Song: Speed to my side - Rollerskate Skinny
Album: I'd have to agree with your choice of "Achtung Baby"

Album - "Astral Weeks"
Song - i think i'll go with "Sick Bed of Cuchulainn" by the Pogues, though "thousands are sailing" is well up there too, especially cos it is so irish.

What is an Irish album? Achtung Baby was made in Germany by a bunch of lads with American accents with little or no reference to Irish music.

Well well well... this old chestnut. 

A while ago, CLUAS put its head together on this very question (well best Irish album and artist anyway). The writers came up with the following:-

http://www.cluas.com/bestalbums/writers.htm

Of my own choices ( http://www.cluas.com/bestalbums/stephen_mcnulty.htm ), I think I'd choose The Snake by Shane McGowan by a nose over Van's Moondance. At the time I described it as follows:- "When I delved through my CD shelves to search for a lost Irish gem, the CD that gave me most pleasure when I rediscovered it was this 1995 effort from our most famous Irish heartthrob. A fabulously drunken affair, it is also more aggressive than his more famous Pogues efforts. There is a great assault on the Church (“Church of the Holy Spook”) and a lovely little ballad with Sinead called “Haunted”. The language is genuinely shocking in places (surely a great Irish trait!) and the playing of the Popes is top drawer. A vastly under-rated album and one that I am unashamedly using this CLUAS poll to resurrect!"

My favourite Irish artist song of all time? That's a very very tricky question... I think Troy by Sinead is extraordinary. All I Want Is You is a fine song indeed... Into The Mystic is Van's best in my humble opinion. Arclight is brilliant. But there is a very clear winner... the still awesome after all these years Teenage Kicks still flies the highest.

By the way, CLUAS readers selected the following as the best Irish albums and artists. Still a fascinating list.

http://www.cluas.com/bestalbums/
http://www.cluas.com/bestalbums/top_50_acts.htm

I'm still suspicious of the inclusion of My Bloody Valentine in these lists... but has there been any Irish music released over the years since this list was produced that warrants inclusion?

Thats not true.... Clayton has a distinctly British accent.

Yep it was mostly recorded in Berlin (and partly in Dublin too). I do get the impression that Berlin is a fantastic place to make music, as evidenced by great stuff from everyone from David Bowie to Ellen Allien. Don't ask me what it is, but great stuff does seem to come out of there.

I think that in fairness, most people would class U2 as Irish so "Irish (TM and copyright Bord Failte) Album" it is then. Anyway, isn't Shane McGowan more London-Irish than Irish? And how come no one has faked his death in wikipedia yet?...

Liars also made their fantastic last album there. Their reasoning was that it's so much cheaper to live there then in Brooklyn they wouldn't have to worry about money so much and focus on the music.

Anyway, best album, Loveless.

Best song, hard one, I'll throw out a controversial one, Floating by Jape.

Re: the Achtung Baby comment - so an album is no longer 'Irish' if it's made by Irish people outside of Ireland?... That would rule out all those bands\artists who record in Britian or the US, I suppose.. Actually on the subject of My Bloody Valentine - do they genuinely qualify as an Irish band? Only one of the four band members was born in Ireland and they did most of their early development and gigging in Holland and Germany, before being based in London for their succesful period.

Yeah MBV are a band whose "Irishness" will always be debated, no matter, it's still a fantastic album. It's interesting to note that Loveless and Actung Baby were released within weeks of each other in November 1991 (Loveless came out first). Good month for Irish music?

Best Irish Album: And Nico - The Sewing Room

One of the few Irish albums that doesn't have to be appended with 'Irish' to justify its worth, if that makes sense.

Well, I don't know about Binok but I was only joking (a bit). It does need a bit of clarification though. Maybe its just me but its a pretty vague question to ask.

Loveless is the best irish album. In terms of what its influenced its a massive success.

Best song is up for debate ofcourse but im going to go with

drumroll

Floating by Jape

Unicorn i completely agree with u.

Its an incredible song. And should have been a worldwide hit

Who's this band Jape? Im embarrassed to say Ive never heard of them.

Best Irish Song: Could be controversial, but "Don't Go" by Hot House Flowers still sounds great.
Best Irish Album: "Jailbreak" by Thin Lizzy - awesome!

myspace.com/richiejape

solo project from Redneck Manifesto bassist Richie Egan. awesome band. 2 albums in the shops - 'The Monkeys In The Zoo Have More Fun Than Me' is the best. live set currently features a load of amazing new songs. new album rumoured to be relased on a big label and lots of people will hopefully get to hear it. yay!

Cheers...I'll have a gander

V2

album: trains, boats and planes by the frank and walters
song: heads by the stunning

tough one though

PQ

will check jape also!

Find it hard to disagree with this as best irish song - i remember Brendan O Gobsh*te abusing this song on You're a Star last year calling it "an awful, terrible song"...when he comes up with anything even 1/1000th as good as this song, then I might give his opinions some credence!

Best Irish Album: I think 'Promenade' from The Divine Comedy is genius, a few years back I'd have gone for 'Infliction' from Scheer but as immense an album as it is, it hasn't weathered as well as TDC whose early albums still sound sublime

Was referring to 'Don't Go' by the hothouse flowers as best song there in my previous post (not sure how i left out that vital piece of info!)