Mix Tape of the Day: March 17, 2015 - St. Patrick's Day

You knew this was coming.  Let's honor our favorite Irish saint with a collection of the best Irish music out there.  We've got your Celtic punk, your Irish New Age, and yes, even your Riverdance, all right here in one place.

1. Requiem for a Dying Song - Flogging Molly (2008) I'm going to be doing things a differently.  Usually, I do these mixes in chronological order, but today, it'll be in reverse!  Because I wanted to start with this Flogging Molly track that shows just how much the traditional Celtic sounds can still remain relevant and enjoyable in our modern age.

2. I'm Shipping Up to Boston - The Dropkick Murphys (2005) And I couldn't forget this tune, which brought the Celtic punk genre to a mainstream audience thanks to The Departed.  For a while, this song was everywhere.

3. Danny Boy - Celtic Woman (2005) Well, I had to have a Celtic Woman song on this mix.  And since they are best known for their beautiful covers of Irish songs, I went with the big one.  And only now do I realize that it's the exact same tune as "You Raise Me Up," (which Celtic Woman also covered).

4. The Blower's Daughter - Damien Rice (2001) Let's break from the mold a bit and feature on some Irish artists.  Take Damien Rice, for example.  His chief purpose in life is to make you cry.  I've been waiting to use this song for a while, so I'm glad I finally get to feature it.

5. Breathless - The Corrs (2000) I almost used this on my American Women of Country of the 1990s mix.  It seems I was very mistaken about the genre, time period, and nationality.  Love this song though!  I went with the live version since it's just a bit stronger in my ears.

6. Please - U2 (1997) I had to feature the biggest Irish band of all time of course.  Since I already used "Sunday Bloody Sunday" previously, we'll look at their "sequel" to that song, "Please."

7. Riverdance - Bill Whelan (1995) Here's all the Riverdance I'll ever feature on this blog.

8. Ode to My Family - The Cranberries (1994) Damien Rice and now the Cranberries?  We are getting so close to the reveal of some of my favorite songs of all time.  For now, we begin with "Ode to My Family" which just feels nostalgically Irish to me.

9. Tuesday Morning - The Pogues (1993) Need some gravelly-voiced Irish anguish?  Here's your Pogues.  Stop asking me.  Happy Tuesday.

10. Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Connor (1990) Fun fact! The first Irish person I ever met was named Sinead.  I thought that was the coolest.  Now...time to cry again.  Sorry for the emotional roller coaster that is this mix.

11. Music for a Found Harmonium - Patrick Street (1989) Hey! Here's one of my favorite instrumental pieces.  I was introduced to it though Napoleon Dynamite, of all places.  Great music to end your charming life's story with.

12. Orinoco Flow - Enya (1988) Yay, Enya's Irish too!  This is the greatest day!

13. The Boys Are Back in Town - Thin Lizzy (1976) And...what?  "The Boys Are Back in Town" is an Irish song?  Huh, if you say so.  It's kind of a weird one to go out on for St. Patrick's Day, but I guess it's as good a song as any to set your pub crawl to.