tunesday – 7 irish musos to check out this st patrick's day

The luck of the Irish seems to have seeped into the kaleidoscope of sounds coming out of the storytelling nation. Despite its relatively small size, Ireland’s music scene has massive heart, propelling a new wave of top-notch musicians across every genre. We’ve put together a list of some of our favourites, so you can celebrate St Patrick’s Day with a crapload of grand tunes, smooth sounds and old-fashioned craic.

KNEECAP We needn’t introduce Belfast-born hip hop trio KNEECAP, but we will anyway. The lads have had a tremendous past couple of years of album releases, award wins, their own biographical film, and even a purportedly 10,000-strong crowd at a Fed Square gig in Melbourne/Naarm last year. Singing and rapping in Irish and English, the trio have been big advocates of sustaining the Irish language and speaking out on the Gaza genocide.

FONTAINES D.C. Far from new to the music scene, Fontaines D.C. have delighted rock fans the world over for the past dozen years and four albums. Having originally bonded over a love of poetry in 2014, bandmates Grian Chatten, Conor Curley, Conor “Deego” Deegan III, Tom Coll and Carlos O’Connell have continued to blast the wax out of eardrums and the feeling into hearts with their most recent masterpiece of an album, Romance.

CMAT CMAT is the kind of musician that was made to be on the stage. The Dublin-born superstar crafts indie pop sounds that are beloved by the masses, in Ireland and beyond. Her latest album from 2025, Euro-Country, is one for the ages, having performed it live at last year’s Glastonbury. Ciara – the lass behind CMAT – says that she is “making music for the girls and the gays and that’s it”. Need we say more?

NEWDAD If lo-fi indie rock is your cup of tea, start boiling the kettle. Galway-born shoegaze band NewDad has the special sauce when it comes to crafting dreamy tunes, perfect for listening to as you glide along horizons of green-covered hills with the windows down. Having formed in 2018, NewDad have a couple of albums and a few EPs to their name – including album Altar and EP Safe, both released last year.

CARDINALS Cork-based five-piece Cardinals have been dubbed as no less than “Ireland’s next great hope” by NME thanks to their newly released debut album Masquerade. Already picking up fans across Ireland and the United Kingdom, it’s only a matter of time before Cardinals come down under and pick up a whole slew more. Chuck on these fellas when you’re in the mood for indie gothic rock mixed in with bouts of anxiety and hope.

ENOLA GAY Irish noise-punk quartet Enola Gay deliver tumbling tunes that span genre and form. A dash of hip hop is mixed in with a crapload of guitars, plus a sprinkle of electronica and a splash of techno. Basically, this Belfast-based band refuses to be limited to any one sound – furthering Irish indie music’s reputation for pushing the sonic boundaries.

SPRINTS Get ready to throw your body around like a ragdoll and shout your intestines out through your mouth – SPRINTS have arrived. The Dublin four-piece are making waves in the Irish post-punk scene, and for good reason. Their most recent (and sophomore) album, All That Is Over, is a breathless cacophony of a journey, leaving eardrums raw while begging for more. Tune in to these folk when you’re feeling ferocious.

We hope these Irish musos are exactly what you’re thirsty for this St Patrick’s Day. If you’re wanting to feast your ears on some local talent, get a load of these fresh Aussie musicians. Sign up to our newsletter to discover more.