When the Irish stepped off ships by the tens of thousands during the great waves of Irish immigration to America, they brought with them little more than the clothes on their backs, empty stomachs, and a special gift for song. In fact, the Irish are known for their inspiring music perhaps as much as anything else.
For centuries, Irish songs have been the centerpiece of the traditional Gaelic social gathering, known as the ceili, where families entertain each other by playing Gaelic folk music and dancing. As the Irish in America maintained these Irish musical traditions over the last couple of centuries, their great Irish music gradually trickled out of the Irish pubs and Irish dance halls to take hold in American popular culture.
Many Irish American songs were among the most popular of their day, and some are still sung today on St. Patrick’s Day or during Irish gatherings. The following is a list of famous Irish American songs from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. You can click on each to listen.
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Did Your Mother Come From Ireland?
I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen
Ireland, Mother Ireland
It's the Same Old Shillelagh
Mother Machree
My Wild Irish Rose
No Irish Need Apply
Poor Paddy Works on the Railway
Sweet Rosie O'Grady
The Mulligan Guard
Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral (That's an Irish Lullaby)
When Irish Eyes are Smiling
Where the River Shannon Flows
Who Threw the Overalls in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder?
Famous Irish Songs
The following is a list of famous Irish songs – both traditional and contemporary – that originated in Ireland yet have been enjoyed by Irish Americans for the last two centuries. Feel free to add your favorite Irish songs to the comments section below.
A Longford Legend
A Sailor Courted a Farmer's Daughter
A Song For Christy Ring
A Stór mo Chroí
An Poc Ar Buile
Annaghdown
Are Ye Right There Michael
Arkle
As I Roved Out
Back Home in Derry
Báidín Fheilimí
Ballymilligan
Beautiful Bundoran
Biddy Mulligan the Pride of the Coombe
Bold Thady Quill
Bridget Donoghue
Carraigfergus
Ceol an Ghrá
Cliffs of Dooneen
Cloghamon Mill
Come Back Paddy Reilly to Ballyjamesduff
Come With Me Over The Mountain (O'er the Mountain)
Connemara Cradle Song
Cottage by the Lee
Courtin' in the Kitchen
Dan O'Hara
Danny Boy
Danny Farrell
Days in Old Donegal
Delaney's Donkey
Dicey Riley
Donnelly and Cooper
Donnelly and Oliver
Down by the Liffeyside (Fish and Chips)
Down by the Sally Gardens
Dublin City in 1962
Dublin in my Tears
Dublin in the Rare Old Times
Éamonn an Chnoic (Ned of the Hill)
Easter Snow
Easy and Slow
Eileen Oge
Erin Go Bragh
Fairytale of New York
Flower of Gortade
From Clare to Here
Galway Bay
General Guinness
Goodbye Johnny Dear
Goodbye Mick (I'm Leaving Tipperary)
Gortnamona
Green Fields of Gaoth Dobhair
Green Glens of Antrim
He Rolled Her to the Wall
Heart of Donegal
Heaven around Galway Bay
Henry My Son
Hot Asphalt
I Am Stretched on Your Grave
If I Were a Blackbird
I'll Tell Me Ma
I'm a Rover Seldom Sober
In the Town of Ballybay
Innishmeela
Ireland's Call
Irish Lullabye
Isle of Innisfree
Johnny Daddlum
Johnny MacAldoo
Killyburn Brae
Lannigan's Ball
Last of the Travelling People
Limerick Is Beautiful
Lock Hospital
Lough Erne Shore
Lovely Derry on the Banks of the Foyle
Lovely Inishowen
Maggie
Man of the Road
Mary from Dungloe
Master McGrath
McAlpine's Fusiliers
Miles of Eyes
Miss Brown
Missing You
Molly Bawn
Molly Durkin
Molly Malone
Monto (Take Her Up To Monto)
Moonlight in Mayo
Morrissey and the Russian Sailor
Mother Macree
Mountains of Pomeroy
Mursheen Durkin
My Dublin Bay
My Lagan Love
My Love at Waterloo
My Singing Bird
Nancy Spain
Nell Flaherty's Drake
Nicky Rackard
Old Arboe
On Raglan Road
O'Rafferty's Motor Car
Paddy McGinty's Goat
Peigín Leitir Móir
Phil the Fluther's Ball
Rafferty's Racin' Mare
Ride On
Seven Drunken Nights
Shake Hands with Your Uncle Dan
She Moved Through the Fair
Sheila Nee Iyer
Single Again (I Wish I Was Single Again)
Siúil A Rúin
Slattery's Mounted Foot
Slievenamon
Song for Ireland
Songs of Love
Spancill Hill
Star of the County Down
Sullivan's John
Thank God for America
Thank You Ma'am, Says Dan
The Agricultural Irish Girl
The Auld Triangle
The Banks of My Own Lovely Lee
The Banks of Sweet Viledee
The Banks of the Roses
The Bard Of Armagh
The Black Velvet Band
The Blooming Flower of Grange
The Blue Tar Road
The Bold Christy Ring
The Boys of Fairhill
The Boys of Mullaghbawn
The Boys of the County Armagh
The Captain with the Whiskers
The Charladies' Ball
The Cobbler
The Colleen Bawn
The Colleen Rue
The Contender
The Cottage Maid
The Creggan White Hare
The Cruise of the Calabar
The Cuckoo's Nest
The Curracloe Boat Crew
The Curragh of Kildare
The Dawning of the Day
The Dublin Saunter (Dublin Can Be Heaven)
The Emigrant's Letter
The Fight on the Hill
The Finding of Moses
The Flight of Earls
The Flower of Magherally
The Forgetful Sailor (Johnny Doyle)
The Galway Races
The Galway Shawl
The Garden Where the Praties Grow
The Girl from Donegal
The Gypsy Maiden
The Gypsy Maiden
The Hat My Father Wore
The Holland Handkerchief
The Homes of Donegal
The Inside Car
The Irish Rover
The Jackets Green
The Jug of Punch
The Juice of the Barley
The Lass of Aughrim
The Last Rose of Summer
The Limerick Rake
The Little Beggarman
The Love Token
The Maid from Ballygow
The Maid From Cabra West (The Mantle of Green)
The Moonshiner
The Mountains of Mourne
The Night Before Larry Was Stretched
The Night the Goat Broke Loose on Grand Parade
The Nightingale
The Old Bog Road
The Parting Glass
The Peeler and the Goat
The Plains of Waterloo
The Ragman's Ball
The Ragman's Wake
The Rare Auld Mountain Dew
The Road to Ballybay
The Road to Mallinmore
The Rocky Road to Dublin
The Rose of Clare (Lovely Rose of Clare)
The Rose of Inchicore
The Rose of Mooncoin
The Rose of Slievenamon
The Rose of Tralee
The Shamrock Shore
The Shores of Amerikay
The Shores of Botany Bay
The Spanish Lady
The Spinning Wheel
The Star of Donegal
The Star of Slane
The Stone Outside Dan Murphy's Door
The Tinker's Lullaby
The Tipperary Christening
The Tumble Down Shack in Athlone
The Twangman
The Well Below the Valley
The Whistling Gypsy
The Wild Rover
The Woman From Wexford
The Zoological Gardens
Tim Finigan's Wake (Finnegan's Wake)
Unfortunate Rake (The Lock Hospital and St. James Hospital)
Waxies' Dargle
We Dreamed our Dreams
Weila Waile
What Put the Blood (What Brought the Blood?)
When a Man's In Love
Where the River Shannon Flows
Whiskey in the Jar
Whiskey You're The Devil
Ye Men of Sweet Liberties Hall
Fare Thee Well, Enniskillen (The Enniskillen Dragoons)
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