Western Europe
The sound of Ireland
The traditional repertoire is not a museum piece here — it is a live body of tunes that rock and folk players move in and out of constantly. Start with the tradition and the rest makes more sense.
234 artists in the catalog.
What Ireland does that nowhere else does
Genres far more common here than across the rest of the catalog. The multiplier is how much more common, weighted by how many artists carry it.
Five records to start with
Not a canon — a way in. Each one links to what it is, who it's for and where to go next.
Irish artists worth walking into
Ordered by how much we can tell you, not just by how well-known they are.
U2
alternative rock · dance-rock
Where to start →Enya
Celtic music · new age music
Where to start →Thin Lizzy
blues rock · hard rock
Where to start →Westlife
blue-eyed soul · operatic pop
Where to start →The Corrs
alternative rock · pop rock
Where to start →The Cranberries
Celtic rock · alternative rock
Where to start →Gilbert O'Sullivan
pop music · soft rock
Where to start →The Script
alternative rock · pop music
Where to start →Boyzone
pop music · popular music
Where to start →The Chieftains
folk music
Where to start →Christy Moore
Celtic music
Where to start →Rory Gallagher
blues · traditional folk music
Where to start →