Happy St. Patrick's Day Boston! To celebrate the occasion, we are highlighting some of our favorite Irish artists! Grab some Shepherd's Pie or Guinness and celebrate with some of these great artists.
Hozier
He slithered here From Eden (Ireland!) just to bless your ears! Indie-folk musician Hozier is one of my favorite Irish artists and a constant on my playlists. Born in the coastal town of Bray, Andrew Hozier-Byrne was raised as a quaker. His religious upbringing combined with his artistry is what brought him to stardom. You might know him from his magnum opus, Take Me to Church, which is a poetic jab at religion, (particularly Christianity) that beautifully juxtaposes religious imagery with human sexuality and resonated with many. Much of his songs deliberately subverts traditional religious concepts, and portray human intimacy as true worship.
With hit tracks like Foreigner’s God, From Eden and Be, Hozier’s songwriting reframe the idea of “sin” as innocence, sacraments as physical connection; in doing so, they become secular worship songs that elevates romantic love to a spiritual experience, gorgeously replacing devotion to the sacred with the worship of human connection. These songs are as gentle to the condemned as they are critical of the Church's hypocrisy.
Much of my love for Hozier stems from how his music has helped me navigate my journey of reconciling faith with queerness; and although Hozier often critiques religion, I see the divine in his work. Some of my favorite tracks include First Time, Nobody, Eat Your Young. . . and much more. Beyond religion, the songs cover everything from political commentary, critiquing environmental destruction, the resilience of human connection… doing so all while maintaining his personal style accompanied by tender yet raw, almost sacred, poetry. That, to me, is what makes him so special. This St. Patrick's Day, I have No Plan but to celebrate by streaming the music of this extraordinary Irish artist who speaks to both my mind and soul.
- Kelly Cheng, Staff Writer
The Cranberries
Every day I recon with the fact that simply no one does it like The Cranberries. Formed in Limerick, Ireland in 1989, The Cranberries were one of the best rock bands to come out of the 90s, and of course one of my all time favorites. The band was started by brothers Noel and Mike Hogan, along with their friend Fergal Lawer. As kids, they all learned to play music together, making the band official with the addition of Niall Quinn, and originally going by “Cranberry Saw Us.”
Together, the four released an EP called Anything in January of 1990 before Quinn went his separate ways, leaving the band in need of a lead singer, and direction. Dolores O’Riordan answered their prayers, joining the band around July of the same year, and suggesting they go by simply “The Cranberries”. O’Riordan’s distinct vocal style and vision made the band what we remember it as today. Together, they made magic, and were recognized internationally for their skill. Not only did the band deliver a stream of consistent hits while they were together, but they’ve also stood the test of time. Social media platforms have given a new life to The Cranberries, with songs like “Linger,” “Sunday,” “Zombie.” and “Dreams” trending more than 30 years after their initial release.
The band remains ranked #251 in the entire world on Spotify, which says a lot An entire new generation was able to discover and connect with the band’s music, and I think that is the sign of true musical genius. So this St Patrick’s Day, I would suggest pairing The Cranberries’ Tiny Desk Concert with your Guinness, and enjoying the vocal brilliance and ingenuity of Dolores O'Riordan.
- Avieana Rivera, Music Coordinator
Fontaines D.C.
For me there is something that is oddly comforting about listening to Fontaines D.C. Their music reminds me of home despite home for me not being Ireland. Forming in 2014, Fontaines D.C. has become one of the most recognizable bands in over the past decade. Consisting of Grian Chatten on vocals, Conor Curley and Carlos O’Connell on guitar, Conor Deegan III on bass, and Tom Coll on drums, the Irish post-punk band has found a way to reinvent themselves time and time again. Originally the band met one another in college at BIMM University in Dublin, Ireland. Since those early days the group has stuck by one another. In 2017 they began self-releasing singles such as “Liberty Belle” and “Hurricane Laughter.”
It was not until two years later in 2019 that they released their debut album Dogrel. They then went on to tour in over 50 cities across the year and began to gain even more recognition in the music industry. Fast-forward to 2022, and after releasing their third studio album, Skinty Fia, they took a small break from recording as a group. Chatten would go on in 2023 and release his own solo album, Chaos for the Fly. After this extended break, in 2024 Fontaines D.C. released their fourth and most recent album, Romance.
The commercial success of this album has been undeniable. From reaching incredible heights on multiple charts across the United States and United Kingdom, to being nominated for both Best Rock Album and Best Alternative Music Performance at the Grammys, Romance has made waves in the music world. Apart from their musical success, another part of Fontaines D.C. that makes them so incredible and inspiring to follow is their commitment to charity and humanitarian causes.
One of the songs on their second studio album , “A Hero’s Death,” is a tribute to one of their fans who passed away during the pandemic. Also to add to that, they have participated in a collaborative EP with other bands to support Doctors Without Borders in Gaza. This St. Patrick’s Day I would highly recommend that you sit down and listen to Fontaines D.C., not just because of their amazing music, but because of the amazing people behind it as well!
- Fenton Wright, Staff Writer
U2
U2 is not only one of the most influential Irish groups of all time but they are also one of the most influential bands of all time period. One of the things that has always drawn me to U2 is their way to build emotion and release it in such a satisfying manner over the course of a three minute song. U2 was formed in 1976 in Dublin Ireland by school friends Paul Hewson, known as Bono, on vocals and guitar, David Evans, known as Edge, on guitar, keyboard, and backing vocals, Adam Clayton on bass, and Larry Mullen on drums.
The group formed out of the post-punk scene in Ireland in the 70s and 80s. A few short years after starting together they signed to their first record label and took off from there. One of the most significant things to understand about U2 is their political consciousness. One of their most conscious songs, “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” is about the brutal massacre of unarmed protesters in Northern Ireland by British soldiers.
On top of their consciousness, U2 have the hits to make their songs relevant. Their album, The Joshua Tree, was released in 1987 and took the band to commercial and international success. It has hits such as “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and “With Or Without You.” U2 have continued to entertain us for decades, and this St. Patrick’s Day I think that you should listen to them. As one of the most important bands of all time and not to mention the most important Irish band of all time, they are definitely worth your time this year!
- Fenton Wright, Staff Writer
Orla Gartland
I know I’m just a “Woman on the Internet,” but trust me when I say that Orla Gartland is one of the best Irish musicians—ever. Gartland is an alternative pop musician from Dublin Ireland, and she has been actively releasing music since she was a teenager. Pro tip, you can find videos of her songs from the early 2010s, which are so much fun to discover on top of her official releases. Gartland has released two studio albums to date—her debut studio album, Woman on the Internet, which came out in 2021, and her sophomore album, Everybody Needs a Hero, which was released this past October.
Listening to “Little Chaos” and then listening to “Pretending,” will give you a good idea of the absolute range this woman has. Gartland makes tracks that are so epic, and tracks that are heartfelt and tender. It’s whiplash-y, but in a good way. My all time favorite song of hers is “Zombie!” off of her first album. This could be because of my love for apocalyptic stuff, sure, but also because… listen to it. Some of Gartland’s songs have an effect akin to caffeine, and others feel like a therapy session. “Madison” was a song written about her own therapist, after all. Gartland is also a part of the supergroup FIZZ with her friends (and other well loved musicians) dodie, Greta Isaac and Martin Luke Brown. Gartland has also collaborated with artists such as Declan McKenna, Cavetown, and she has songwriting credits on a BTS song too.
Orla Gartland is a name known and loved in queer spaces, especially because she gained a ton of new listeners when her song “Why Am I Like This?” appeared in the Netflix series Heartstopper. Don’t worry, even if you’re “Late To The Party,” you’re still here at the right time. If you’re angry? Listen to Orla. Sad? Orla. Happy? Orla. Just save yourself the time and listen to Orla Gartland.
- Ella Mastroianni, Staff Writer
