How the Irish Have Impacted Music

It all originated with the folk songs of Ireland. Arguably the best musician of this genre was Turlough Carolan (1670-1738). He wrote over 200 compositions which could be considered classical but are still played today as folk music of Ireland.

Now let's get into the more modern era of artists with a more defined impact on the music industry. One of, if not the, most famous of these artists is none other than U2. Almost anyone who is at least a casual listener of different genres has heard of the infamous group consisting of Bono (vocals and guitar), The Edge (keyboard, guitar, and vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums and percussion). Since 1976 when the band started, this Irish band has sold 170 million records, won several Grammy awards, and been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone magazine listed U2 as the 22nd best artist of all time.

The next great artist to impact our modern music is the great Van Morrison of northern Ireland. He has been a singer, songwriter, author, poet, and multi-instrumentalist since the 1950s. He sings of a unique mix of blues, folk, Irish, scat, and Celtic influences, considered by some as the most unusual and influential vocalists in the history of rock and roll. “Van the Man” started out as the lead singer in the band “Them” in the 60s, but then later left to lead a successful solo career. Rolling Stone magazine also ranked Van Morrison on their top 100 artists of all time. He came in at 42nd on the list.

Those two are definitively the best of the Irish artists but there are many more who are still well-known. These include the lighthearted sound of The Pogues, with unique Irish folk rock music. Another of these is the Chieftains, a Grammy-winning band known as the first to popularize Irish traditional music. The Corrs women have two elements that will make any man listen: their sweet-sounding voices and music and their charming faces. Also included are Westlife, Thin Lizzy, Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, Enya, Riverdance, Boyzone, and Keane.

When you compare the Irish to other cultures, they really have a unique impact on our modern music today. The Irish have produced almost 15 well-known bands which have won Grammy's and sold millions of records. They've made it ot the top 100 artists of all time and without them we wouldn't have hits such as Beautiful Day by U2, Moon Dance by Van Morrison, and other popular songs such as Cockles and Mussels, Finnegan's Wake, When Irish Eyes are Smiling, and Danny Boy.