From ancient carols that might date to the time of Book of Kells more than 1,500 years ago, to traditional folk songs about hunting small birds, to modern ballads about emigration and homecoming, Ireland's contribution to Christmas music is truly unique.
Here on RealIrish.com, we’ve brought together an Irish festive selection, including everything from the haunting “Wexford Carol” to the immortal “Fairytale of New York”.
There are songs by priests and songs by rock stars, songs of peace during wartime and songs of the havoc of the Christmas family gathering. All, however, capture something essential about the uniquely Irish experience of Christmas, both at home and — of course, as it has been for so long and for so many Irish people — abroad.
- “The Wexford Carol” 1
- “Don Oíche Úd i mBeithil” 3
- “The Darkest Midnight in December” 4
- “Fairytale of New York” 5
- “Christmas 1915” 5
- “Where I Belong at Christmas” 6
- “Wren in the Furze 7
- “The St. Stephen's Day Murders” 7
- “Christmas Past” 8
- “Silent Night” 8
- “The Holly Tree” 9
- Grafton Street’s Greatest Ever Busk 9
1. “The Wexford Carol”
“The Wexford Carol” might well have been Ireland’s most famous contribution to festive music — before the 1980s brought perhaps the most famous Christmas song of all, about which lots more below!
Also known as “The Enniscorthy Carol” or by its first line “Good people all, this Christmas time”, “The Wexford Carol” is an old Irish song telling the story of the nativity of Jesus in the stable in Bethlehem.
While the reality is that its true provenance is unknown, the carol is believed to date from at least the 15th or 16th century, with some suggestions that it might be another few hundred years old.
For the version which is known and loved in so much of the world now, much gratitude is owed to William Grattan Flood, who was the musical director at St Aidan’s Cathedral in Enniscorthy in the early years of the 20th century. He transcribed the lyric and sent it to Oxford University Press, where it was eventually included in the Oxford Book of Carols in 1928 and from there found its way to choirs, singers and audiences all over the world.
Two global greats, Yo-Yo Ma and Alison Krauss, teamed up for “The Wexford Carol” in 2008, but our favorite version might be this one by Anúna, with the gorgeous vocals of Aisling McGlynn. For anyone interested, the name Anúna — an Irish choral ensemble first assembled by Michael McGlynn in 1987 — is a stylized representation of the Gaelic term An Uaithne, which is a description of three ancient Irish forms of music, the song of lament, or Goltraí, the song of joy, or Geantraí and the lullaby, or Suantraí.
(As an aside, another major claim to fame of Anúna is that the collective was the starting point of a singer from County Wicklow by the name of Andrew John Hozier-Byrne, the singer-songwriter now known and loved all over the world simply as Hozier.)
The Wexford Carol Lyrics
Good people all, this Christmas time,
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done
In sending His beloved Son
With Mary holy we should pray,
To God with love this Christmas Day
In Bethlehem upon that morn,
There was a blessed Messiah born.
The night before that happy tide,
The noble virgin and her guide
Were long time seeking up and down
To find a lodging in the town.
But mark how all things came to pass
From every door repelled, alas,
As was foretold, their refuge all
Was but a humble ox's stall.
Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep
To whom God's angels did appear
Which put the shepherds in great fear
Prepare and go, the angels said
To Bethlehem, be not afraid
For there you'll find, this happy morn
A princely Babe, sweet Jesus, born.
With thankful heart and joyful mind
The shepherds went the babe to find
And as God's angel had foretold
They did our Saviour Christ behold
Within a manger He was laid
And by his side the virgin maid
Attending on the Lord of Life
Who came on earth to end all strife.
There were three wise men from afar
Directed by a glorious star
And on they wandered night and day
Until they came where Jesus lay
And when they came unto that place
Where our beloved Messiah lay
They humbly cast them at His feet
With gifts of gold and incense sweet.
2. “Don Oíche Úd i mBeithil”
While “The Wexford Carol” is probably the best known old Irish song, some argue that it is beaten in both age and beauty by “Don Oíche Úd i mBeithil”, or “That Night in Bethlehem”.
These things may never be satisfactorily proven one way or the other, but there are suggestions that this old song goes all the way back to the 7th century, which would make it approximately as old as the Book of Kells and leave it up there with the oldest surviving Christian Irish artefacts.
If you’re of an Irish rock-loving slant, there’s a version of “Don Oíche Úd i mBeithil” by the great Irish band of the 1970s and ‘80s, Horslips, but we’re not sure any version of this gorgeous song is more hauntingly beautiful than this by Danú, recorded in Old St. Mary's Church in Clonmel, County Tipperary.
Don Oíche Úd i mBeithil (That night in Bethlehem) Lyrics
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Lyrics as Gaeilge On oíche úd i mBeithil Beidh tagairt faoi ghrian go brách Don oíche úd i mBeithil Gur tháinig an Briathar slán Tá gríosghrua ar spéartha, 's an talamh 'na chlúdach bán Féach Íosagán sa chliabhán 's an Mhaighdean á dhiúl le grá Ar leacain lom an tsléibhe 'Sea ghlacann na haoirí scáth Ar oscailt gheal na spéire Tá teachtaire Dé ar fáil Céad glóir anois don Athair I bhFlaitheasa thuas go hard Is feasta fós ar talamh D'fheara, dea-mhéin síocháin. |
English lyrics On that night in Bethlehem A night as bright as dawn For that night in Bethlehem The night the Word was born. The skies are glowing grey The earth in white is dressed See Baby Jesus in his cradle Drink deep in His mother's breast. There on a lonely hillside Shepherds bow down in fear When the heavens open brightly God's message rings out so clear. Glory now to the Father In all the heavens high And peace to His friends on earth Is what the angels cry. |
3. “The Darkest Midnight in December”
Another old song from deep in County Wexford's Christmas heritage is “The Darkest Midnight in December”, a hauntingly beautiful carol that for many listeners captures a little of old Ireland’s soul.
The carol was supposedly born in 1751 from the pen of the Kilmore parish priest at the time Fr Peter Devereux, although it has to be said that many of the songs sometimes attributed to Devereux likely go back decades or even centuries further. Nevertheless, there’s no doubt that the priest managed to preserve these songs and make sure they survived and remain cherished to this day.
The Kilmore Carols number 13 in total, and are traditionally sung during the Christmas period in Kilmore Church. For a fascinating insight into the history of this special tradition, check out this radio documentary from Irish state broadcaster RTÉ, which was first broadcast on Christmas Day 1981.
This particular carol, the first of the 13 in the cycle, weaves the starkness of a winter's night together with some of the promise of salvation, capturing what might be described as a uniquely Irish Catholic Christmas spirituality.
The song has found new life in recent decades, recorded by Nóirín Ní Riain's on her 1982 album Darkest Midnight as well as modern arrangers such as the American composer Stephen Main—whose version headlined the University of Puget Sound's 2015 Winter Concert—continue to bring fresh interpretations to American audiences. Yet its heart remains in the small Wexford village where generation after generation has passed down not just the melody, but the spirit of an Ireland that knew how to make the darkest night holy.
4. “Fairytale of New York”
No article about Irish Christmas music could be complete, could it, without referencing this 1987 classic by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl?
"Fairytale of New York" endures, and will surely endure for many decades, or forever, as a great Christmas anthem, perhaps, some would argue, the greatest of all Christmas anthems.
While a lot of attention (positive) goes to the incredible chemistry of its duet or (negative) its somewhat controversial lyrics that were of-their-time, the song is at its core a raw slice of the Irish immigrant experience to America.
Part of its genius lies in how it mirrors the traditional Irish ballad structure — it begins at the end (a drunk tank on Christmas Eve) and spirals back through a love story gone wrong, with distinctive observations of the newly-arrived Irishman to New York: the references to Sinatra, to Broadway, to the “cars big as bars”, and to the NYPD choir singing Galway Bay.
Interestingly, neither Shane MacGowan, its songwriter and iconic performer, nor MacColl were Irish-born: MacGowan was a son of Irish immigrants to Britain, while MacColl, also English-born, was herself the daughter of great Scottish singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl.
Both, sadly, are now no longer with us. MacColl died tragically young, in a boating accident in 2000 at the age of just 41, while MacGowan passed away in November 2023 at the age of 65.
The greatness of their music lives on, however, and will live on forever.
5. “Christmas 1915”
Cormac MacConnell's “Christmas 1915” tells the beautiful — and beautifully heart-breaking — story of a soldier who hears a young German singing “Silent Night” in No Man's Land during a Christmas Day truce during the First World War. The song's power comes from the intimacy of the detail it shares: the German tenor's “pure and true” voice, the sharing of photos and wine, and the devastating nature of the events that transpire the following morning.
In an article written years after he wrote his song, MacConnell described how sometimes he is filled with pride when he sits quietly, and anonymously, in the corner of a pub and hears the musicians and singers play his song:
“Often I am in pubs or clubs where I am not known, just another passing stranger of the night, a small bearded man enjoying his meal or drink in the corner. And I suppose it is because I will always stop in an establishment where there is music and song and dance that the chances of it happening again are high. And then I am flushed quietly with pride and joy and a genuine sensation of having contributed to the tide of peace and goodwill that washes around almost all of us during these special days and nights.
Artists from Tommy Fleming to Celtic Thunder have recorded the song, but perhaps the singer most associated with it now is the late great tenor Jerry Lynch, who hailed from the world-famous musical enclave of Kilfenora in County Clare. Here is a recording from Lynch’s 2010 album The Dimming of the Day.
6. “Where I Belong at Christmas”
"Where I Belong at Christmas" by The High Kings, penned by Darren Holden and the most recent of all these songs, released in December 2023, speaks directly to the modern Irish diaspora experience.
Holden's lyrics, drawing from the real experiences of friends and family members who've made “the long trip to a new life abroad”, resonate particularly during the Christmas season when the pull of home feels strongest.
And is there any Irish emigrant who won’t have to hold back a tear at the lines “Phone calls from mother to say / Why'd ya have to go so far away / Lit a candle and sent out a prayer / Let me know when it reaches you there”?
In the end, though, and despite the references to the forced emigration which befell so many Irish people, it is a hopeful song. It serves as a comfort to those Irish who remain abroad, reminding them that no matter how far they travel, or how long they’ve been away, there is always a “home” for them, and that home keeps a permanent place open for their return.
As the lyrics go:
And they'll all rise to meet me and greet me
And tell me the tales of the years I've been gone
Pour me a pint of black velvet
And raise up your glass when I'm singing my song
Back home is where I belong boys and girls
Back home is where I belong.
7. “Wren in the Furze
"The Wren in the Furze", variously performed over the years by The Chieftains, The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Mackem and others, captures one of Ireland's most fascinating Christmas traditions — the ancient custom of the Wrenboys on St. Stephen's Day.
The song’s upbeat melody and playful lyrics might suggest a bit of celebration, but actually, it was an altogether darker tradition that goes all the way back to pre-Christian Ireland.
Introducing the song during the performance below, the great Liam Clancy said,
“Children can be very cruel, you know, and we used to do a very cruel thing coming up to Christmas. We used to go out with big knobbledy sticks, out into the field, and kill a little bird called the wren, a harmless little thing…”
The “Wrenboys” tradition has evolved considerably over recent decades. While hunting the wren by groups of men and boys was quite common, especially in rural Ireland, until the middle of the 20th century, the hunting aspect has been abandoned almost everywhere by now.
The tradition does live on, in a more sanitized version, in places like Dingle in County Kerry, where Wrenboys still parade through the streets collecting money, albeit with a fake wren atop a decorated pole, and the money goes not to a tiny bird’s funeral, but for good causes and charities.
8. “The St. Stephen's Day Murders”
Sticking with St Stephen’s Day, and killings of sorts, here’s a song that captures a little of the black or gallows humor that sometimes, occasionally, every so often, have been known to happen in an Irish post-Christmas family gathering!
Co-written by Elvis Costello (who was born Declan McManus and whose great-grandfather John had left County Tyrone for England) and the sadly missed Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains fame, “The St. Stephen's Day Murders” was included on the band’s 1991 Christmas album The Bells of Dublin.
The song paints a wickedly funny picture of St Stephen's Day chaos, there's an uncle with a "great big kipper tie" making gin-soaked advances and the Christmas tree lights are interfering with the television.
And has there ever been a funnier song lyric about a Christmas turkey than “the carcass of the beast left over from the feast / May still be found haunting the kitchen”?
9. “Christmas Past”
Mick Flannery’s “Christmas Past” is a bittersweet gem layered with warmth, nostalgia, and a touch of heartache.
Evoking some of the innocence of childhood, the magic of snowy holidays, and the inevitable ache of growing up, the song dances delicately between joy and melancholy. Images of snowball fights and cozy firesides sit alongside tentative young love that lingers in the memory like the ghostly presence of Christmases long gone.
Performed by Flannery with Lisa Hannigan on the otherworldly set of “Other Voices - Songs From A Room” in St James' Church in Dingle, County Kerry in 2008, and later revisited with Susan O’Neill for RTÉ’s “Christmas at Home” in 2021, these two performances are for many listeners quintessentially Irish in their raw simplicity and emotional resonance.
“Christmas Past” is a song sometimes overlooked in the Christmas radio playlists, but is still cherished by almost everyone who listens in.
Choose your favorite!
10. “Silent Night”
“Silent Night” has already made an appearance in this round-up, by dint of its appearance in Cormac MacConnell’s “Christmas 1915”.
And it’s true to say that no-one, no Englishman or American or German, and certainly nobody from Ireland, owns this song, to many the greatest and most powerful of all Christmas songs.
And yet, when you listen to this, you’ll have to concede that few people have left quite the same stamp on it as Sinéad O’Connor manages with her haunting, unmistakable and, after her death in 2023 at the age of just 56, always to be sadly missed vocals.
11. “The Holly Tree”
This one is not strictly an Irish song — it is an old Christmas carol that goes all the way back to the folk tradition of Cornwall in south-west England, where it goes under various names including the “Sans Day Carol” and “The Holly Bears a Berry”.
Still, do we need an excuse to get another performance by The Clancy Brothers into our list?
This one was included in the Clancys’ Christmas album, released by Columbia Records all the way back in 1969.
All three of the Clancy brothers have now passed on, most recently Liam in 2009 at the age of 74, but no doubt they’re up there somewhere, regaling the angels and saints with story and song.
12. Grafton Street’s Greatest Ever Busk
Grafton Street will be well known to anyone who has spent a day shopping in Ireland’s capital, where it is the home of everything from Brown Thomas department store, to the Irish homes of Disney and Lego, to the iconic old city centre cafe, Bewley’s, self-styled as “Ireland’s favorite cafe since 1927”.
This famous thoroughfare is also famous for its buskers: the 10-minute walk it takes to get from one end to another will invariably be marked by a series of street performers, all trying to eke out a few extra euros by entertaining the crowds.
While this short film is not necessarily an Irish Christmas song, it is a celebration of Christmas songs by some of the most enduring Irish musical performers of the past 50 years.
Glen Hansard (an Oscar winner for the movie Once, which centred around the Grafton Street busking scene) is joined by a host of stars, including the U2 frontman Bono and the aforementioned Sinead O’Connor, as the biggest Irish musical heroes banded together for an unforgettable day of busking to raise money for homeless charities The Simon Community and the Peter McVerry Trust.
The day was beautifully captured by the music documentarian Myles O’Reilly. Enjoy!
Sean Fleming “Let Me Be Your Santa Claus This Christmas”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsTT_HR1AuU
From Ronan Collins Show, RTE Radio 1, Dec 2021:
“A famous son of Killarney in County Kerry. He’s been in New York, oh, over 40 years by now. Wonderful musician, keyboard player and guitar player. I remember him well in Flanagan’s on Third Avenue back in the 1980s into the ‘90s. He’s still working away playing his music. That’s a new recording, which I suspect he’s done for his entire family and his grandchildren, and he’s in fine fettle on it!
And hi to Sean’s sister Noreen, to Mary and husband Tim, known as Timmo, and uncles and aunts too many to mention, all of this information from Siobhan Fleming of Gortroe in Killarney, Sean’s sister, who says hello to Catherine and all her friends and staff members of Kerry Parents and Friends in the old monastery in Killarney and to Sean’s cousin Laurence Kelly in Tralee. Great song, very catchy!”
Vietnam story → http://www.irishusa.com/fleming/irishamerican_article.html
