History of Irish Rock Music Resources

The History of Irish Rock Music is an exhibit put together by the Ward Irish Music Archives, Milwaukee Irish Fest. It illuminates the development and history of Irish & Celtic Rock Music in Ireland & Northern Ireland, plus Irish Americans. Below are some of the bands & artists included in the exhibit. In parenthesis are the dates the band or artist first performed or formed.

Irish Beat Bands:

Bluesville (1963)
Them (1963)
The Green Beats (1964)
Granny’s Intentions (1965)
The Chosen Few (1966)
The Action (1966)
Taste (1966)

Folk-Rock:

The Bachelors (1953)
The Johnston’s (1965)
Sweeney’s Men (1966)
Gilbert O’Sullivan (1967)
Paul Brady (1967)
Dr. Strangely Strange (1968)
Emmet Spiceland (1968)
Steeleye Span (1969)
Tir na nOg (1969)
Christy Moore (1970)
Gilbert O’Sullivan (1970)
Clannad (1970)
Planxty (1972)
Spud (1973)
Mary Black (1975)
Luka Bloom (Barry Moore) (1978)
Moving Hearts (1981)
Enya (1982)

Irish Rock:

Van Morrison (1958)
Rory Gallagher (1963)
Danny Hutton (Three Dog Night)(1964)
Phil Lynott (1965)
Eire Apparent (1967)
Skid Row (Irish band) (1967)
Gary Moore (1968)
Thin Lizzy (1970)
Mushroom (1972)
The Undertones (1974)
Chris de Burgh (1974)
The Undertones (1974)
Boomtown Rats (1975)
Bob Geldof (1975)
Feargal Sharkey (1976)
U2 (1976)
Radiators From Space (1976)
Stiff Little Fingers (1977)
The Virgin Prunes (1977)
Siobhan Fahey (Bananarama) (1979)
Mama’s Boys (1979)
Microdisney (1980)
Sinead O’Connor (1981)
In Tua Nua (1982)
Aslan (1982)
The Waterboys (1983)
My Bloody Valentine (1983)
Glen Hansard (1983)
Cactus World News (1984)
That Petrol Emotion (1984)
A House (1985)
Hothouse Flowers (1985)
The Saw Doctors (1986)
Rubyhorse (1988)
Whipping Boy (1988)
An Emotional Fish (1988)
The Fatima Mansions (1988)
Something Happens (1988)
The Divine Comedy (1989)
The Cranberries (1989)
Therapy? (1989)
The 4 of Us (1989)
The Corrs (1990)
The Frames (1990)
Energy Orchard (1990)
The Commitments (1991)
Ash (1992)
Boyzone (1993)
Snow Patrol (1994)
Watercress (1994)
B*Witched (1997)
Westlife (1998)
The Answer (2000)
The Thrills (2001)
The Script (2001)
The Coronas (2003)
Two Door Cinema Club (2007)

Celtic Rock Bands:

Horslips (1972)
Runrig (1973)
Oysterband (1976)
The Pogues (1983)
Kila (1987)
The Drovers (1988)
Rawlins Cross (1988)
Tempest (1988)
Young Dubliners (1988)
Storm (1989)
Black 47 (1989)
Wolfstone (1989)
Shooglenifty (1990)
Goats Don’t Shave (1990)
Peatbog Faeries (1991)
Brother (1992)
Rock, Salt & Nails (1992)
Flogging Molly (1993)
The Tossers (1993)
Seven Nations (1993)
Great Big Sea (1993)
More Power to Your Elbow (1993)
Neck (1994)
Bluehorses (1994)
Afro Celt Sound System (1995)
Screaming Orphans (1995)
Gaelic Storm (1996)
Dropkick Murphys (1996)
Enter the Haggis (1996)
The Killdares (1996)
The Prodigals (1997)
Bad Haggis (1998)
The Elders (1998)
Flatfoot 56 (2000)
Scythian (2002)
Red Hot Chili Pipers (2002)
The Mickey Finns (2006)
The BibleCode Sundays (2006)

Other Artists with Irish Ancestry:

Dusty Springfield (1958)
Gerry Rafferty (1966)
Elvis Costello (1970)
Johnny Rotten (1975)
Morrissey (1977)
Tim & Neil Finn (Crowded House) (1972)
Boy George (1978)
Dexy’s Midnight Runners (1978)
The Smiths (1982)
Beatles: Paul, John & George all had
Some Irish ancestry.

Irish Americans in Rock:

Bill Haley (1946)
Eddie Cochran (1953)
Ted Nugent (1958)
John Fogerty (1959)
Eddie Rabbitt (1959)
Barry McGuire (1962)
Jim Morrison (1965)
David Johansen (Buster Poindexter) (1968)
Bruce Springsteen (1969)
David Cassidy (1969)
Kevin Cronin (REO Speedwagon) (1972)
Johnny Ramone (1974)
Eddie Money (1974)
Shaun Cassidy (1976)
Kurt Cobain (1982)
Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) (1984)
Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) (1985)
Mariah Carey (1986)
Patrick Monahan (Train) (1988)
House of Pain (1991)
Vitamin C (1991)
Christina Aguilera (1993)
Shania Twain (1993)

Internet Resources:

irishrockers.com
 

Bibliography:

• Mark J. Prendergast, Isle of Noises: Rock and Roll’s Roots in Ireland (St. Martin’s Press, 1987).
• Gerry Smyth, Noisy Island: A Short History of Irish Popular Music (Cork University Press, 2005).
• Sean Campbell & Gerry Smyth, Beautiful Day: Forty Years of Irish Rock (Atrium, 2005).

WIMA Collections

• Milwaukee Irish Fest Collection
• Milwaukee Irish Fest Rock Collection