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Celtic punk, party ballads rock St. Patty’s Day playlist

Melissa Essig | Evergreen music columnist
March 12, 2014

Bagpipes, little green men with red beards, parades and a beautiful babe on your arm sounds like a pot of gold sitting at the end of a rainbow. But, what will really bring the luck of the Irish upon you is my St. Patrick’s Day playlist.

For a day to celebrate life, be festive and drink, I have strung together a simple list of Celtic tunes you can belt out at any party.

Starting off this mangy list of songs are The Real McKenzies with an all-time classic, “Auld Lang Syne.”

Following McKenzies, Flogging Molly swaggers its way into the mix. As soon as I found out I had the opportunity to create a St. Patty’s Day playlist, they were the first band that came to mind. So, logically, “Seven Deadly Sins” and “Devil’s Dance Floor” are included.

The real winner streams next with the Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys. Their song “I’m Shipping up to Boston” has been featured in “The Departed,” “Top Gear” and many professional sporting events. Every time I hear this it makes me giddy and I feel the urge to punch someone, in the best way possible of course.

To accompany these rowdy modern classics, some oldies clear out the rest of the playlist. The Clancy Brothers, The Pogues, The Dubliners and Luke Kelly provide perfect additions. Although they might not be familiar to you, St. Patrick ’s Day won’t be as brilliant without them.

It’s not every day that you get to jam out to Irish Pub songs and have it be socially acceptable. So take advantage of this special time of year, step up your game and tune in to this playlist!

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