10 Great Celtic Rock Bands Who Are Essential Listening On St Patrick's Day (2025)

It's the middle of March, and that means it's time for one of the most confused holidays in modern America – not the Ides of March, sadly, but St. Patrick's Day. While it's a relatively minor occasion back in Ireland, just one of many Catholic holidays venerating saints, here in the United States it has become one of the last remaining major celebrations of Irish culture and the contributions Irish immigrants made to America during its golden years.

Irish immigrants have been an integral part of American culture from the very beginning, and were a fundamental part of the development of American folk music traditions as early as the 17th century. Yet the 19th century saw a massive influx of the Irish, seeking their own chance at prosperity. While that led to Irish culture becoming a cornerstone of working-class America for a while, now Irish culture is mostly used as a national excuse to get drunk on green beer every March 17, occasionally cheer for the Boston Celtics, and watch strange St. Patrick's Day-themed horror movies.

Yet for those who want to be mindful of just why they're knocking back a drop of the creature, there's a beautiful tapestry of Irish history and culture to be found in the music beyond what might come up in St. Patrick's Day sitcom episodes. Celtic rock is a genre that evolved in the latter half of the 20th century, as '80s post-punk groups like The Pogues began combining punk's anti-authoritarian politics and rough sound with traditional Irish compositions and rebel songs.

The '90s saw bands in the US and Canada follow suit in picking up the Irish flag, and the genre exploded in the mid-2000s when powerhouse bands like the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly began topping charts internationally. So this March 17th, instead of getting wrapped up in another rom-com with a terrible understanding of Ireland, enjoy some of the best modern Celtic rock bands and find that proper Irish rebel spirit.

10 The Real McKenzies

Essential Listening: Off The Leash (2008)

Canadian Celtic punks The Real McKenzies got their start in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1992, and were one of the first major Celtic bands to emerge as a result of The Pogues finding international success. From the beginning, The Real McKenzies' sound has been heavily on the punk end of the Celtic-to-punk spectrum, and have been a fixture of international punk label Fat Wreck Chords since their 2005 album 10,000 Shots.

Combining an intense sense of Scottish pride, boisterous stage presence, and tongue-in-cheek parodies of pop songs, The Real McKenzies bring a proper Celtic frenzy to any party. Their latest releases, particularly 2022's Songs of the Highlands, Songs of the Sea, also go particularly heavy on the sea shanties, which have been a longstanding part of Irish folk tradition since the 15th century.

9 Tempest

Essential Listening: Shapeshifter (2003)

California-based Celtic rockers Tempest are coming up on their fourth decade of nearly constant touring and recording, making them one of the longest-running and hardest-working bands in the genre. From their very first album, 1991's Bootleg, to their latest release, 2022's Going Home, the band has consistently put out fantastic folk rock that blends Celtic sounds, Americana, prog rock, and a healthy dollop of traditional Norwegian folk music, thanks in no small part to Norwegian-born frontman Lief Sørbye.

Both with Tempest and on his own, Sørbye has contributed to a huge number of projects, including working with prog-rock mainstay Robert Berry to record a soundtrack album inspired by Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time book series. Tempest's 2003 album Shapeshifter is the perfect encapsulation of the band's sound, with raucous takes on Celtic traditionals like "Byker Hill" and great uptempo Norwegian folk tunes like "Fjellmanjenta."

8 Gaelic Storm

Essential Listening: Special Reserve (2003)

It was less than a year after Gaelic Storm's founding in 1996 that the band found themselves at the center of international attention – not because of any scandal or crisis, but because they were cast in James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster film Titanic as the band playing at the party on the ship's steerage deck. The band recorded four traditional Irish tunes for Titanic's soundtrack, a medley of which can be found on Special Reserve, their 2003 compilation that combines their first three albums and several freshly recorded tracks.

Although Gaelic Storm occasionally experiment with new sounds, such as on the catchy droning "Beggarman," in general they're a staunchly traditional group of Celtic rockers. Since Special Reserve's release, they've put out another nine full studio albums and another compilation, as well as a series of livestreams from the early COVID era still available to watch on their YouTube channel.

7 The Tossers

Essential Listening: Agony (2007)

Another of the second-wave Celtic punk bands, The Tossers formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1992. While they never took off in popularity in the same way as later bands, like The Dropkick Murphys or Flogging Molly, they've maintained a solid fanbase for over thirty years, and in that time have released eleven full studio albums, as well as two live albums.

The Tossers' music earnestly embodies the strong dichotomy at the heart of Irish-American culture: it's equal parts boisterous party and mournful lament. This is especially true on Agony, which runs the emotional gamut by starting with the tragic "Never Enough," picks up with the powerful love song "Claddagh" at the halfway point, bounces off the intensely anti-establishment "Political Scum," and sticks the landing with the anthemic ballad "Be."

6 Oysterband

Essential Listening: Holy Bandits (1993)

First named Oyster Ceilidh Band, then The Oyster Band, and finally just Oysterband, this English folk-punk band has evolved over the decades – having first formed all the way back in 1976 – and have collaborated with a whole host of folk and punk musicians both, from legendary folk singer June Tabor to criminally underrated anarcho-punks Chumbawamba. Through it all, they've brought a rambunctious live energy, some incredible vocal harmonies, and a beautiful blend of traditional and modern folk sounds.

​​​​​Holy Bandits, the band's 1993 outing, is full of rolling and rollicking folk rhythms and riffs, including the standout track "When I'm Up, I Can't Get Down," which was covered by Newfoundland folk group Great Big Sea in 1997 and made it all the way into the top 10 of the Canadian Top Singles chart. Sadly, 2025 will be the end of Oysterband's touring days, but their half-century of music still exists to bring joy into the hearts of listeners worldwide.

5 Hozier

Essential Listening: Wasteland, Baby! (2019)

Everyone remembers Hozier exploding onto the music scene with his explosive debut single "Take Me to Church" in 2013, but in the dozen years since, he's done even more incredible work, with dynamite releases like Wasteland, Baby! and Unreal Unearth constantly pushing him into new sounds and new styles. With influences from classic R&B stars, modern electronica, and classic literature, as well as his obviously deep love for his own Irish roots, Hozier is one of the most passionate and multi-talented musicians out there right now.

With his juxtaposition of Irish traditionals and modern pop, Hozier is one of the most talented and political musicians currently releasing music. While his Irish style isn't always apparent – his style evolves from album to album – the pieces are there for those who listen closely, like on the heartbreaking ballad "Shrike" or the rebel song-influenced "Moment's Silence (Common Tongue)."

4 The Young Dubliners

Essential Listening: With All Due Respect – The Irish Sessions (2007)

Southern California's Young Dubliners are another first-wave American Celtic rock band, having formed in Santa Monica back in 1988. Critics have described them as "Ireland's answer to Los Lobos, with a similar combination of traditional folk music, raucous electric rock, and forward-thinking experimentation" (via AllMusic), and their career has taken them all over the world, even touring alongside prog-rock powerhouses Jethro Tull and playing the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

​​​​​​​While most Young Dubliners albums are predominantly original compositions driven by heavy electric rock vibes, even their rock-centric albums like 2000's Red still feature songs like "Bodhran," named for the traditional Irish hand drum that features prominently in the song's rhythm. Their 2007 album With All Due Respect – The Irish Sessions is much more straightforwardly Irish, with most of the songs being old traditional tunes, alongside a smattering of Pogues covers.

3 The Dropkick Murphys

Essential Listening: Blackout (2003)

Few bands are as synonymous with St. Patrick's Day in the same way as Boston's own darlings of punk, The Dropkick Murphys, who have played massive live shows for the holiday in their home city since their founding. Formed in 1996, the band's career has been as relentless and driven as their sound, with twelve studio albums, three live albums, and four compilations collecting their various singles and EPs.

From the very beginning, the band's sound has combined the best of American punk and Irish working-class grit, with a particular garnish of anti-establishment skepticism. The Dropkick Murphys proudly have a long-standing working relationship with the American Federation of Labor, all their merchandise is union-made, and frequently donate their time and proceeds to support various unions in their ongoing struggles for working-class success, as well as other causes like caring for firefighters and military veterans. It's a beautiful marriage of musical style and political ethos that hearkens back to American folk music legends like Woody Guthrie.

In fact, The Dropkick Murphys' music has increasingly drawn influence from Guthrie and his long-standing legacy of working-class solidarity. "I'm Shippin' Up to Boston," their globally successful single from 2006's The Warrior's Code, was written using some of Guthrie's unused lyrics, as was "Gonna Be a Blackout Tonight" from the previous album, 2003's phenomenal Blackout. The genesis of these songs was the band being contacted by Guthrie's daughter Nora, who gave them access to the massive archives of unpublished work her father had left behind.

Most recently, the Murphys have released two entire albums of work based on Guthrie's unused poems and notes, This Machine Still Kills Fascists and Okemah Rising. This beautiful fusion of two musical powerhouses, separated by a century of time but unified in their social perspective, has resulted in some of the most poignant and electrifying folk-punk released in the modern era, and it demonstrates just how much musical overlap there is between Irish traditional music and what we think of as Americana.

2 Flogging Molly

Essential Listening: Within A Mile Of Home (2004)

Flogging Molly's first release was 1997's Alive Behind the Green Door, a live album recorded at Molly Malone's, a pub in Los Angeles where the band got their start playing sets every Monday night. That release caught the eye of indie label SideOneDummy, who signed them and released their first studio album, 2000's Swagger. Subsequent releases Drunken Lullabies and Within a Mile of Home built up the momentum of both their popularity and their frenzied musical style, and their 2006 EP Whiskey on a Sunday was certified platinum within just two years of release.

As contemporaries and frequent tour-mates of The Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly are often compared to them, although their musical styles are extremely different. The Murphys are very much an East Coast punk band at their roots, occasionally dabbling in traditional Irish instrumentation with bagpipes or mandolin alongside their more recent forays into the Guthrie-inspired neo-Americana sound. Flogging Molly, by contrast, takes that same punk energy and channels it through far more traditionally Irish instrumentation, often using fiddle and accordion and tempos that would better fit a Ceilidh dance troupe than a circle pit.

After almost 30 years of frenzied Celtic partying, Flogging Molly are still going strong, although the band unfortunately had to miss the tenth anniversary of their own Salty Dog Cruise, a Caribbean excursion featuring performances from the band's friends and labelmates, due to frontman Dave King's struggles with an ongoing health condition. Yet if King's past decades of unstoppable musical energy are any indication, Flogging Molly will be back onstage dancing a jig in no time at all.​​​​

1 The Pogues

Essential Listening: Rum Sodomy & The Lash (1985)

Tommy Makem, one of the most famous Irish singers of the 20th century, once called The Pogues "the greatest disaster to ever hit Irish music" when they first got started, yet by the end of their career the band was almost singlehandedly responsible for the birth of the Celtic rock and punk scene. Without The Pogues – whose original name, Pogue Mahone, was an anglicization of the Irish Gaelic phrase "póg mo thóin," which best translates to English as "kiss my ass" – none of the other bands on this list would have happened, full stop.

Led for most of their existence by the iconoclastic and sloppily articulate Shane MacGowan, The Pogues burst onto the UK music scene in 1982 as they formed from the components of various other bands, including MacGowan's former punk outfit, the Nipple Erectors. Their devil-may-care approach to PR endeared them to the rest of the punk scene, and they toured with the Clash in 1984 for a time before releasing their first album, Red Roses for Me, an even mix of Irish traditionals and MacGowan's original compositions.

MacGowan was sacked from the band in 1991 due to issues with addiction, and he went his own way with other projects while The Pogues tried to recapture the magic with two more albums, neither of which found the same degree of success they'd had with MacGowan at the helm. In late 2001, the band reunited for several years of touring, but recorded no new albums, and they dissolved again in 2014. Any hopes for a reunion of the original lineup died with MacGowan, who sadly passed away in 2023.

MacGowan's funeral was held on December 8, 2023, and the funeral procession through Dublin saw thousands of fans turn out to pay their respects. The ceremony saw many of MacGowan's friends and musical collaborators in attendance, as well as several prominent Irish political figures. A rousing rendition of "Fairytale of New York," MacGowan's most popular composition, was performed as a tribute by his surviving bandmates, along with fellow legendary Irish band the Dubliners, and rambunctious, painful joy in the music led mourners to dance in the aisles and pews​​​​​​​, something MacGowan would have unquestionably approved of.

So this St. Patrick's Day, remember the joy and the heartache that together combine to make the most beautiful parts of Irish music, and the way those in turn have combined with Americana's working-class ethos. There are good and bad things both to raise a glass to this year, a song for every heartbreak and every happiness, and so I simply say, as my own great-grandparents would have: sláinte.