AU Magazine are looking for your favourite Irish albums of the decade and you only have til Monday 23rd November to vote. Compile a list of up to 20 Irish albums ranked in order, North or South that were released since January 1st 2000 and send it to [email protected] .
I’ve yet to finalise my own list but I’m sure it will feature albums like Nina Hynes’ Staros, David Kitt’s The Big Romance, Dry County’s Unexpected Falls, Adebisi Shank’s This is the album of a band called Adebisi Shank, David Holmes’ Bow Down to the Exit Sign, Super Extra Bonus Party’s Night Horses, Mumblin Deaf Ro’s The Herring and the Brine, The Frames’ For the Birds, Jape’s Ritual, Heathers’ Here, Not There, Sarsparilla’s Karahee, Deep Burial’s Black Music , And So I Watch You From Afar’s self-titled debut, Redneck Manifesto’s I Am Brazil, The Vinny Club’s Rocky IV Reckyrd, Fight Like Apes’ debut, Messiah J and the Expert’s From the Word Go, Adrian Crowley’s Season of the Sparks, The Jimmy Cake’s Spectre and Crown and maybe Patrick Kelleher’s You Look Cold.
In fact, I think an Irish albums of the decade podcast or post is in order before November is out.
For now though, witness a song from one of my most cherished Irish albums, Staros by Nina Hynes who has a new project called Sending Letters to Sea. More info here.

Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
currently putting mine together now so ta for reminding me about messiah j…..
for me, desert hearts, alloy mental, divine comedy, republic of loose, olympic lifts, the thrills and the jane bradfords will all battle it out for top ten places….
Good stuff Rigsy,
Also good to see a completely different list there from you compared to mine.
Universal would feature in my top ten Irish songs of the decade!
Will be a fascinating read when AU’s list is published!
Agree with nearly everything on your list there Nialler!
So Cow- So Cow LP, NPB- This is my happening and it fucks me up, Jeff Martin- Spoons, Bats- Red in Tooth and Claw and Panda Kopanda- This Hope Will Kill Us would also be included in mine.
this is harder than first imagined ,big up irish music of the last decade
super extra bonus party,desert hearts deffinatley in there!!!!! ,
future kings of spain ,
si schroder ,
patrick kelleher ,
joe chester murder of crows ,
hulk silver threads of ghosts ,
a lazarus soul graveyard of burned out cars ftw 🙂
Looking forward to seeing your list Niall!
The overall list has been great fun to compile, like a massive version of Eurovision voting. We’ve had votes for 265 different albums so far. Still time to get lists in as well.
A lazarus Soul would be up on top for me, also for the Birds, Square one by Kittser, Nighthorses-Sebp, 33 1/3 grand Street – Mark Geary,Planxty -Live 2004,Jinx Lennon-30 beacons of light,The Mighty Stef-100 Midnights, The Things-Some kind of Kick,Republic of Loose- Tomb of the juice ( Along with Nighthorses a brilliant original work)
oh no! the christmas crazy list season starts early this year !!
not really in any kinda order these are just the ones which popped into my head.. i’d imagine that since its an au poll asiwyfa will come out trumps tho 😀
1. Adrian Crowley – “Long Distance Swimmer”
2. Jeff Martin – “Spoons”
3. Si Schroeder – “Coping Mechanisms”
4. Halfset – “Another Way of Being There”
5. Hulk – “The Silver Thread of Ghosts”
6. Sunken Foal – “Fallen Arches”
7. Boxcutter – “Oneiric”
8. Tracer AMC – “Islands”
9. The Redneck Manifesto – “I Am Brazil”
10. 3epkano – “At Land”
11. Alias Empire – “Unexpected Falls”
12. Ambulance – “The Curse of Vale do Lobo”
13. RL/VL – “Chagrin”
14. Patrick Kelleher – “You Look Cold”
15. Holt – “80 Mile Beach”
16. Robyn Shiels – “A Lifetime of Midnights”
17. Preak Faeans – “Wintering Out”
18. A Lazarus Soul – “Graveyard of Burnt Out Cars”
19. Three Tales – “Three Tales”
20. Autamata – “Colours of Sound”
Would love to have included others by Waiting Room, Jinx Lennon, Jimmy Behan, Northstation, Holy Roman Army, United Bible Studies etc. but just ran out of room 🙁
thirtysixstrings is still my favourite rednecks album, and “know your station gouger nation” my favourite jinx album. No-one mentioned Dinah Brand yet – “Pale Monkey Blues” definitely up there for me, along with Watercress’s “Bummer”. Oh and what about giveamanakick? And Delorentos and Settler and Boxes and … and lots more 🙂 Better submit my own list