Brown Eyed Girl: The Belfast Man’s 1967 Hit That Still Fills Every Dance Floor
Brown Eyed Girl, recorded in 1967 by Belfast’s Van Morrison, went top ten in America and never left the dance floor. The story behind the song.
Irish Music & Dance
The Boys Are Back in Town: How a Kid From Crumlin Wrote One of the Great Rock Anthems
The Boys Are Back in Town took Thin Lizzy and Phil Lynott, raised in Crumlin, Dublin, around the world in 1976. The story of the song, the band and the statue.
An Old Irish Pub Song Won Metallica a Grammy. This Is the Story of Whiskey in the Jar.
Whiskey in the Jar is a traditional Irish song about a highwayman. How it went from The Dubliners to Thin Lizzy to a Grammy for Metallica.
All I Want: The Heartbreak Song That Took Kodaline From Swords to the World
Kodaline’s All I Want took a band from Swords, Co. Dublin, from a TV talent show to Grey’s Anatomy and the world. The story behind the song.
The Wexford Carol: The Centuries-Old Irish Christmas Carol That Yo-Yo Ma Made Famous Again
The Wexford Carol (Carúl Loch Garman) is Ireland’s best-known Christmas carol. Where it came from, how old it really is, and the versions worth hearing.
Almost 40 Irish Women Sang The Cranberries’ Dreams From Their Homes. It Raised Over a Quarter of a Million Euro.
In 2020 almost 40 Irish female artists recorded The Cranberries’ Dreams from home for Safe Ireland. It topped the Homegrown chart and raised over €250,000.
Chasing Cars: The Snow Patrol Song That Never Hit Number One, Yet Became UK Radio’s Most-Played of the Century
Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol, fronted by Bangor man Gary Lightbody, is the most-played song on UK radio this century. The Grey’s Anatomy moment and the story behind it.
Hall of Fame: The Dublin Band Behind One of the Biggest Anthems of the 2010s
The Script, three lads from Dublin, made Hall of Fame with will.i.am in 2012. How it hit number one, why it is everywhere, and the band since Mark Sheehan.
The Song Played at Every Wedding and Funeral Has a Secret Irish Story
The Irish story behind You Raise Me Up: lyrics by Brendan Graham, a melody inspired by Danny Boy, first sung by Brian Kennedy, then a number one for Westlife.
The Only Song Ever to Hit the UK Charts Sung Entirely in Irish
The story of Clannad’s Theme from Harry’s Game, the 1982 song from the Donegal Gaeltacht that went to number five in the UK, the only UK hit sung entirely in Irish.
A Limerick Teenager Took Home a Guitar Tape. She Came Back With The Cranberries’ First Hit
The story of Linger, the first big hit for Limerick band The Cranberries: how Dolores O’Riordan joined the band, and how a gentle love song went top ten in America.
U2 Played on a Liquor Store Roof in Los Angeles Until the Police Shut Them Down
The story of U2’s 1987 rooftop gig in Los Angeles for Where the Streets Have No Name: a thousand fans, the police shutting it down, and a Grammy-winning video.
The Donegal Song That Comforted America After 9/11
The story of Enya’s Only Time, the song from a Donegal singer that comforted millions after 9/11, and how she became Ireland’s best-selling solo artist.
Ronnie Drew and Shane MacGowan on One Song: The Wild Story of The Irish Rover
Watch The Irish Rover by The Dubliners and The Pogues, the 1987 number one that brought two generations of Irish music together, and find out what the song is really about.
Why Does the Ireland Rugby Team Sing Two Anthems? The Story Behind Ireland’s Call
Why does the Ireland rugby team sing two anthems? The story of Ireland’s Call, written by Phil Coulter in 1995 so players from north and south could sing together.