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Ever since millions of Irish people began emigrating from the island in the late 19th and early 20th century, their musicianship, language and storytelling has rippled through the global popular consciousness. From country and bluegrass in the foothills of the Appalachia mountains, to diaspora communities across the US and Canada — and with often little more than a fiddle, a tender voice, gallows humour and a hunger to speak out against injustice — Irish life is woven into its traditional music (broadly known as “trad”), and has, in turn, influenced popular music as we know it.
Throughout the 1960s and ’70s, Celtic acts like The Dubliners, rockers like Thin Lizzy, folk songwriters like Van Morrison and punk acts like The Undertones, Stiff Little Fingers and Bob Geldof’s Boomtown Rats inspired myriad acts at home and abroad. In the ’80s, the merging of New Age — Celtic instruments, Irish language lyrics, electronic production and experimental vocal styles — with pop and rock created stars like Enya and Clannad, who sold millions of albums and won Grammys for their imaginative work. But for all the ingenuity and talent of these early- to mid-20th century artists, it was in the ’90s crossover of trad, New Age and alternative rock where the impact of Irish artists was most explosively felt.
From the whisky-soaked confessionals of The Pogues to the stadium anthems of U2, to the politically-charged works of Sinead O’Connor, the yearning harmonies of The Cranberries and the scuzzy shoegaze of My Bloody Valentine, the ‘90s saw Irish artists hit the charts and bring their stories to the wider public. Throughout the 2000s, Irish music continued to evolve and resonate with a growing audience globally, and in 2008, rock folk duo The Swell Season — comprised of Irish musician Glen Hansard (also of The Frames) and Czech singer/pianist Markéta Irglová — experienced crossover success, making an impact through music, entertainment and pop culture alike. The pair was recognized for their work onscreen, co-starring in the film “Once,” which also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for their track, “Falling Slowly.” The experimentalism of New Age and alternative rock sounds, mixed with the cross-generational awareness of Irish musical and social histories, all came together throughout the decades — and it’s a mix that’s felt in Irish music today.
In 2025, the scene is in great health. Fontaines D.C. (short for Dublin City, no less) are leading the charge, over 10 years into their time together. With albums on labels like XL Recordings, the post-punk outfit is invigorating the alternative rock scene with their swaggering sound. Their peers — SPRINTS, Gurriers, YARD and Cardinals, among others — are all making waves, too, with their caustic, often humorous takedowns of modern life, politics, love, poverty, empire and loss. On the heavier end of that spectrum, Gilla Band and The Murder Capital howl into the void with a righteous fury, blending metal, post-punk, industrial and drone.
Drawing on the shoegaze-infused pop blueprint of The Cranberries and My Bloody Valentine, bands like NewDad, Cruel Sister and Silverbacks are among some of the island’s best. When it comes to keeping traditional Celtic music alive, Lankum, The Mary Wallopers and Landless are bringing core Irish elements — of ancient stories, the language and Celtic instrumentation — into a new world of music, blending electronics and trad vocalizations. Dive into this collection of alternative Irish music, and hear how these artists are blending the past and present to memorable effect.
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NewDad, “Change My Mind”
Hailing from Galway, on Ireland’s rugged west coast, this four-piece band lean into the darker edges of indie pop; this track is from their 2024 debut album, ‘MADRA.’
SPRINTS, “Literary Minds (Radio Edit)”
This Dublin band plays noisy garage rock with a witty lyrical edge. Their 2024 debut album, ‘Letter To Self,’ was released on City Slang and produced by Daniel Fox of Gilla Band.
Fontaines D.C., “It’s Amazing To Be Young”
The Grammy-nominated Dublin band’s latest single — inspired by childhood lullabies and a bandmate’s recent fatherhood — follows their psychedelic fourth album, 2024’s ‘Romance.’
Gurriers, “Dipping Out”
Gurriers write raucous songs about young people trying to make a life for themselves in a politically caustic, rip-off world. This track appears on their 2024 debut album, ‘Come and See.’
Chalk, “Afraid”
Taken from the third installment in their ‘Conditions’ EP trilogy, “Afraid” sees the Belfast trio in all their glorious fury, melding post-punk and industrial.
Gilla Band, “Backwash”
The four-piece released their 2022 debut album, ‘Most Normal,’ on Rough Trade. “Backwash,” from the album, is a surrealist lyrical deep dive into romantic attraction.
The Murder Capital, “Can’t Pretend To Know”
With their raw, industrial-tinged sound, these Dubliners are exploring deeper post-punk territories. Check out their 2025 album, ‘Blindness.’
M(h)aol, “Pursuit”
A feminist punk rock band with a fire in their belly, M(h)aol — pronounced “male” — released “Pursuit” in 2024. The track is about the nerve-wracking experience of walking home alone at night as a woman.
SPIDER, “an object of desire”
A Dublin musician and vocalist of Nigerian heritage, SPIDER wrote this 2024 track about what she calls “the unholy trinity of young adulthood” — sex, objectification and self-worth.
Hotgirl, “In Your Head”
A 2024 single from the Dublin four-piece, “In Your Head” has a sardonic strut that feels borderline Riot Grrrl.
Maria Somerville, “Garden”
Taken from her upcoming album ‘Luster,’ “Garden” develops Somerville’s dreamy ambient style; inspired by the rugged coastline and trad music of her hometown of Connemara, and as heard on her NTS radio show.
EFÉ, “2000SEVEN”
Tapping into Y2K nostalgia, Dublin artist EFÉ has released two EPs of sparkling bedroom indie pop. On “2000SEVEN,” she reimagines an older track of hers with a grungier sound.
Cruel Sister, “As I Get Older”
Dublin artist Faith Nico performs shoegaze-tinged dream pop as Cruel Sister. This track features on her 2023 EP, ‘Turgid.’
Anna Mieke, “Red Sun (Live)”
Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Anna Mieke draws from Irish folk themes of land, nostalgia and familial memory. This is a live version of a track from her 2022 album, ‘Theatre.’
Rachael Lavelle, “Let Me Unlock Your Full Potential”
This composer and singer from Dublin’s 2023 album, ‘Big Dreams,’ was nominated for Ireland’s Choice Music Prize Album of the Year.
Julie Dawson, “Bottom Of The Pool”
The lead singer of NewDad also performs on her own. This is the title track of her 2024 debut solo album, which was co-written with Irish artist Space Dimension Controller.
Silverbacks, “Something I Know”
Taken from their 2024 album ‘Easy Being A Winner,’ produced by Gilla Band’s Daniel Fox, this track sees the six-piece band in excellent form; like an updated Mercury Rev with an Irish edge.
Pillow Queens, “Like A Lesson”
Taken from the band’s earworm 2024 album ‘Name Your Sorrow,’ this track explores “the thin line between being scared and desiring someone.”
SCATTERED ASHES, “Feral”
The closest thing that Ireland has to their own version of Interpol; Scattered Ashes released this track in 2022 on Reckless Records.
YARD, “Trevor”
On this 2025 track, YARD, a thundering electronic punk trio from Dublin, stare hard into the darkness.
KLUBBER LANG, “Amends”
Something of an Irish alt rock supergroup, made up of past members of well-regarded Irish bands, KLUBBER LANG bring a goth edge to the style.
Cardinals, “If I Could Make You Care”
Cork band Cardinals hit a sweet spot on this track, floating gently between Celtic folk and alt rock. They released their self-titled EP in 2024.
The Mary Wallopers, “Building Up and Tearing England Down”
This cheekily-named folk group come from Dundalk, a coastal city halfway between Belfast and Ireland. Their witty, scathing takedowns of empire and celebration of Irish folklore has won them devoted fans.
Landless, “My Lagan Love”
This four-piece group sing “unaccompanied trad songs in four-part harmony” on their 2024 album ‘Lúireach,’ where they add pump organ, fiddle and others to dramatic, mournful effect.
Lankum, “Go Dig My Grave”
Nominated for the Mercury Prize for their extraordinary 2023 album, Lankum’s traditional Irish instrumentation, politically-charged folk storytelling and drone electronics have made them a serious live music draw.
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