The following are often sung Irish folk ballads.

Political

Unionist

• The Lambeg Drum
• The Sash my Father Wore

Nationalist

Eighteenth century themes and earlier

• Boolavogue - song about 1798 rebellion
• The Flight of Earls - about the flight of the Irish earls abroad following their defeat by the English in the early seventeenth century.

Nineteenth century themes

• A Nation Once Again - nineteenth century Irish nationalist anthem
• God Save Ireland- nineteenth century Irish nationalist anthem
• Rap the Green Flag Around Me
• The Bold Fenian Men - song about the nineteenth century Fenians
• The Fields of Athenry - 1980s song about the Irish potato famine
• The Harp that Once (through Tara's Halls) - anthem of County Meath - one of Moore's Melodies
• The Minstrel Boy

Twentieth century themes

• The Green Fields of France - About an Irish soldier, Willie McBride, in the First World War
• The Foggy Dew - about the Easter Rising
• Kevin Barry - about a young medical student and Irish revolutionary controversially executed during the Irish War of Independence
• Amhrán na bhFiann - Irish Volunteers anthem, since 1927 the anthem of the Irish Free State/Éire/Republic of Ireland
• Sean Sabhat from Garryowen

Northern Ireland themes

• The Men Behind the Wire - 1970s song about internment in Northern Ireland
• Rubber bullets for the ladies - 1970s song about the British Army in Northern Ireland
• The Island - 1980s anti-IRA song in aftermath of the IRA's Enniskillen bombing (Composer: Paul Brady)
• The Town I Loved So Well - 1980s song about the impact of The Troubles in Derry (Composer: Phil Coulter)

Non-political

• Are you right, there, Michael, are you right? - comic nineteenth century song about a slow train on a West Clare Railway that left the composer late for a concert (Composer: Percy French)
• Biddy Mulligan - about a Dublin woman, the "pride of the Coombe"
• Carraigfergus - about Carraigfergus in County Down
• Clare to Here - about emigration
• Dicey Riley - about drinking
• Down by the Sally Gardens
• Dublin in the Rare Old Times - 1980s song about Dublin before the 1960s (composer: Pete St. John
• Fairytale of New York - about emigration (1988 song by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl. Composer: Shane MacGowan)
• I'll take you home again, Kathleen
• Ireland's Call - Official anthem for the Irish national rugby team, which includes players from both the Republic and Northern Ireland
• Mother Macree
• Mursheen Durkin
• Molly (also known as Nora, referring to Nora Barnacle, wife of James Joyce)
• Molly Malone - Anthem of Dublin (eighteenth century in origins)
• Monto - about the famous red light district in Dublin around Mountgomery Street
• Nancy Spain
• On Raglan Road (Patrick Kavanagh poem to the nineteenth century melody The Dawning of the Day)
• On the one road
• Ó ró Sé do Bheartha Bhaile
• Phil the Fluters Ball - (Composer: Percy French)
• Ride On 1980s song most identified with singer Christy Moore (Composer: Jimmy McCarthy)
• She moved through the fair - one of the famed nineteenth century Moore's Melodies
• Song of Love - 1990s song by The Divine Comedy (theme music of Father Ted. Composer: Neil Hannon)
• Seven Drunken Nights
• Spancil Hill - about emigration
• Whiskey in the Jar
• Whistling Gipsy
• The Black Velvet Band
• The Contender about 1930s Irish boxer Jack Doyle
• The Dawning of the Day, 19th century song also known as Fáinne Geal an Lae
• The Irish Rover
• The Lonesome Boatman
• The Mountains of Mourne - about Irish emigrants in London (Composer: Percy French)
• The Rising of the Moon
• The Rocky Road to Dublin
• The Rose of Tralee
• The Old Triangle - by writer Brendan Behan, about his time in Mountjoy Jail
• The Star of the County Down

See Also

• List of Irish people
• List of Irish songwriters
• List of Irish writers
• List of Irish musicians and bands
• List of Irish entrants to the Eurovision Song Contest