10 Popular Irish Songs for St. Patrick’s Day

1. The Cranberries – Linger

The Cranberries’ classic song was released in 1993. Written by lead singer Dolores O’Riordan, the song speaks of lost love and longing for a former lover.

Excerpt from its lyrics:

“If you, if you could return
Don’t let it burn
Don’t let it fade
I’m sure I’m not being rude
But it’s just your attitude
It’s tearing me apart
It’s ruining every day
I swore, I swore I would be true
And honey so did you
So why were you holding her hand?
Is that the way we stand?
Were you lying all the time?
Was it just a game to you?”

2. Danny Boy by Irish Tenors

This traditional Irish classic is a beloved Irish song which tells of a young Irishman’s longing for his homeland.

Excerpt from lyrics:

“O Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen and down the mountainside
The summer’s gone and all the roses dying
It’s you, it’s you must go and I must bide
But come ye back when summer’s in the meadow
Or when the valley’s hushed and white with snow
‘Tis I’ll be here in sunshine or in shadow
O Danny boy, O Danny boy, I love you so.”

3. The Auld Triangle by The Dubliners

This rousing Irish folk song tells of the Irishmen who were imprisoned in a triangular prison during the Irish War for Independence.

Excerpt from lyrics:

“A hungry feeling came o’er me stealing
And the mice were squealing in my prison cell
And the old triangle went jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal
To begin the morning a screw was bawling
‘Get up you bowsie and clean up your cell’
And the old triangle went jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal.”

4. “Molly Malone” by The Dubliners

Molly Malone tells a story of a young Irish girl named Molly Malone who sells seafood for a living in the streets of Dublin. It is considered one of the most iconic Irish songs and is popularly sung on St. Patrick’s Day.

Excerpt from lyrics:

“In Dublin’s fair city
Where the girls are so pretty
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone
As she wheeled her wheelbarrow
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying, “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!”
Alive, alive, oh
Alive, alive, oh
Crying, “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh”

5. Whiskey in the jar by thin lizzy

This Irish folk song tells the story of a highwayman who is betrayed by his beloved. It has become one of the most popular Irish songs and is often sung on St. Patrick’s day.

Excerpt from lyrics:

“As I was goin’ over the Cork and Kerry mountains
I saw Captain Farrell and his money he was countin’
I first produced my pistol and then produced my rapier
I said, “Stand and deliver, or the devil, he may take you”
Mush-a ring, dum-a doo-dam-a-da
Whack for my daddy-o
Whack for my daddy-o
There’s whiskey in the jar-o”

6. The foggy dew by sinead o’connor

This Irish traditional ballad tells the story of Irish revolutionaries who, in the spring of 1916, chose to fight for Irish freedom.

Excerpt from lyrics:

“As down the glen one Easter morn
To a city fair rode I
There armed lines of marching men
In squadrons passed me by
No pipe did hum
No battle drum did sound its loud tattoo
But the Angelus Bells o’er the Liffey swells
Rang out in the foggy dew”

7.”Saints and Sinners”, Paddy Casey

“Saints and Sinners” by Irish singer/songwriter Paddy Casey is a heartfelt tribute to Irish history, capturing the struggle for Irish freedom and national identity.

Excerpt from lyrics:

“Anyone can lose it all
Anyone can lose it all
If you don’t heed your warnings call
Anyone can loose it all
Anyone can make a mess
Anyone can make a mess
Just take so much and make it less
Anyone can make a mess”

8. “Star of the County Down” by The Irish Rovers

This Irish traditional folk song is an Irish classic, telling the story of a young Irish lass who catches the eye of all the men in her town.

Excerpt from lyrics:

“Near Banbridge town, in the County Down
One morning last July
Down a boreen green came a sweet colleen
And she smiled as she passed me by
She looked so sweet from her two bare feet
To the sheen of her nut brown hair
Such a winsome elf, I’m ashamed of myself
For the see of her standing there”

9. “Zombie” — The Cranberries

Irish rock band The Cranberries’ hit song, “Zombie,” was released in 1994 and became an instant classic. Written by lead singer Dolores O’Riordan, the song is a powerful tribute to Irish history and the Irish War for Independence.

Excerpt from lyrics:

“Another head hangs lowly
Child is slowly taken
And the violence caused such silence
Who are we mistaken?
But you see, it’s not me
It’s not my family
In your head, in your head, they are fighting
With their tanks and their bombs
And their bombs and their guns
In your head, in your head, they are crying”

10. “Orinoco Flow” — Enya

Enya’s 1988 classic is an Irish-influenced song that talks about sailing to new horizons and discovering the beauty of nature. The song has become a popular Irish anthem, often performed on St. Patrick’s Day.

Excerpt from lyrics:

“Let me sail let me sail let the Orinoco flow
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
From Bissau to Palau, in the shade of Avalon
From Fiji to Tyree and the Isles of Ebony
From Peru to Cebu, hear the power of Babylon
From Bali to Cali, far beneath the Coral Sea”