Listener Rankings Reshape Greatest Irish Songs, Elevating ‘Zombie’ And ‘Killeagh’ Alike
Listeners voted Zombie by The Cranberries to No. 1 in a 100-track greatest irish songs poll that drew over 80, 000 votes. The newly revealed top 10 blends legacy anthems with recent breakthroughs, signaling an audience that now rewards both staying power and fresh streaming heat.
‘Zombie’ and ‘Dreams’ by The Cranberries anchor the new top 10
The Cranberries top the ranking with Zombie and also land fourth with Dreams, underlining the band’s dual grip on listener sentiment. Close behind, Nothing Compares 2 U by the late Sinéad O’Connor takes second, while A Rainy Night in Soho by The Pogues places third. Hozier’s debut single Take Me to Church is fifth. Rounding out the top tier: Crazy World by Aslan at six, Brewing Up a Storm by The Stunning at seven, and Killeagh by Kingfishr at eight. The Pogues return at nine with Fairytale of New York, and U2 complete the list at ten with With or Without You.
The poll’s scale—more than 80, 000 votes across a 100-song ballot—confirms a wide base of participation. It also showcases multiple entries by the same artists, with The Cranberries and The Pogues each appearing twice in the top 10, hinting at catalog depth as a durable advantage.
Shane MacGowan tributes and U2’s EP are the current drivers
Momentum around certain artists is visible in recent releases tied directly to this roster. A cover of A Rainy Night in Soho by Bruce Springsteen arrived earlier this week, ahead of 20th Century Paddy: The Songs of Shane MacGowan, a tribute album due in November with an all-star lineup that includes Hozier. That dual exposure helps explain why The Pogues are present with two entries and why Hozier holds the fifth slot.
U2’s position at ten arrives as the band released a six-track EP last month titled Days of Ash, featuring a song about the war in Ukraine and another about the fatal shooting of US woman Renée Good by ICE agents in Minneapolis. New work of this kind keeps legacy groups contemporarily engaged, a visible force that can buoy classic tracks in listener-driven rankings.
Greatest Irish Songs trendline: Kingfishr’s ‘Killeagh’ and ‘Grace’ at 11
Recency alongside resonance is emerging as a hallmark of the list. Killeagh by Kingfishr, released less than two years ago, reached No. 1 in the Irish charts last May and became last Christmas’s No. 1 single. It was also Ireland’s most-streamed song of last year on Spotify. That track, an ode to guitarist Eoin Fitzgibbon’s home village and GAA club, now sits eighth, suggesting that streaming traction and community-rooted storytelling can break into the upper tier of the greatest irish songs ranking.
Endurance is equally visible just outside the top 10. Grace by The Wolfe Tones is at No. 11. Written by Sean and Frank O’Meara—whose work was recognized with Gradam Na hÉigse awards from Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in 2023—the song has been recorded by more than 100 artists, including Rod Stewart, The Dubliners, and Foster and Allen, after Jim McCann’s 1986 hit version spent more than six months on the Irish charts. That history underscores a parallel force: folk ballads with deep roots remain competitive in contemporary listener votes.
If ‘Killeagh’ and Hozier keep surging, newer entrants gain ground
If recent streaming leaders continue to post strong numbers and maintain airplay, newer acts could entrench themselves among staples in forthcoming listener lists. Kingfishr’s Killeagh already pairs chart success with high streaming performance, while Hozier’s visibility as a guest on the Shane MacGowan tribute album aligns with his fifth-place finish for Take Me to Church. If that level of exposure continues, similar contemporary releases may find it easier to enter and stay in the top bracket of fan-ranked lists.
Should the Shane MacGowan tribute land in November, The Pogues rise
Should the planned tribute album arrive in November and its early single—Bruce Springsteen’s A Rainy Night in Soho cover—retain momentum, The Pogues’ catalog could attract intensified attention. With A Rainy Night in Soho at No. 3 and Fairytale of New York at No. 9, the band already spans moods and seasons in the current top 10. A high-profile tribute cycle may amplify both tracks and potentially shift listener focus toward adjacent catalog cuts.
The next clear signal is the November release of 20th Century Paddy: The Songs of Shane MacGowan. What the context does not resolve is how the remainder of the 100-song slate is ordered beyond the top 10 and No. 11, or whether a subsequent poll will revisit the rankings. For now, watch the tribute rollout and the sustained performance of Killeagh as the most immediate indicators of where listener energy heads next.
