.
Why is Irish music so popular around the world?+
Irish emigration spread the music across the globe, and its strong melodies and storytelling translate easily across cultures. Ireland also built a remarkable export pipeline, from the folk revival to U2's stadium rock, Enya's atmospheric pop, and boy-band pop. The result is a tiny island with an outsized and instantly recognisable musical footprint.
Who are the new Irish artists to watch?+
The 2020s have been a golden era for Irish music. Fontaines D.C. lead a celebrated post-punk wave, Lankum have reinvented dark traditional folk, and CMAT has become one of pop's most magnetic new voices. Hozier and Dermot Kennedy continue to top international charts, making this one of the most exciting periods in the country's music history.
Last reviewed: 2026-05
The Story Behind
The stories behind Ireland's defining songs
On Raglan Road
The Dubliners
"On Raglan Road" began life as a poem by Patrick Kavanagh, one of Ireland's major twentieth-century writers. He wrote it about Hilda Moriarty, a young medical student he became infatuated…
Read the storyZombie
The Cranberries
On 20 March 1993 two IRA bombs hidden in litter bins exploded on a shopping street in Warrington, England. Three-year-old Johnathan Ball died at the scene; twelve-year-old Tim Parry died in…
Read the storyFairytale of New York
The Pogues
Shane MacGowan claimed it started with a bet: producer Elvis Costello wagered the Pogues could not write a Christmas hit. Their manager remembered it as his own idea. Either way, in 1985…
Read the storySources & References
- 1Bringing It All Back Home: The Influence of Irish Music — Nuala O'Connor, 2001Book
- 2The Rough Guide to Irish Music — Geoff Wallis and Sue Wilson, 2001Book
- 3Last Night's Fun: In and Out of Time with Irish Music — Ciaran Carson, 1996Book
- 4How a new wave of Irish artists conquered global music — The Guardian, 2024
- 5Music of Ireland — Wikipedia, 2024
- 6
Further Reading
About This Article
This page is based on documented music history, artist biographies, chart data, award records, and cross-referenced sources from music journalism and academic research.
Curated by the timeline.music editorial team.
▸Read the timeline as text
The sound of Ireland, decade by decade: 6 genres and 24 artists, from the 1960s to the 2020s.
- 1960s
- Irish Folk with The Dubliners and The Chieftains; Irish Rock with Van Morrison.
- 1970s
- Irish Folk with The Dubliners, The Chieftains and Christy Moore; Celtic Rock with Horslips; Irish Rock with Van Morrison, Thin Lizzy and Rory Gallagher; Celtic New Age with Clannad.
- 1980s
- Irish Folk with The Dubliners, The Chieftains and Christy Moore; Celtic Rock with Horslips and The Pogues; Irish Rock with Van Morrison, Thin Lizzy, Rory Gallagher, U2, My Bloody Valentine and Sinéad O'Connor; Celtic New Age with Clannad and Enya.
- 1990s
- Irish Folk with The Dubliners, The Chieftains and Christy Moore; Celtic Rock with The Pogues; Irish Rock with Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher, U2, My Bloody Valentine, Sinéad O'Connor and The Cranberries; Celtic New Age with Clannad and Enya; Irish Pop with The Corrs and Westlife.
- 2000s
- Irish Folk with The Dubliners, The Chieftains and Christy Moore; Irish Rock with Van Morrison, U2, Sinéad O'Connor and The Cranberries; Celtic New Age with Clannad and Enya; Irish Pop with The Corrs, Westlife and The Script.
- 2010s
- Irish Folk with The Dubliners, The Chieftains, Christy Moore and Lankum; Irish Rock with Van Morrison, U2, My Bloody Valentine, Sinéad O'Connor and The Cranberries; Celtic New Age with Clannad and Enya; Irish Pop with The Corrs, Westlife and The Script; Irish Indie with Hozier, Fontaines D.C., Dermot Kennedy and Kodaline.
- 2020s
- Irish Folk with Christy Moore, Lankum and Kingfishr; Irish Rock with U2; Irish Pop with Westlife and The Script; Irish Indie with Hozier, Fontaines D.C., Dermot Kennedy, Kodaline and CMAT.
The Hitlist
The defining tracks from this region
Preview: 5 of 15 tracks
On Raglan Road
The DublinersThe Dubliners brought Irish folk out of the pub session and onto the international stage. Formed in 1962 around Ronnie Drew's gravel voice and Luke Kelly's fierce delivery, they made rowdy ballads and political songs respectable concert fare. Their 1967 hit "Seven Drunken Nights" reached the UK Top 10 despite a radio ban, and their banjo and tin whistle sound shaped how the world imagined Irish music for half a century.