Today FM listeners have crowned Zombie by The Cranberries the greatest irish songs entry in a listener vote that produced a full 100-title ranking. The radio station ran the poll and received over 80, 000 votes, announcing its top 10 as part of the project. The list places classic and recent Irish recordings side by side, with Kingfishr’s Killeagh entering the top 10 and The Wolfe Tones’ Grace at number 11.
Greatest Irish Songs: The Top Ten Revealed
In the headline positions drawn from the Today FM listener poll: Zombie by The Cranberries holds the top spot, followed by Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinéad O’Connor at number two and A Rainy Night in Soho by The Pogues at number three. The Cranberries claim a second listing at number four with Dreams. Hozier’s Take Me to Church appears at number five, Crazy World by Aslan at six, Brewing Up a Storm by The Stunning at seven, and Killeagh by Kingfishr sits at eight. The Pogues return at nine with Fairytale of New York, while U2 round out the top 10 with With or Without You. Today FM reports the poll drew more than 80, 000 listener votes for its 100 Greatest Irish songs project.
Reactions, Context and What’s Next
Local reaction to placements on the list has focused on both heritage tracks and newer entries. Donie Cassidy, businessman and former politician, commented on the enduring appeal of a song tied to his county: “The fact that the song is more popular than ever is a testament to the songwriting abilities of its creators, Sean and Frank O’Meara, ” referencing Grace and its persistent reach in Irish music culture. Grace by The Wolfe Tones is named at number 11 on the Today FM list; the song was written by Sean and Frank O’Meara, with publishing rights owned by Donie Cassidy and his son Peter. The original recording was a major hit for Jim McCann on its 1986 release and remained in the Irish charts for more than six months, and the composition has been recorded by more than 100 artists including Rod Stewart, The Dubliners, Foster and Allen, and The Wolfe Tones.
Kingfishr’s Killeagh is highlighted as a recent success story: the track, an ode to the home village and the GAA club of Kingfishr’s guitarist Eoin Fitzgibbon, first reached number one in the Irish charts in May of the previous year and was also last Christmas’s number one single. The song was also Ireland’s most-streamed track on Spotify for the calendar year referenced in the poll coverage.
In other cultural connections noted by organisers, a cover of A Rainy Night in Soho by Bruce Springsteen will appear on a forthcoming tribute album to the late Shane MacGowan titled 20th Century Paddy: The Songs of Shane MacGowan, which is scheduled for release in November and will feature multiple guest artists including Hozier. Separately, U2 have recently released a politically charged EP titled Days of Ash that includes songs addressing the war in Ukraine and the fatal shooting of Renée Good in Minneapolis.
What comes next: the full 100-song ranking published by the station will remain a reference point for public debate on Irish music, and the announced tribute album and recent releases noted on the list are likely to keep these songs in the public conversation. Further statements from artists and rights holders may follow as the wider list circulates among listeners and industry figures.
