Ireland has a rich history of music from classical composers to traditional Irish performers. In the 1960s, artists from Ireland began to merge traditional Irish music with popular music at the time and, by the latter part of the decade, performers such as Van Morrison and Thin Lizzy began playing more popular sounds. The list below is an interesting mix of styles and genres from Irish artists that achieved mainstream success in the US since the late 1960s.
Them – Fronted by Van Morrison in the mid to late 1960s, Them were one of the earliest examples of an Irish band making it big outside of their homeland. They hit the US Billboard Top 40 twice in 1965 with “Here Comes the Night” (#24) from the LP Them and “Mystic Eyes” (#33) from the LP The Angry Young Them. Ironically, two of their best known songs – “Gloria” and “Baby Please Don’t Go” did not make the US Top 40.
Thin Lizzy – led by Phil Lynott and featuring several all-time great guitarist (Scott Gotham, Brian Robertson, Gary Moore and John Sykes), Thin Lizzy is considered one of the most influential hard rock bands of all time. Their success in Ireland was massive and while they were a popular live act in the US, they only had one hit in the US Top 40 – “The Boys Are Back in Town” (#12) from the 1976 LP Jailbreak.
Van Morrison – following his stint with Them, Van Morrison embarked on a solo career that rivals most over the past 50 years. With classic albums such as Astral Weeks (1968), Moondance (1970) and Tupelo Honey (1971), Morrison is truly one of the greatest songwriters and singers in pop music history. Surprisingly, Van only reached the Top 40 five times – “Brown Eyed Girl” (#10) from the 1967 LP Blowin’ Your Mind, “Come Running” (#39) from the 1970 LP Moondance, “Domino” (#9) and “Blue Money” (#23) from the 1970 LP His Band and the Street Choir and “Wild Night” (#29) form the 1971 LP Tupelo Honey.
Gilbert O’Sullivan – With 13 Top 10 Hits in Ireland, O’Sullivan was one of the most successful Irish artists of the 1970s. He also had a period of big success in the US with 5 Top 40 hits – “Alone Again (Naturally)” (#1), Clair (#2) and “Out of the Question” (#17) from his 1972 LP Back to Front and “Get Down” (#17) and “Ooh, Baby” (#7) from his 1973 LP I’m a Writer, Not a Fighter. As quickly as he burst on to the US scene, O’Sullivan disappeared from the charts and never released another Top 40 hit after having five between 1971 and 1972.
Chris de Burgh – debuting with his 1974 LP Far Beyond These Castle Walls, de Burgh has released 23 studio albums to date. His chart success was minimal throughout the first decade of his recording career until he released “The Lady in Red” (#3) from his 1986 LP Into the Light. the success of the song was not confined to the US – it was a Top 5 hit in virtually every European country as well as Canada. Chris de Burgh’s only other US Top 40 hit was “Don’t Pay the Ferryman” from the 1982 LP The Getaway.
The Cranberries – from their debut album in 1993, the Cranberries were international stars – selling more than 9 million albums over their first three albums. Their second album – 1994’s No Need to Argue – was a Top 10 seller in virtually every European country as well as Canada and the US, The band also found success with several singles including “Linger” (#8) from the 1993 LP Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? and “Free to Decide” (#22) and “When You’re Gone” from the 1996 LP To the Faithful Departed.
The Corrs – The Irish family band consisting of three sisters (Caroline, Sharon and Andrea) and one brother (Jim), The Corrs were extreme.y popular in their home country from 1995 into the 2000s. In fact, for a string of six albums (4 studio, one live and one best of compilation) from 1997 – 2005 every release reached #1 on Ireland’s album charts. While their third album – Blue released in 2000 – sold 1 million copies in the US they were never as popular across the ocean. The Cords released a few singles in the US but only reached the Top 40 one time with “Breathless” (#34) in 2000.
Snow Patrol – although the Irish indie band did not chart in Ireland early in their recording career, they had some early recognition in the UK charts. In fact, their first two albums – 1998’s Songs for Polarbearsand 2001’s When It’s All Over We Still Have To Clear Up – made little more than a dent in Ireland. Things picked up for Snow Patrol on their third album – Final Straw (2003) – which reached #1 in Ireland and #3 in the UK. From that point forward, Snow Patrol was an unstoppable music force on the Irish and UK charts. In 2006, the band released their fourth album Eyes Open and this time the US took notice. The album contained Snow Patrol’s only US single to land in the Top 40 – “Chasing Cars” which peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Script – Irish rock band The Script burst onto the music scene with immediate success on their self titled debut album in 2008 landing the band at #1 on the Irish album charts. They never let up as all six albums released between 2008 and 2019 went to #1 in Ireland. The band also had huge success on the UK charts with five of their six albums going to #1 (the other peaked at #2). In the US, The Script also found fame and fortune with four Top 40 hits – “Breakeven” (#12) from the 2008 LP The Script, “For the First Time” (#23) and “Nothing” (#32) from their 2010 LP Science & Faith and “Hall of Fame” featuring will.i.am (#25) from their 2012 LP #3.
Enya – Singer-songwriter Enya catapulted to international fame in 1988 with her second album Watermark. To date, the album has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide. However, that was not even her best selling album as her fifth album A Day Without Rain – released in 2000 – has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. In all, her albums have sold more than 40 million copies. Her success in the US is no different with approximately 20 million albums sold. Despite all of that success in the US, Enya’s singles only reached the Billboard Top 40 twice – “Orinoco Flow” (#24) from her Watermark LP and “Only Time” (#10) from A Day Without Rain.
Niall Horan – as one fourth of the British pop band One Direction, Niall Horan achieved massive global success. Horan continued his success with the release of his debut album – Flicker – in 2017 and the follow up Heartbreak Weather in 2020. The debut hit in side the Top 10 albums charts in nearly every European market as well as Canada and the US. On the singles side, Horan has released two singles that made the Top 40 in the US – “This Town” (#20) and “Slow Hands” (#11) both from his Flicker album.
Hozier – with music heavily influenced by soul and folk, Hozier made a huge splash on the music scene in 2013 with his debut single “Take Me to Church.” The single was first released on his debut EP titled Take Me to Church and then was included on his debut LP titled Hozier, released in 2014. The song was an international sensation – peaking at #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 – where it landed at #1 or #2 in across many European countries including Ireland, Germany and The Netherlands as well New Zealand, Australia and Canada. In 2019, Hoziuer returned to the US Top 40 with his guest appearance on the single “The Bones” (#12) by country star Maren Morris.
Sinead O’Connor – Releasing her debut album in 1987 – The Lion and the Cobra – O’Connor attracted immediate attention in the music world with her blend of styles and unmistakeable voice. Her follow up album – 1990’s I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got – became a massive success around the globe where it reached #1 virtually everywhere it was released including the US, UK, Ireland, Germany, Australia and Sweden. Throughout her career, O’Connor has released 10 studio albums and several singles. O’Connor released 13 singles that landed in the Top 40 in Ireland including “Mandinka” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Meanwhile, in the US she only reached the Billboard Top 40 one time with the Prince song Nothing Compares 2 U (#1) from her 1990 LP I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.
U2 – saving the best for last, U2 is far and away the most successful Irish act in popular music history. With 14 studio albums and nearly 70 singles since they recorded their first EP Three in 1979. Although they had their first major hit in Ireland – “Fire” (#4) from their 1981 LP October – and in the UK with “New Year’s Day” from their 1982 LP War, U2 did not chart in the US Top 40 until 1984 with “Pride (In the Name of Love” from the fourth LP The Unforgettable Fire. By the middle of 1987, U2 were massive stars in the US with two singles that reached #1 – “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” from their global smash album The Joshua Tree. In all, U2 has released 16 singles that reached the US Billboard Top 40 – including six Top 10 hits.
