The worse the weather, the better the art. That’s a scientifically proven fact. Okay, maybe not—I just made it up. But it seems to fit, at least in the Western world. Take Ireland for instance. How else could a country of just five million people possibly have created such a slew of timeless treasures? Have a look at these 10 gems from the Irish art world.
“Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2
It’s impossible to speak of Ireland without speaking of the Troubles, the protracted conflict characterized by death over religion and politics. In one of U2’s most iconic tracks, released in 1983, the Dublin band lamented the events of a particularly violent Sunday in 1972.
“Zombie” by The Cranberries
Hailing from Limerick, one of the less uplifting parts of the country, The Cranberries weighed in on the Troubles as well with this 1994 song, highlighting a senseless act the year prior that killed two innocent children.
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
Speaking of Limerick, this Pulitzer Prize-winning 1996 memoir by the Irish-American McCourt didn’t paint the rosiest picture of his childhood there.
Ulysses by James Joyce
In perhaps one of the greatest literary works of all time—published in 1922—Joyce used stream of consciousness to fashion an ordinary Dublin day in the spirit of the Odyssey.
Disclaimer: Most people, myself included, have difficulty understanding this work, calling it a classic to sound cultured. For a more approachable Joyce read, try Dubliners, a collection of short stories that ordinary minds can appreciate.
The Banshees of Inisherin
Yes, this reeks of recency bias. But this 2022 film, depicting a fractured friendship on a fictional island off the Irish coast during the Civil War, is everything that art should be. Just beware—you’ll be analyzing it for a while.
Guinness
When one man fosters a recipe that almost three centuries later is still revered around the world, it must be considered art.
Dracula by Bram Stoker
It’s safe to say that Stoker’s 1897 gothic horror novel has been mildly influential.
“Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)” by Enya
In 1988, Enya—hailing from Gweedore—released this track, used by preschool teachers across the globe in a desperate attempt to get their students to take a nap.
“Whiskey in the Jar” by The Dubliners
Any list of Irish art is incomplete without a shout out to the country’s folk music tradition. This song—which you undoubtedly know—hit the big time when in 1968 The Dubliners made it one of their signature jams.
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
With his 1726 fantasy classic, Swift indicated that humans can be remarkably stupid, a message that has to be considered timeless.
