I gotta say, some of my favorite bands have come out of Ireland.
A short list:
Pogues/ Shane MacGowan
Boomtown Rats/ Bob Geldof
Sinead O’Connor
U2
Cranberries
Stiff Little Fingers
Chieftans
Waterboys
and a lot of the softer folkier stuff as well.
Don’t know why I’m so attracted to 'em but God knows I am.
Hmmmm… anybody care for a pint?
Me, me, me.
I like all the bands you’ve listed, plus all the stuff I’ve heard from bands whose names I either don’t know or can’t recall. I’m a big fan of that “soft, folk stuff”, too.
I dig Irish music. 
Those, and don’t forget The Coors . . . great music, hot girls !
You mean The Corrs, right?
I love them. I can’t find ANY of their stuff here, other than “Talk on Corners” and I never have any luck finding anything other than what’s on that CD when I check Napster. Darn it.
I loved Stiff Little Fingers! They rocked!!
The corrs piss me off bigtime. Their latest album is produced by ‘Mutt’ Lange, husband of Shania.
If you guys want the corrs, you are welcome to them.
If you put the three girls together, you might get one woman.
I’m a little surprised no one has mentioned Thin Lizzy…
::: waving hand furiously in the air :::
Oh oh oh! I do!
I think, between my mother and I, we own every Chieftan CD there is to own, and I saw them play live here last year. A show by them is worth its price in gold.
I have not noticed Loreena McKennitt on this list–even though she’s Canadian, her music is Celtic-based, and absolutely wonderful (especially her earlier CD’s).
I spent several years working & playing at the Renaissance Faires, and have been blessed to be surrounded at the Faire by such glorious music. Many songs bring back happy memories.
I would have said Thin Lizzy, but I love Gary Moore. Great guitarist and Wild Frontier album has lots of Celtic feel to it.
Gotta throw my 2 cents in, too.
I love everything that was already mentioned, but especially:
[ul][li]The Pogues (I said it before, I’ll say it again: best damn band of the '80s)[/li][li]The Waterboys[/li][li]Sinead O’Connor[/li][li]VanMorrison[/li][li]The Chieftains[/li][li]Hothouse Flowers[/li][/ul]
Me! I have about 6 different Irish music compilations, and an additional 4 Celtic ones.
My favorites:
Loreena McKennitt and Clannad are my favorites. The Cranberries invariably annoy me–I’m not even sure why.
So can I not feel guilty for listening to Fionna Ritchie on the Thistle and the Shamrock? I get teased…sheesh. Must be something in the blood–man, I love Irish music.
ChrisCTP–I’ve got the Corrs first cd. Oh my lord, very good. Got it second-hand in Nebraska. Think I paid five bucks for it. It’s out there…keep looking. Good luck.
struuter
If you’re being teased by “friends,” drop 'em.
If you’re being teased by family, abandon them.
If you’re being teased by co-workers, go postal.
The Thistle and The Shamrock is the sort of show that makes it worthwhile to actually own a radio.
If you have Realplayer or any of its competitors, WKSU radio runs folk music 8 PM - midnight, Friday through Sunday. I am not a fan of the DJ, but he plays a fair amount of Celtic music. (If you’re in Northeast or East Central Ohio, of course, you can pick it up directly on WKSU or one of its five repeater stations.)
tomndebb–
Thank you, kind soul. Now I can tell everybody to f*** off about it. Jeesh, you’d think I was listening to kittens being slaughtered, the way they make over it. I can’t even remember when it’s on here anymore. Just have to look into that…
struuter
Is there room for one more on this bandwagon?
I am a fan of most of the bands mentioned, and am a huge fan of the Pogues and Shane MacGowan. Best band of the 80’s? Dunno about that. (Tough to top R.E.M. in my book.) Still, the Pogues have put out some incredible music.
Try out the
Saw Doctors-they are most excellent.
Christy Moore
Undertones
Feargal Sharkey
Oh YES! Have seen the Chieftains several times, always great. It was on their tour supporting “A Irish Evening” with Roger Daltrey & Nanci Griffith that the world was introduced to a very talented young (16?) girl who danced several numbers for them. It was Jean Butler, soon to become famous as the principal dancer in “Riverdance.”
Love Shane & The Pogues- you can’t help but love a man who has been know to come out on stage, look out at the audience, take a swig and yell “F*CK OFF” and then leave the building, leaving the band to play on!
If they come to your area, try to catch The Fenians, a very good band which tends to roost at the Harp Inn in SoCal.
I like Irish/Celtic music. I am particularly fond of Ad Vielle Que Pourra which is a French Canadian/Celtic band. They are quite intersting and talented. You can find their music through Green Linnet catalogs where most of the other Irish bands are found (like Silly Wizard).
HUGS!
Sqrl
Did I forget Van Morrison?
Ok, Ok, so I exaggerated slightly for effect. If you want to split hairs, I think The Replacements and REM edge out the Pogues for best band honors. But still, I love them Pogues to a fault. They get me movin’ more than REM could.