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Top 10 Irish Albums Of All Time

Here are our picks for the top 10 Irish albums of all time (plus a few honorable mentions). If you don't agree, feel free to have your say and post your own top 10.

1 Astral Weeks Cover Van Morrison - Astral Weeks (1968)

This beautiful gem of an album fully deserves its reputation as one of the greatest albums of modern musical history. 'Astral Weeks' is a flood of raw emotion set to some incredible music.
Tracks
  1. Astral Weeks
  2. Beside You
  3. Sweet Thing
  4. Cyprus Avenue
  5. The Way Young Lovers Do
  6. Madame George
  7. Ballerina
  8. Slim Slow Slider
2 Black Rose album cover Thin Lizzy - Black Rose (1979)

Black Rose is just one of the 5 classic Thin Lizzy studio albums from 1976 to 1980, which include 'Jailbreak', 'Johnny the Fox', 'Bad Reputation' and 'Chinatown', and they are all almost equally brilliant, so it is a very close call when it comes to picking the top Lizzy album. Black Rose contains a great set of classic Lizzy songs, features Garry Moore on guitar, and ends with the celtic rock epic title track.
Tracks
  1. Do Anything You Want To
  2. Toughest Street in Town
  3. S&M
  4. Waiting for an Alibi
  5. My Sarah
  6. Got to Give It Up
  7. Get Out of Here
  8. With Love
  9. Roisin Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend
3 Irish Tour '74 album cover Rory Gallagher - Irish Tour '74 (1974)

Rory Gallagher was a passionate musician and a genius of a guitar player who left a long catalogue of great studio albums. He lived for playing live in front of his fans and many of his live recordings capture some of the special energy that came from his live performances. 'Irish Tour '74', taken from several live concerts all over Ireland in 1974 captures the late great Rory at best.
Tracks
  1. Cradle Rock
  2. I Wonder Who
  3. Tattoo'd Lady
  4. Too Much Alcohol
  5. As the Crow Flies
  6. A Million Miles Away
  7. Walk on Hot Coals
  8. Who's That Coming?
  9. Back on My Stompin' Ground
  10. Maritime
4 Book Of Invasions album cover Horslips - The Book Of Invasions (1977)

While their debut 'Happy to meet... Sorry to part' may have been their most ground-breaking in it's revolutionary mixing of Irish traditional music with rock, 'The Book Of Invasions' is probably the finest album by one of Irelands most inovative bands.
Tracks
  1. Daybreak
  2. March into Trouble
  3. Trouble (With a Capital T)
  4. Power and the Glory
  5. Rocks Remain
  6. Dusk
  7. Sword of Light
  8. Dark
  9. Warm Sweet Breath of Love
  10. Fantasia (My Lagan Love)
  11. King of Morning, Queen of Day
  12. Sideways to the Sun
  13. Drive the Cold Winter Away
  14. Ride to Hell
5 Rum, Sodomy & The Lash album cover The Pogues - Rum, Sodomy & The Lash (1985)

The Pogues were an absolute revolution when they burst onto the scene in the early eighties with their original blend of punk infused Irish folk music. Their second album 'Rum, Sodomy & The Lash' is a masterpiece from the ripping opener 'The Sick Bed of Cúchulaínn' to the tortured emotion of the closing track 'The Band Played Waltzing Matilda'.
Tracks
  1. The Sick Bed of Cúchulaínn
  2. The Old Main Drag
  3. Wild Cats of Kilkenny
  4. I'm a Man You Don't Meet Every Day
  5. A Pair of Brown Eyes
  6. Sally Maclennane
  7. A Pistol for Paddy Garcia
  8. Dirty Old Town
  9. Jesse James
  10. Navigator
  11. Billy's Bones
  12. The Gentleman Soldier
  13. The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
6 Inflammable Material album cover Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material (1979)

Inflammable Material was one of the best albums to come out of the late 70's punk scene. Stiff Little Fingers turned their punk anger and energy to themes very close to home and turned out a true Irish classic.
Tracks
  1. Suspect Device
  2. State of Emergency
  3. Here We Are Nowhere
  4. Wasted Life
  5. No More of That
  6. Barbed Wire Love
  7. White Noise
  8. Breakout
  9. Law and Order
  10. Rough Trade
  11. Johnny Was
  12. Alternative Ulster
  13. Closed Groove
7 Achtung Baby album cover U2 - Achtung Baby (1991)

Achtung Baby was a sonic re-invention for Ireland's rock Goliaths which resulted in their most compelling album. Their biggest selling album 'The Joshua Tree' is also outstanding and will be the top U2 pick for many.
Tracks
  1. Zoo Station
  2. Even Better Than the Real Thing
  3. One
  4. Until the End of the World
  5. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
  6. So Cruel
  7. The Fly
  8. Mysterious Ways
  9. Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World
  10. Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
  11. Acrobat
  12. Love Is Blindness
8 I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got ablum cover Sinead O'Connor - I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (1990)

'I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got' is a highly acomplished and very diverse album which showcases Sinead O'Connor's great emotion filled voice and diverse range.
Tracks
  1. Feel So Different
  2. I Am Stretched on Your Grave
  3. Three Babies
  4. The Emperor's New Clothes
  5. Black Boys on Mopeds
  6. Nothing Compares 2 U
  7. Jump in the River
  8. You Cause as Much Sorrow
  9. The Last Day of Our Acquaintance
  10. I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
9 Heartworm cover Whipping Boy - Heartworm (1995)

A masterpiece of an album that deals with the gritty struggles of life and relationships in a powerful stark manner. The beautifully crafted songs delivered with an seething off-handed snarl by singer Fearghal McKee really touch a nerve.
Tracks
  1. Twinkle
  2. When We Were Young
  3. Tripped
  4. The Honeymoon Is Over
  5. We Don’t Need Nobody Else
  6. Blinded
  7. Personality
  8. Users
  9. Fiction
  10. Morning Rise
10 Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? cover The Cranberries - Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? (1993)

An amazing debut from one of Ireland's most successful bands. Lush and beautiful but with an edge, featuring O'Riordan's unmistakable unique vocals and great songs, no wonder it shot them to stardom.
Tracks
  1. I Still Do
  2. Dreams
  3. Sunday
  4. Pretty
  5. Waltzing Back
  6. Not Sorry
  7. Linger
  8. Wanted
  9. Still Can't...
  10. I Will Always
  11. How
  12. Put Me Down

Extending to Top 20 Irish Albums Of All Time

A few more?? Can't limit this to just 10! - The Honorable Mentions

11 Loveless ablum cover My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (1991)

With just two studio releases My Bloody Valentine started an entire music scene which became known as shoegaze. Their latter release, Loveless, perfects their volumptious, trippy, ethereal sound.
Tracks
  1. Only Shallow
  2. Loomer
  3. Touched
  4. To Here Knows When
  5. When You Sleep
  6. I Only Said
  7. Come in Alone
  8. Sometimes
  9. Blown a Wish
  10. What You Want
  11. Soon
12 Troublegum cover Therapy? - Troublegum (1994)

A cracker of an album jam packed with powerfull riffs and catchy hooks. The absolute pinnacle of 90s alt rock.
Tracks
  1. Knives
  2. Screamager
  3. Hellbelly
  4. Stop it You're Killing Me
  5. Nowhere
  6. Die Laughing
  7. Unbeliever
  8. Trigger Inside
  9. Lunacy Booth
  10. Isolation
  11. Turn
  12. Femtex
  13. Unrequited
  14. Brainsaw
13 'O' album cover Damien Rice - O (2002)

Spare, passionate and at times operatic, O is a beautifully crafted album with a sound best described by it's opening track - delicate.
Tracks
  1. Delicate
  2. Volcano
  3. The Blower's Daughter
  4. Cannonball
  5. Older Chests
  6. Amie
  7. Cheers Darlin'
  8. Cold Water
  9. I Remember
  10. Eskimo
14 Fontaines DC Dogrel album cover Fontaines D.C. - Dogrel (2019)

With a distinctive edgy sound 'Dogrel', the debut album from Fontaines D.C., established them as the biggest Irish rock band of the 2020s. Fontaines followed Dogrel with equally excellent albums, but their 2019 debut remains the best place to start.
Tracks
  1. Big
  2. Sha Sha Sha
  3. Too Real
  4. Television Screens
  5. Hurricane Laughter
  6. Roy's Tune
  7. The Lotts
  8. Chequeless Reckless
  9. Liberty Belle
  10. Boys in the Better Land
  11. Dublin City Sky
15 Horsedrawn Wishes cover Rollerskate Skinny - Horsedrawn Wishes (1996)

Swirling, wailing, and buzzing guitars intersect with each other in a melodic cacophony. Each song is a mini-symphony, built on stunning melodies, charming hooks, and powerful dynamics. That's what Tim DiGravina of All Music says and I couldn't say it any better myself.
Tracks
  1. Swing Boat Yawning
  2. Cradle Burns
  3. One Thousand Couples
  4. Swab the Temples
  5. Speed to My Side
  6. All Mornings Break
  7. Man Under Glass
  8. Shimmer Son Like a Star
  9. Angela Starling
  10. Ribbon Fat
  11. Thirsty European
  12. Bell Jars Away
16 The Gathering Wilderness cover Primordial - The Gathering Wilderness (2005)

An intense but immensly listenable metal album driven by the highly passionate delivery of Alan Averill. Although often classified as 'black metal' or 'pagan metal', Primordial actually have their own very unique heartfelt style of metal. They explore Irish themes in songs such as 'The Coffin Ships'. This may well be the all time best metal album by an Irish band.
Tracks
  1. The Golden Spiral
  2. The Gathering Winderness
  3. The Song of the Tomb
  4. End of All Times (Martyrs Fire)
  5. The Coffin Ships
  6. Tragedy's Birth
  7. Cities Carved in Stone
17 XXX The Frames - For the Birds (2001)

This is an album of absolute beauty. It's melancholic but heavy hitting. The spare arrangements accentuate Glen Hansard's passionate delivery.
Tracks
  1. In the Deep Shade
  2. Lay Me Down
  3. What Happens When the Heart Just Stops
  4. Headlong
  5. Fighting on the Stairs
  6. Giving Me Wings
  7. Early Bird
  8. Friends and Foe
  9. Santa Maria
  10. Disappointed
  11. Mighty Sword
18 Wild Frontier cover Gary Moore - Wild Frontier (1987)

Gary Moore has so many stellar albums and in different musical styles (jazz rock, hard rock, metal, soft rock, blues) that everyone will have a different favourite. Wild Frontier, dedicated to his pal Phil who had recently passed away, is one of his great albums. It's his most Irish sounding album - the tracks Over the hills, Thunder Rising and Johnny Boy (covered by Christy Moore) have a very Irish flavour and feature Paddy Moloney on uilleann pipes. Sean Keane & Martin Fay also feature on fiddle.
Tracks
  1. Over the Hills and Far Away
  2. Wild Frontier
  3. Take a Little Time
  4. The Loner
  5. Friday on My Mind
  6. Strangers in the Darkness
  7. Thunder Rising
  8. Johnny Boy
  9. Crying in the Shadows
19 Plug It In cover Mama's Boys - Plug It In (1982)

An infectious set of hard rock/metal songs from the MacManus brothers of Derrylin, every track is great. Runaway Dreams is a particular stand-out, featuring a killer fiddle solo by Pat that puts it in Celtic Rock territory.
Tracks
  1. In The Heat Of The Night
  2. Burnin' Up
  3. Needle In The Groove
  4. Reach For The Top
  5. Silence Is Out Of Fashion
  6. Straight Forward
  7. Runaway Dreams
  8. Getting Out
  9. Belfast City Blues
20 The Fine Art of Surfacing cover The Boomtown Rats - The Fine Art of Surfacing (1979)

Featuring their best track and massive hit, "I Don't Like Mondays" this album is the essential album of one of Irelands great bands.
Tracks
  1. Someone's Looking at You
  2. Diamond Smiles
  3. Wind Chill Factor (Minus Zero)
  4. Having My Picture Taken
  5. Sleep (Fingers' Lullaby)
  6. I Don't Like Mondays
  7. Nothing Happened Today
  8. Keep It Up
  9. Nice N Neat
  10. When the Night Comes

Tell us what your top ten would be...

 What do you think of the Irish Rockers top ten albums? What would your top ten Irish albums be? Enter your comments here:
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