The following are often sung Irish folk ballads.

Political

Unionist

• The Lambeg Drum
• The Sash

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.
• Follow me up to Carlow - about the struggles of the Irish against Elizabeth I of England
• Ó ró Sé do Bheatha Bhaile (Originally a jacobite song, it later received new verses by nationalist poet Padraic Pearse and was often sung by IRA members and sympathisers, both during the Easter Rising and since)

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)
• Teddy Bear's Head - song about the partition of Ireland and the fact that the six counties of Northern Ireland belong with the rest (author unknown, heard sung by the Wolfe Tones)
• Sunday Bloody Sunday, War (album) by U2.

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 Ireland national rugby union 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
• 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