9 Great Phone Apps for Traditional Irish Music (2024)

The traditional music of Ireland is a type of folk music that originated in Ireland. This genre of music is steeped in culture but not only people of Irish descent like this music. It has an army of global fans that measure in the millions.

These days, there are many phone apps that offer access to traditional Irish music. These are a great way to get access to a huge library of famous Irish tunes.

No matter if you just want to listen to great stations, or you want to learn more about the music and culture of Ireland and Celts, these apps are great. Therefore, we present you with a list of the best phone apps for traditional Irish music. 

1. Tunepal

Tunepal represents years of work of Irishman Bryan Duggan and it is definitely one of the best apps for Irish music. If you hear some great tune and want to find out the name, all you need to do is to whistle the melody or to play it on some instrument and record it.

The recording will be submitted to Tunepal’s search engine and the matching tunes will be loaded to your device. Chances to find out the exact song are great, considering that Tunepal has a huge library of more than 17000 tunes. A great thing to know is that the app is no longer reserved for iPhone users anymore, but works on Android phones as well.

2. TuneIn

TuneIn is one of the most popular apps you can get from the Google Play store. It offers a huge streaming base of more than 100000 radio stations. This is a U.S. audience aimed app, so most of the stations are from that part of the world.

However, there is a big number of radio stations that play Irish music as well, so there is no doubt you will find TuneIn a great tool for listening to this kind of music.

The app is super fast and features easy navigation. Also, we like how it looks, as well as the fact that it doesn’t necessarily need some super strong internet connection to work properly.

3. Celtic Radio Network

This is probably the most famous online radio that plays Irish music. If you like all kinds of Celtic music, there is no better place to be. This station plays 24 hours a day, not just traditional, but other genres of Irish, Scottish and Celtic music in general. You can hear artists from all over the world and the best thing is that the app is absolutely free and there is no advertising.

Also, you can sign up and become a regular member who can make music requests that will play shortly on the broadcast. Besides listening to great music, you can also learn a lot about Celtic history and culture on this station.

4. ICMR Irish Country Music Radio

ICMR is another smartphone app of a great radio station that plays Irish music. At first glance, you probably won’t find anything special about this station. It plays all kinds and forms of Irish music, both traditional and contemporary. 

Still, there is one thing about this station that we like very much. Unlike most stations that usually play popular tunes by renowned artists, this one also thinks of small, non-affirmed artists. They have a chance to be on the air and share their music with listeners, which is a great way to discover new, young and talented artists.

5. IrishGigs

IrishGigs is an absolutely amazing app for several reasons. The app insists on traditional Irish music and the thing we like is that you can browse a large library of videos and enjoy performances of various artists. This is also a great place for those who just want to hear good Irish music, as the app also offers live streaming of popular Irish radio stations. 

Finally, last but not least. This app has another amazing function. There are a list and map of all significant venues of Irish music in Dublin City for every night. This is particularly great for tourists who want to hear traditional Irish music live. 

6. Irish Radio Music & News

Another app that offers live streamings for more than 100 Irish radio stations. Most popular stations are included in the list and many of them play Irish music. Of course, you can also listen to news stations, sports stations, etc.

A good thing about the app is that it works pretty fast, especially if there’s a good internet connection. Also, the app is free, but you may count occasional advertisements. 

The only drawback is the fact that the app works on Android devices only.

7. Irish Radioplayer

The Irish Radioplayer is another great streaming app, which offers access to hundreds of Irish radio stations. Among them, you will definitely find a lot of stations that play Irish traditional music.

Until recently, this app was reserved for iPhone devices only, but the new version is compatible with Android OS as well, so it will work on any smartphone. The app has a pretty nice look and it is easy to navigate. Also, there are additional features like Car Mode, Sleep Timer, etc. Definitely an app you should try.

8. Irish & Celtic Music

The Irish & Celtic Music app is usable on iPhone, iPad, or even on your iPod that includes one of the biggest shows that are dedicated to Celtic Music. It offers a cool feature that happens twice a month which allows you to download free radio shows from the app.

It also has a lot of other interesting features like streaming access to play the episodes and quick access to certain areas of the show.

Although this app is centered towards episodes, it also contains a lot of traditional good-quality Irish music that a lot of people can enjoy.

9. Irish Celtic Music Now

Irish Celtic Music Now is a really cool app that showcases beautiful Irish Celtic music, as well as Scottish folk songs. The app is not limited to only traditional music but is but also has Irish Dancing Music and over 15 Celtic music radio stations for your amusement.

Those would be some of the best apps for traditional Irish music. A great thing is that most of them work on both Android and iOS devices and that most of them are free. Still, keep in mind that those are just our suggestions and that there are many other phone apps to check. Please let us know if we have missed some great apps, which deserve to be on this list.

Summary

Traditional Irish Music is very popular all over the world. However, not everyone knows that there are many apps available for smartphones that allow you to listen to Irish music. So if you have an Android or iOS device and would like to enjoy the beautiful sounds of traditional Irish music, then use one of these apps.

Irish music is deeply rooted in the country’s culture. It has an ancient tradition that dates back hundreds of years when Irish people used to gather together to sing traditional songs and dance just like their ancestors did.

However, these days it is more common for them to listen to the melodies of traditional music in their homes or public places like pubs with friends or family.