Irish rock

Rock music has been a part of the music of Ireland since the 1960s, when the British Invasion brought British blues, psychedelic rock and other styles to the island. The Irish music scene in the 1960s and much of the 1970s was dominated by the unique Irish phenomenon of the 'Showbands' which were groups of professional performers who played at dancehalls and clubs across the country putting on a professional 'show' and playing all the American and British hits of the era. From the mid-1970s onwards Rock music in Ireland has been very similar to Rock music in Britain.

In the 1960s being part of a 'Showband' was pretty much the only way a professional musician in Ireland could make a living. Van Morrison, Henry McCullough and Rory Gallagher started working in Irish showbands, but went on to put Ireland on the rock music map. Van Morrison achieved international success in the 1960s with the beat group Them before launching a very successful solo career that is still going strong in its fourth decade. Rory Gallagher formed the blues rock trio Taste and went on to achieve critical acclaim in his solo career which lasted until his death in 1995. He is considered by many music critics to be among the greatest rock guitarists of all time. The Strangers from Balbriggan were also very popular and had a unique sound. Their records made # 2 in the charts.

Eire Apparent, a Rock Band from Belfast who formed in 1967 is noted for launching the careers of Henry McCullough and Ernie Graham, and for having Jimi Hendrix play on, and produce, their only album.

The early 1970s saw a growth of Irish Rock music. One band that rose to international prominence was the hard rocking Thin Lizzy, led by Phil Lynott. Another Irish band, Horslips, broke new ground by mixing hard rock with traditional Irish music to create a new genre - Celtic rock. They challenged the idea that an Irish band had to leave the country to be successful. They stayed in Ireland instead of moving abroad to chase success. They were successful in Ireland but never achieved much international success. The early 1970s paved the way for another band that would remain based in Ireland but would go on to dominate the music world - U2. U2 began their musical career in 1976 and went on to become internationally known. Irish success in this period on a more commercial basis was led by Waterford born pop singer/songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan, whose achievements included two UK No. 1 singles ("Clair" and "Get Down") and one United States No. 1 ("Alone Again (Naturally)")

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