This list is more than just a list of every release of the year in Ireland, like Choice’s list here. This list allows you to listen to, read about, and sample a little bit of every single Irish album released in 2010. I tried to use album reviews from as wide a variety of Irish music websites and music blogs as possible.


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Danú Seanchas (Own Label)

“The band has settled somehow, lacking some of its youthful vigour. So “Seanchas” is not creating the spark that many would love to get, which doesn’t mean that this is a bad album. On the contrary. Here are performers that were great a decade ago, and now even more mature, and since they are never tired of the road there is supposed to be a show in a theatre nearby.” Folkworld

Cathy Davey The Nameless (Hammer Toe Records)

“The album is masterfully arranged, a tremendous job has gone into the album, from everyone involved. But the star of the show remains that gorgeous voice. There isn’t many better instruments in Ireland. Glorious, and yet another reason why 2010 is proving to be the best year ever for Irish music.” Swear I’m Not Paul

The Dead Flags Gentlemen’s Club (Lakota)

“Our lady-loving threesome are storytellers. No random, abstract lyrics here but clear-cut tales of love and lust. And they try so very hard to be clever and witty with their odes. Sometimes it works. ‘Let’s Start a Fire Tonight’ might just be one of the best Irish pop songs of the year. Ridiculously catchy, it takes the clichéd romantic notion of ‘starting a fire’ and turns it on its head. All handclaps and falsetto harmonies, it’s an engaging, crafty little number.” 7/10, AU Magazine

John Deery & The Heads Smoke and Mirrors (Self Release)

“Derry native John Deery’s latest release is a collection of beautifully crafted songs oozing with musical and lyrical confidence…A little gem from one of the city’s finest talents.” Pure Magazine

LJ Devlin Hunter’s Moon (Self Release)

Amys Song

The Dinah Brand I Can Walk Through (Transduction Records)

“Opener ‘Reunion’ is a delightful piece of country-pop, as is the follow-up ‘What’s Required Of A Person’ – this one could quite easily slot into your favourite episode of Scrubs, and to me there’s no higher accolade. When the brass kicks in on the latter The Dinah Brand could quite easily become your favourite five-piece.” The Line of Best Fit

The Dirty 9s Stop Screaming Start Dreaming (Sci-Fi Girl records)

“The album is a great start for a young band that should have a massive career. The initial feeling I got from the first listen was that The Dirty 9s have it in them to become a super cool indie rock band like say Placebo or The National. However on this effort they lean towards the power pop of successful Irish bands the Coronas and The Blizzards.” 9/12, 2UIBestow

The Divine Comedy Bang Goes the Knighthood (DCR Records)

“Neil Hannon has always been a fantastic lyricist. It’s probably the best thing about the Divine Comedy. (That said the music is awesome too). Less than a minute into Bang Goes the Knighthood, you know you’re in for a treat. Who can’t relate to the line “Talk about how the film ain’t half as good as the book”? Fabulous. This is the Divine Comedy’s tenth album, and is probably their best since Fin de Siecle.” Swear I’m Not Paul

Kevin Doherty Telegraph (Big River Records)

“This is Kevin Doherty’s third solo album, and the Donegal-born singer-songwriter just gets better and better. There are few inventive writers who have such an easy and winning way with melody, and certainly only a handful who have managed to create a signature sound so rich in Americana. The more one listens to this warm, understated album of fine detail, the more there is to hear. For instance, James Delaney’s rippling piano frills in the gorgeously soulful Country Music are typical of the lightly applied but brilliant splashes of colour that enrich each song.” 5/5, Irish Times

Paul Dooley The Harper’s Fancy (Own Label)

“Dan R MacDonald’s oft-recorded strathspey Lime Hill is taken rather quicker, and Caber Feigh is played as a slow reel to complement Neil Dickie’s oddly-named reel Patti. Any stylish performance of Miss Monaghan will get extra marks from me, but even without this The Harper’s Fancy is an exceptional album, highly recommended for all harp fans.” Irish Music Magazine Paul Dooley – ‘Loftus Jones’

Peter Doran Sleepless Street (Self Released)

“I can’t help but draw comparisons to Mic Christopher with this album, albeit a lot more polished. We’ve had a distinct lack of male folky singer-songwriters that don’t suck in the last couple of years. It’s time for someone to hold the flame alight for the future, and Peter is Pop Culture Monster’s firm favourite for the distinction.” Pop Culture Monster

Hugh Doolan Slopey (Own Label)

“Doolan takes his well crafted songs and turns them into warm and inviting pieces with his cast of talented musicians. His voice is soulful and embeds a sense of heartfelt sincerity.” RadioIndy

Johnny Duhan The Burning Wood (Blue Grace Music)

“There is loss here, as well as love, tenderness, friendship and an affecting, contemplative disclosure that other singer-songwriters, young and old, would burn their rhyming dictionaries for. That Duhan is still around after all these years, making records as good and as thoughtful as The Burning Word, is to be celebrated.” 4/5, Irish Times

Duke Special The Stage, A Book & The Silver Screen (Self Released)

“Overall, for three albums taking inspiration from unconnected and unusual places, Special has pulled off the seemingly impossible. Not only are each of the albums thoroughly enjoyable and listenable, but they work together as a set. Bravo, Duke Special!” There Goes the Fear

Martin A. Egan The Tune (Slinky Vibe)

Electric Penguins II (Talking Tiger Records)

“II is a really impressive album, it’s beautifully arranged, and listening to it you get the impression that you’re experiencing something very special. The instruments are wonderfully layered but there’s not a tambourine shake or synth echo out of place. It doesn’t have a very definitive sound, which makes it really quite charming. It has the same sophisticated strangeness of early David Bowie and the emotion and appeal of Sigur Ros.” Oxygen.ie

Enemies We’ve Been Talking (Richter Collective)

“While We’ve Been Talking close to flawless in most respects, it will likely fall on deaf ears in many circles. Musicians and aficionados of the prog and post-rock genres will most likely go bonkers for this album, but I can only foresee it garnering a cult following, at most. Not that that’s anything to scoff at; most bands would kill for a cult following, and some bands flourish on the passionate monetary outpourings of their cult followers, touring non-stop to collect this fan or that, a handful at a time. This is what I hope for Enemies. They’re a solid band full of solid musicians who know how to shape a solid song/album, and that alone should do them well.” 77/100, In Your Speakers

Simon Fagan Outside Looking In (Loose Robe Productions)

“I really liked this album. It has a very chilled folk vibe that I really love (think Scrubs Soundtrack). It’s a Sunday afternoon drive album. The first track is really catchy, it’s one of those songs that you instantly start tapping along to.” 9/10, Drop-d

Fiach So I (Marcella Records)

“This hidden talent is about to explode all across Ireland and beyond. It is only a matter of time until all his hard work pays off. This is an album that deserves to be played, listened to and sung along with. Definitely worth the wait” Live Peep Show Fiach – ‘Lullabye’

Fight Like Apes The Body of Christ & The Legs of Tina Turner (Model Citizen)

“This album is a beautiful progression for the band, it’s not everything that I was expecting, but I still think it’s a very, very good album with some killer tracks bound for radio over the next year.” Goldenplec

Brian Finnegan The Ravishing Genius of Bones (Own Label)

“What most stands out about this album is Finnegan’s attention to every detail. “Bones” is not a collection of sets and tunes that merely go together–it’s a complete and unified vision, a kind of giant wall mural of musical ideas and themes. ” Irish Philadelphia

The Flaws Constant Adventure (Arrivals Hall)

“The title track, which opens this album, is cut from the same cloth as latter Snow Patrol — a slickly produced, radio-friendly, hook-laden tune boasting a singer that sounds uncannily like Gary Lightbody, and several other tracks on the album could stump even seasoned Snow Patrol watchers.” Irish Independent

Lucy Foley Copenhagen (Own Label)

“Recently we heard Lucy Foley sing for the first time. It was stunning. We love her Irish poetic songwriting style and her gorgeous voice that evokes a feeling of stories kept secret from long ago. While she has worked hard at her craft for some time, she is just now receiving wider notice.” Bitches on a Budget

Edel Fox Chords and Beryls (Own Label)

“In Cleary’s ‘the Blondes’ Bar, Miltown Malbay, a five-year-old Edel Fox begged her father to arrange for her to hold another young musician’s concertina. Concertina player Edel Fox will release her first solo album, Chords and Beryls, in the middle of June. That was the start of her love of concertina music, an event that would carve out her future path towards becoming one of the country’s finest traditional concertina players.” Clare Champion Edel Fox – Sample

Frantic Jack Independence (Self Released)

“Despite the great rock songs, the true gems of this album are the acoustic rock and power ballad songs. Overall I think Frantic Jack have set a fairly high standard with “Independence” and I sincerely hope that future work will only get better.” 5/6, Music Review Unsigned

Anthony Furey and the Young Folk I’ve Been here Before (Self Release)

“‘I’ve Been Here Before … ‘ isn’t a perfect album. There are a few blips in quality on one or two of the tracks. So while I love many of the tracks on the album I won’t be claiming this as a revelation of an album. If you want an album of really good songs, well written with a personality and charm then check out this album!” 10/12, 2UIBestow

Bobby Gardiner The High Level (Own Label)

“I’ve never forgotten the mighty lift in his music. It’s the kind of lift that makes a great dancer have to dance. Bobby is the master of this rhythm, and yet he remains sensitive to the beauty of the melody, never overcrowding it with more ornaments than are needed.” Martin Hayes

Gavin Glass Myna Birds (Independent Release)

“Myna Birds is a vast album, spanning the roots of music from jazz to the increasingly popular indie-rock cliché. It’s a spinning contradiction in that it’s impossible to pin down, but can also be defined in one word. Summer. It’s so rare to find a perfect summer album that isn’t one of those driving albums riddled with questionable 80’s hits.” Geeks.co.uk

General Fiasco Buildings (Infectious)

“As it stands, the album is fit to burst with tunes destined for the charts, so if your guilty pleasure is singing along to an album of unashamedly disposable pop music, then you may well find it in Buildings.” Belfast Music

Eoin Glackin Not Lost (Self Released)

Glyder Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow (SPV)

“In their bio, Irish rockers Glyder say they were “raised on a healthy diet of Thin Lizzy,” and you can definitely hear that in the heavy-pop dual guitar grooves they lay down on their latest album, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.” 3/5, Metal Underground

God is an Astronaut Age of The Fifth Sun (Self Released)

“There’s much here to love for fans of the genre and in spite of this writer’s reservations, it’s difficult to deny the qualities GIAA bring to the post-rock table.” 77/10, Rocksound

Grand Pocket Orchestra The Ice Cream (Self Released)

“The opening track immediately grabs your attention, shakes you violently awake and lets you know what you’re in for. And what a jam-packed 36 minute journey it is. 18 tracks of high energy, synth-fueled music mayhem later, you’ll press play again, to see what you missed first time around.” 3/5, State Magazine

Marianne Green with Andy Irvine Dear Irish Boy (Glas Records)

“Marianne Green sings with a voice as gentle and delicate-sounding as Belleek porcelain. But delicate doesn’t mean fragile. Green’s lovely voice is a strong presence on her first full-length recording, Dear Irish Boy. Musically, Green came to this race with a stallion in her stable. Renowned Irish musician Andy Irvine not only produced the album and arranged the music, he supplied mandolin, bouzouki, mandola, bass bouzouki and harmonica to the tracks. Recording engineer Colum Sands provides double bass and concertina, and Gerry O’Conner adds violin.” Rambles.net

Groom Marriage (Popical Island)

“This is very much an album’s album, with every song merging nicely into the next, and despite its pace changes and a strong prevalence of negativity in amongst the loving theme, it all holds together extremely well. File amongst ‘poetic, heartfelt, genre-bending pop’, grab each other’s hands and dance along to the realities of love, sappiness aside. In Marriage, Groom have it nailed right on.” 4/5, State Magazine

The Grunts Reflections in my Mirror Shades (Self Released)

“”Raw exuberance scores for cork indie offering”…”evokes the earthy innocence of early REM and echo and the bunnymen”….”a floating psychedelic subtlety”" 3.5/5, Hot Press

The Guggenheim Grotto The Universe is Laughing (Self Released)

“The Universe is Laughing is a gorgeous collection of songs that explore the themes of mankind’s infinite search for love, understanding, wanting and fulfillment. Each song feels like a moment in time where you are getting a glimpse into someone’s soul.” muphoric sounds