Yahoo Lifestyle 13 St. Patrick's Day Songs for a Sham-Rocking Playlist
The Emerald Isle is known for many things, from hearty, delicious food—like corned beef, soda bread, and beef stew—to incredible whiskey, world-class literature, and, of course, truly magical music. Sublime storytellers, the Irish have written and recorded some of the globe's most compelling tunes, which makes choosing the best St. Patrick’s Day songs for your event a daunting task indeed. Whether you're doing green drinks followed by a movie or hosting a blowout with green beer, you want a great mix of Irish music, including both rowdy sing-alongs (you can't miss with "Jump Around") and slower, more mediative ballads (is it even Paddy's Day without "Danny Boy"?).
Luckily we've done the work for you and picked a baker's dozen of Irish anthems across genres including rock, pop, hip hop, and folk. Some are performed by those who call Ireland home, some by those whose ancestors emigrated from the country, but faith and begorrah, we promise all are as Irish as leprechauns and shamrocks! Ahead, you'll find barnburners like "I'm Shipping Up to Boston," by the Dropkick Murphys, as we as more lighted-hearted fare, such as Ed Sheeran's "Galway Girl." Give 'em a listen, download your favorites (or all of 'em—there isn't a dud in this bunch), and then check out our list of St. Patrick's Day traditions for more ways to celebrate the holiday!
"Where the Streets Have No Name" by U2
There's more to Irish music than U2, but there's no denying the soul-stirring power and transparent majesty of the quartet's best songs. This rousing call for unity was inspired by Belfast, Northern Ireland, where it's said a family's religion and economic status can be assumed by the street they live on. Frontman Bono once quipped that when his band plays "Where the Streets Have No Name" they can feel God walk into the room, and after watching this concert clip (filmed in Ireland, at Slane Castle) we're not sure he's wrong.
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"I'm Shipping Up to Boston" by Dropkick Murphys
Okay, the Dropkick Murphys don't actually hail from the Emerald Isle, but judging from the fiddle and accordion play on this one their ancestors sure do. The Celtic punk band's biggest single, "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" features Woody Gutherie lyrics (yes, really) and was famously featured in the Martin Scorsese flick The Departed. If this banger doesn't get your blood pumping you probably need CPR.
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"Falling Slowly" by by Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova
When the time has come to take it down a notch on Paddy's Day (either for a slow dance or maybe just a much-needed breather), you can turn to this 2008 Oscar winner for Best Original Song. Featured in the movie Once, about a Dublin busker crushing hard on a fellow musician, "Falling Slowly" never fails to hit us right in the feels.
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"Galway Girl" by Ed Sheeran
According to Ed Sheeran, his flame-red mop top comes courtesy of his father, who is Irish. The Brit pop star says he spent most of his vacations and holidays as a kid with his grandparents in Ireland, and he plays live there frequently. Sheeran honored his roots in a big way with his sunny 2017 hit "Galway Girl," which was written and recorded with Irish folk band Beoga. The video, filmed in the titular Irish city, features Irish actress Saoirse Ronan.
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"Danny Boy" by Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash wasn't Irish, but the sight of the country's verdant landscape reportedly inspired him to write "40 Shades of Green." While that tune's a go-to for many on St. Patrick's Day, we also love Cash's rendition of this century-old ballad, beloved by Irish and Irish-Americans alike. Cash actually recorded "Danny Boy" twice—this simple, yet deeply moving version is from his brilliant 2002 release, American IV: The Man Comes Around. Warning: This one could make you ugly cry.
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"Jump Around" by House of Pain
Like the Dropkick Murphys, hip hop group House of Pain is proudly Irish-American and even filmed the video for "Jump Around" at the St. Patrick's Day parade in New York City. The completely addictive 1992 tune was a smash worldwide, serving as a launching pad for rapper Everlast, who went on to have a successful solo career after the band split in 1996. DJ Lethal later joined Limp Bizkit (we're not sure we're ready to forgive him for it, either).
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"Zombie" by The Cranberries
U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday"isn't the only modern rock classic to result from The Troubles. The decades-long, sectarian conflict also inspired Irish rock band The Cranberries. Dolores O'Riordan penned "Zombie," forever instantly recognizable thanks to her magnificent, yodeling vocals, about an Irish Republican Army bombing in Warrington, England. In 2018, metal act Bad Wolves released a cover of the song, just days after O'Riordan died unexpectedly in London. She was there to add her vocals to the track.
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"Drunken Lullabies" by Flogging Molly
Led by Irish vocalist Dave King, Irish American Celtic punk band Flogging Molly is a must for any Paddy's Day soundtrack. We love this suitable boisterous number, the title cut from their 2002 gold album. Still going strong after more than three decades, Flogging Molly takes its name from Molly Malone's, the L.A. pub where they got their start with a weekly gig.
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"Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor
Sorry, Prince. You may have written "Nothing Compares 2 U," but it belongs without question to Irish songstress Sinéad O'Connor, who absolutely crushed her heartbreaking and hauntingly beautiful version of it. The song became a monster success, topping the Billboard Hot 100 charts for four weeks in 1990. While Prince wrote it from the perspective of a spurned lover, Sinéad said she thought of her mother, who had died a few years earlier, when she performed it for the iconic video. When you play "Nothing Compares 2 U" on Paddy's Day, raise a glass for Sinéad, who left us in 2023, far too soon.
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"Breathless" by The Corrs
Remember this one from the Irish sibling act The Corrs? Light as cotton candy and about as sweet, "Breathless" made the Billboard Hot 100 top 40 in 2000 and scored a Grammy nod for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. While In Blue, the album this single comes from, moved toward mainstream pop, other efforts from The Corrs have a much more Irish, folky vibe.
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"The Ballad of Ronnie Drew" by U2 and others
Perhaps the greatest collection of Irish musical artists ever assembled, this truly epic 2008 performance of "The Ballad of Ronnie Drew" features U2, The Dubliners, Andrea Corr, Sinéad O'Connor, and many other standouts, including Shane MacGowan. Like O'Connor, MacGowan, the beloved frontman of The Pogues, died in 2023. Written and recorded as a charity fundraiser in honor of The Dubliners member Ronnie Drew, the song contains perhaps the single best line of any song for a Paddy's Day celebration: "And if you're not Irish it isn't your fault."
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"Brown-Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison
Van the Man is a genuine legend not just in his native Northern Ireland but around the globe. His live performances have become notoriously hit or miss, but when Morrison's on, there's no one quite like him. This cheery single from his 1967 debut album Blowin' Your Mind! is undoubtedly his best-known, but don't tell the often cranky troubadour that. He's called it a "throwaway song," adding, "I've got about 300 other songs I think are better than that."
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"Mustang Sally" by The Commitments
The little Irish film that could, The Commitments was made on a modest budget with a cast of unknowns. But it went on to cult classic status, spawning a soundtrack that sold 12 million copies worldwide and even a stage musical. The 1991 movie's band (which included Glen Hansard of Once fame) was put together specifically to play the ragtag group of Dublin musicians desperate to perform American soul. The result was pure magic and every cut on the soundtrack is a winner, including this one.
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