Bualadh bos mór for Kneecap; the Belfast trio have done more than anyone else when it comes to rejuvenating Gaeilge for a new generation.
Not only has their latest album Fenian made history by charting at #2 on the UK charts (the highest-ever entry for an Irish-language album), but their love of our native language has encouraged many people to embrace it in a new way.
Whether you're seeking out a cúpla focal in your music, or your curiosity has simply been piqued - here are 5 other Irish language albums that are well worth a listen.
1. Róis - Mo Léan
This remarkable album by Fermanagh-born Rose Connolly, aka twentysomething musician Róis, pays homage to tradition and simultaneously pushes the genre forward. Blending sean-nós with folk and electronica, Mo Léan (My Woe/My Sadness) is based around the concept of grief and death, particularly the ancient Irish tradition of 'keening’, which Róis incorporates into her singing. Connolly did not grow up as a Gaeilgeoir but came to the language while in university; she became fluent in it before releasing her debut album Uisce agus Bean (Water and Woman) in 2023. "I wanted my musical creative outlet to be intertwined with the language, because that’s who I am," she said. "I wanted it to be intersectional, fully engaged with Irish culture. And I just wanted to communicate in my own language with my friends."
2. Clannad - Clannad
The recent sad passing of Moya Brennan makes Clannad’s music all the more poignant - and none more so than this album, the Donegal band’s 1973 debut. Clannad, of course, were founded as a family band in 1970 and were known for blending English and Irish languages throughout their illustrious career, earning Grammy nominations for the likes of Lore (1996) and commercial acclaim with albums like Legend (1984). Their first record, however, has a certain rough-hewn magic about it; it simply sounds like a family from the Donegal Gaeltacht coming together to make their mark on trad music. From the arrangements and harmonies on Níl Sé ina Lá to Moya Brennan’s startling vocals on the plaintive An Mhaighdean Mara, it’s easy to hear how influential they would become.
3. Iarla Ó Lionáird - Invisible Fields
To a certain generation, Iarla Ó Lionáird is primarily known for his astonishing work with The Gloaming. That should certainly be commended - as should his genre-fusing work with Afro Celt Sound System - but the sean-nós singer from the West Cork Gaeltacht’s solo work is well worth seeking out, particularly 2005’s Invisible Fields. On this album, the ambient soundscapes provide a perfect backdrop for the power and emotional resonance of his incredible voice, best heard on tracks like Taimse Im’Chodladh and the movingly melancholic An Buachaillín Bán.
4. IMLÉ - Failte Isteach
If Kneecap can revolutionise hip-hop as Gaeilge, then IMLÉ can do the same for other genres. The Irish-language collective bypass trad and folk in search of a sound that takes in everything from jangly indie, to trip-hop, to dreamy alt-pop and beyond. Led by Dublin producer and musician Cian MacCárthaigh, they’ve released three albums since 2016 - but 2022’s Fáilte Isteach (Welcome In) is an aptly-titled introduction into their eclectic world, where Gaeilge is treated as a living, breathing language amidst a contemporary musical landscape on songs like the trippy Do Chuid Jeans and the uplifting Is Annamh.
5. Kíla - Tog É go Bog É
They grew up as Gaeilgeorí and formed at Colaiste Eoin - an Irish-language school in Dublin - so it makes perfect sense why much of Kíla’s music follows the same cultural path. The genre-splicing band have been together for almost four decades, collaborating with everyone from Japanese artist OKI to French composer Bruno Coulais, but their 1997 album Tog É go Bog É (Take It Easy) is a brilliant record that encompasses mournful traditional airs like Jasmine and Ríl a Dó, the celebratory brass-infused Ón Taobh Tuathail Amach and the softly clattering groove of the title track - all delivered beautifully as Gaeilge.
