Top 10 Celt-Punk albums of ALL time

The 10 Best Celtic Punk and Irish Punk albums ever released.

1: THE POGUES – ‘If I Should Fall From Grace With God’ (1988)

You simply cannot underestimate the influence The Pogues had on this nation when they came racing out of the blocks in the mid-80′s. To put it simply the amount of Irish born people in Britain was massive but few of their offspring felt in anyway Irish. Hardly surprising when the rest of the nation was stacked up against them and to be Irish meant to be either a bomber or be thick or an alkie or feckless or violent or many other number of racist epitaphs. Who then could find pride in those roots when it was something we ought to be ashamed of? Well The Pogues could. Their first two albums were met with amazement and relief that we could actually be proud of our backgrounds and shout it out as well. By the time of this their third album The Pogues had started to agitate and their song ‘The Birmingham 6′, while only reinforcing what our families had already told us, brought the issue of the many innocent Irish jailed in Britain to a wider audience. That to be in possession of an Irish accent could land you in jail for a very long time. This is the record that saw them move away from being a band only Irish people could like and includes their mega-mega hit ‘Fairytale Of New York’. Though I can’t stand ‘Fiesta’ the rest are pure brilliance and Shane’s lyrics are sublime. I especially loved the Tipperary themed ‘The Broad Majestic Shannon’. But even despite all of Shane’s brilliance it’s the late Phil Chevron song ‘Thousands Are Sailing’ that stands out and gets you on every single level. Possibly the best song about Irish emigration of all time…and that’s a pretty congested subject. More from us on The Pogues here.

2: THE TOSSERS – ‘The Valley of The Shadow Of Death’ (2005)

A mate worked in Reckless Records in the West End and one day down the pub he announced to me “you like all that Irish folk shit, here have these” and presented me with a 1960′s LP of rebel songs, a Wolfe Tones CD and this by The Tossers. Maybe not their best album (I actually prefer ‘Emerald City’) but this has The Tossers greatest song ‘Good Mornin Da’ and a host of other Chicago South Side Irish folk-punk classics. Older than the Murphy’s and the Molly’s they well deserve their place at the top table of Celtic-punk. More like the Pogues than the before mentioned bands they have The Pogues knack of playing lengthy songs that don’t bore the arse off you or go off into decadent meandering and keep your interest till the end! Saw them play once in London and they were every bit as good as I thought they would be.

3: FLOGGING MOLLY – ‘Drunken Lullabies’ (2002)

Their second album and easily their best yet. After ‘Swagger’ the band realized they didn’t need a new approach. Slow songs, fast songs and combinations of both was good enough to last them right up until their last album ‘Speed of Darkness’ when they changed it around a bit. Formed in a LA pub by Dublin native Dave King their sound is as authentic as it comes. Full on Irish folk played with the spirit of punk that captured the imagination of untold numbers of punk rock kids across the globe. Despite their success it’s as a live band Flogging Molly are at their best and they’ve released a handful of excellent live releases. The title track and the heart aching ‘The Sun Never Shines (On Closed Doors)’ show them at their fast and slow best. Listen side by side with the Murphy’s and you’ll see these are the Celtic side of Celtic-punk while the Murphy’s are more punk but both complement each other enormously.

4: GREENLAND WHALEFISHERS – ‘Loboville’ (2001)

Catchy and upbeat this is the must have album of Norwegian Celtic Folk Punk band Greenland Whalefishers. They’ve been around for almost thirty years and are one of the innovators and movers and shakers of the Celtic-punk world. Loboville is the bands second album and was the record that catapulted the band out to all corners of the world and manifestet them as one of the most credible bands in the genre. There is plenty here for all fans of Celtic or punk music and the songs flow seamlessly from raucous punk to reflective ballad with ease.

5: NECK – ‘Sod `Em & Begorrah!’ (2005)

Neck has been a solid fixture on the London punk scene for donkeys years now and this LP is their masterpiece. All 12 tracks are fully imbibed with the spirit of the two London bands that have inspired them the most- The Pogues and The Clash. I’ve been a major fan of Neck since the very beginning and no matter how often I’ve seen them play they never fail to give it their all and put on a great show. Lead singer and lyricist Leeson is up there with yer Shane’s and yer Christy’s and your Luke’s in the songwriting stakes and portrays perfectly what it feels to be a, so called, ‘plastic paddy’ or as Neck put it, much better, ‘PLASTIC AND PROUD’. The album has two expertly played trad songs and the rest are pure self-penned Celtic-punk Neck classics. As impossible as it is to pick out a standout track, ‘Blood On The Streets’ about the racist murders of two young men in Ireland and London deserves a nod. The CD comes with a huge booklet with the lyrics and background story to each song which alone makes this a must have.

6: THE RUMJACKS – ‘Gangs Of New Holland’ (2010)

Bejaysus I really wish I had heard this when I was a young gun, I would have definitely picked up a mandolin instead of untold tinnies and done something with me life! From start to finish this debut album from Sydney, Australia’s The Rumjacks kicks you squarely in the teeth. Whether it’s the full on Celtic-punk rock of ‘Green Ginger Wine’ or the sadness of, nearly a ballad, ‘Bar The Door Casey’ The Rumjacks blue-collar stories of working class immigrant life really hits home. It isn’t without humour mind, check out their enormous (5,500,000 hits and counting!) internet hit ‘An Irish Pub’ which puts the boot firmly into fake plastic Irish pubs. The band is a mix of Scottish immigrants and others from descended from the various Celtic nations which gives them a very definite authentic feel. This knocked the flaming socks off me when I first heard it and its still doing it now. Australian Celtic-punk bands rule the planet and The Rumjacks rule Australian Celtic-punk…that should tell you all you need to know.

7: DROPKICK MURPHYS – ‘Do Or Die’ (1998)

Seems like an age ago now (and it bloody is too) that a old skinhead mate from Belfast put me onto these and I got to see them on their first London gig before I’d actually heard anything by them. To say they blew me away is a understatement and my love affair with them only got worse on hearing this album. Yeah, the Pogues and The Men They Couldn’t Hang were there first, but the Dropkicks were a proper punk band. Our families all liked what passed for Celtic-punk before this lot but the Dropkick Murphys? NO FACKING WAY! My moms heard them and thinks their awful racket! I used to call this album ‘Celtic-Oi!’ and if you’re a recent convert to the DKM’s there’s not a lot of what passes for the band now. For a start Mike McColgan, from the Street Dogs, was the bands original singer and there’s very little Celtic tunes and no instruments but plenty of references in the lyrics for those of us looking for them. By the time Finnegan’s Wake came on that was it for me!

8: BLOOD OR WHISKEY – ‘Cashed Out on Culture’ (2005)

Straddling the Celtic-punk fence nicely between the Molly’s folk and the Murphy’s punk is Ireland’s Blood Or Whiskey. This is their third album and they’re best one yet. Fourteen tracks of pure Irish folk ska punk. This was the first recording’s with new singer Dugs taking over from Barney and guest vocals from Cait O’Riordan of The Pogues add that special touch. Blood Or Whiskey have a instantly recognizable sound but don’t be thinking they’re stuck in a rut as they stand out in the Celtic punk scene as a constantly evolving band. They are also the only band actually from a Celtic nation on our list. ‘They Say No’ ends the album and is the standout track with all the BorW elements coming together perfectly!

9: SHANE MacGOWAN AND THE POPES – ‘Crock Of Gold’ (1997)

With Shane kicked out of The Pogues and supposedly spiraling off into oblivion he shocked us all by teaming up with County Holloway Celtic-rockers The Popes. Their first album together was ‘The Snake’ and was only so-so I thought but this album was something else. Freed from the confines of The Pogues Shane could let his pen do the talking. He calls it the Pogues fifth album. He doesn’t count anything The Pogues did after ‘If I Should Fall From Grace With God’. While hinting at nationalism with The Pogues for years this LP is defiantly pro-republican with stories of “burning London to the ground” and shooting coppers and soldiers. Received with glee by his fans and horror by the middle-class press both here and in Ireland. Dominated by jigs and reels The Popes prove themselves able to fill The Pogues shoes and even fit in a reggae song reminiscent of The Clash.

10: FLATFOOT 56 – ‘Jungle of The Mid West Sea’ (2007)

Saw these the night after the only time I ever saw Blood or Whiskey. Can’t remember how I came across it as the London Celtic-punk scene was non-existent back then, but I did, and it was a weekend that went onto change my life forever! At the BorW gig I made a great friend without whom I doubt the whole London Celtic Punks thing would even exist and the following day at Flatfoot 56 I had my first date with the lady that was to become my future wife! The gig itself was outstanding. Fuck all people in a tiny wee cellar venue but great sound and those that were there were a enthusiastic lot. First on and all over before 9pm, we legged it when they finished playing and the rest is history. A short while after I got the album off another pal with ‘Knuckles Up’ on the same CD. I played it so damn much I cannot bear to put it on anymore but if it comes up on my I-Pod shuffle then I’m instantly reminded of why I love it!

-Paddy McPunk