17 Irish Songs to Put You in the St. Patrick's Day Mood
With St. Patrick's Day around the corner, and certain genres of traditional music becoming popular amongst the youth, it's the perfect time to put together a playlist of Irish songs. Whether you want to fiddle it up and pretend you're in an old timey pub with a perfect pint of Guinness or rock out to some Irish punk, we've got you covered. There's so much good music from the Emerald Isle that you'll be tapping your toes in no time.
"Say It To Me Now" from Once
Glen Hansard brought Irish street busking to our theaters (and then our living rooms) with Once and I couldn't be more grateful. More sad acoustic boy vibes please, thanks!
"Orinoco Flow" by Enya
I mean... it might not be the first thing you think of on St. Patrick's Day... but maybe it should be. If you're staying in this year you might as well dial up the nostalgia.
"Going Home" by Flogging Molly
This band is typically known for up-beat songs, but I'm partial to this ballad.
"Linger" by The Cranberries
It's important to shout out Irish bands and artists from all eras, IMO, and that includes The Cranberries.
"Rose Tattoo" by The Dropkick Murphys
Sure, this is an American band, but let's be real... St. Patrick's Day is more of an American holiday anyway. This is the one that's not obsessed with Boston, FYI.
"The Auld Triangle" from Inside Llewyn Davis
If you've been super into the sea shanty trend on TikTok, might I recommend this tune from the Inside Llewyn Davis soundtrack. It sounds traditional but was actually first written and performed by the Irish poet Brendan Behan in the 1950s.
"Wellerman" sung by Nathan Evans
Speaking of ShantyTok, here's the Irish artist who started it all.
"The Rocky Road to Dublin" by The Dubliners
The Dubliners have some shanties to offer as well, but I like this landlubber song's use of the tin whistle... one of my favorite instruments in Irish music.
"The Butterfly" by Celtic Women
If all you need is a good old-fashioned Irish jig, it doesn't get much better than this!
"Dirty Old Town" by The Pogues
You probably know "Fairytale of New York" by heart, but that's a Christmas song!
"Finnegan's Wake" by The Clancy Brothers
It's a classic drinking song, and The Clancy Brothers add a little (hilarious) context at the beginning of this recording.
"Molly Malone" by Joni Mitchell
Traditional Irish songs like "Molly Malone" are more popular than you realize for artists to cover, especially singer-songwriters like Mitchell. It's a fun surprise to add to your playlist.
"Teenage Kicks" by The Undertones
You can't forget all of the punk music to come out of Ireland in the '70s and '80s.
"Breakeven" by The Script
An Irish band and an absolute throwback? Yes please.
"Danny Boy" by Johnny Cash
It's difficult to pick just one cover of this all-time classic, and I wish I could listen to Moira Rose singing "Danny Boy" on Schitt's Creek all day, but it's hard to argue with Johnny Cash.
"Brown Shoes" from Sing Street
The original songs, which were mostly written by Irish songwriters, for this original Irish musical about kids in the '80s who start a garage band to escape their lives, are all absolute bangers. This is just a personal favorite, but I can't recommend the whole soundtrack enough!
"The Blower's Daughter" by Damien Rice
If you are all up in your feels this March, turn it up.
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