10 Irish Folk Music Groups You Need to Know

Irish folk music is a genre that has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years. Here are 10 Irish folk music groups that you need to know.

The Dubliners

The Dubliners are one of the most influential and significant Irish folk music groups of all time. Formed in 1962, the group originally consisted of Luke Kelly, Barney McKenna, Gerry O’Connor, Ciarán Bourke, and Ronnie Drew. Over the years, the lineup has changed numerous times, but The Dubliners have always remained true to their roots, performing traditional Irish folk songs and ballads. They have released over 30 albums and have toured extensively throughout Europe, North America, and Australia. If you’re looking for a taste of authentic Irish folk music, The Dubliners are a great place to start.

The Chieftains

The Chieftains are an Irish musical group founded in Dublin in November 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Sean Keane, Michael Tubridy, and David Fallon. The group has recorded 55 albums and sold over 12 million records worldwide. They have won six Grammy Awards, been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, and been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

The Chieftains’ sound is marked by the use of traditional Irish instruments including the uilleann pipes, tin whistle, bodhran, and fiddle, as well as by incorporating elements of jazz and classical music. They are considered to be one of the most influential groups in Celtic music; their work has helped to revive interest in and understanding of traditional Irish music.

Planxty

Planxty is one of the most influential and well-known Irish traditional music groups. Formed in the 1970s, the group recorded and toured extensively, helping to bring Irish music to a wider audience. Planxty’s repertoire included both traditional Irish tunes and original compositions, often with a political or social message. The group’s members were all highly skilled musicians, and their recordings are still considered some of the best examples of Irish traditional music.

The Bothy Band

The Bothy Band was a traditional Irish music band, founded in 1975 and fronted by musicians Paddy Glackin and Mícheál Ó Domhnaill. The band featured some of the most influential Irish musicians of the time and released six albums between 1975 and 1980. They toured extensively throughout Europe and the United States before disbanding in 1979.

Moving Hearts

Moving Hearts is an Irishfolk musicgroup who achieved international prominence in the early 1980s. The group was founded by Donal Lunny, Christy Moore, Declan Sinnott, and other well-known Irish musicians. Moving Hearts blended traditional Irish music with elements of rock, jazz, and world music to create a unique sound that was accessible to a wide range of listeners. The group’s self-titled debut album was released in 1981 to critical acclaim, and they went on to release four more studio albums before disbanding in 1986.

De Danann

De Danann is one of the most renowned Irish folk music groups. They were founded in the 1970s by Alec Finn and Johnny Cunningham, two of the most influential musicians in Irish folk music. The group has gone through many lineup changes over the years, but they have always remained true to their roots in traditional Irish music. De Danann has released numerous critically acclaimed albums, and they continue to tour regularly. If you’re a fan of Irish folk music, you need to know De Danann.

The Pogues

The Pogues are an Irish Celtic punk band formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan. The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s due in part to MacGowan’s drunken antics onstage and off. The band is credited with being one of the first Celtic punk bands and their fusion of traditional Irish music with punk rock helped paved the way for many subsequent Celtic punk and folk-punk bands.

The Waterboys

The Waterboys are an Irish folk rock band formed in 1983 by Mike Scott. The band’s membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland and Ireland.

The band has played a mainstream role in bringing traditional Irish music to a wider audience, and were Celtic music’s first platinum-selling artists. Their 1984 album This Is the Sea is generally regarded as the seminal Irish-rock album. They reached their commercial peak with the 1988 album Fisherman’s Blues which saw them embrace traditional Celtic music influences and instrumentation to create an eclectic alt-rock subgenre that was known as “celtic rock”.

Solas

Solas is an Irish-American Celtic band formed in 1996 in New York City. The band currently consists of seven members: Seamus Egan, Winifred Horan, Mick McAuley, Éamonn McCormick, Eilís Kennedy, Manus Lunny, and Ryan McGarvey.

Solas’ sound has been described as a “wonderfully fresh approach to traditional music”, with AllMusic saying that the band “manages to balance delicate beauty and raw passion in a way that few other bands have managed”. The Washington Post has called them “the most important traditional Irish band of the past decade”, while The Times (UK) said that they are “the best traditional Irish band around”.

Lunasa

Lunasa is an Irish folk music group. The band was founded in 1997 by fiddle player Sean Smyth, singer Karan Casey, piper Mike McGoldrick, accordion player John McSherry, and bodhrán player Dónal Lunny. Lunasa has released nine studio albums, the most recent of which is Cas, in 2016.