Ahem what about The Frames? surely you don't rate Lir ahead of them or what the Hothouse Flowers It's not a tumor

Therapy? definitely 'and jesus did feed the fecophiliacs loaves and fish, more specifically pinched loaves and chocolate salmon'

like Lir their lifespan was far too short but even still Whipping Boy would have to get my vote.

Actually I reckon it must be Ash. They have released 5 of the best pop songs in the history of music.

does best mean the most album sales or does it mean respect from their peers, because if it means respect from their peers and indeed from their heroes then my vote has to reside in the ruby horse camp on this one, how many irish bands have had the balls to give it all up move to america and start from scratch with no contacts two guitars and nowhere to live and within three years be signed to island defjam record a song wit the late great george harrison and have the same manager as bob dylan, these guys are on the verge of something major and i plan to sit back and enjoy watching a great irish band make it to the top

you know rubyhorse?? wow, they are amazing, i hear they might be taking a trip over here soon, can't wait, their album rise is one of my favourites...

Thats good to know i have it as well and i rckon it is a close second behind the bosses the rising for album of the year

whaddabout... ...the sewing room...or ...rollerskate skinny maybe the best bands or maybe just makers of the two best albums

'Em' mentioned above the Rubyhorse album. It ain't yet got a wide release over here as far as I know. But you can pick it up for next to nothing on ebay. I just picked it up after winning an auction with a $2 bid.... Feck buying 22 Euro albums in HMV or Tower or wherever, Ebay is the way to go. Even with the P&P charges factored in. Baby. eoghan

or for pure quality what about The Prayerboat?

Sack are pretty good - very underrated too. I'm not saying they're the best but some of there songs are really excellent

thats fair enough picking up a cheap copy of the album on ebay it will be on general release here early in the new year and will be a lot cheaper then, but i have this philosophy against copying cds of bands that are trying to make it big, i feel that i am cheating them, i have no problem doing it when it is someone like david gray who doesn't need me to fork out 20 quid for his album but bands that are trying to mke it do need me to pay good money for the record

Quote: "Actually I reckon it must be Ash. They have released 5 of the best pop songs in the history of music." Are you taking the piss?

so afro how much did you pay for your rubyhorse album? ;) i got a present of mine from a kind stranger...

Dunno how to define the best irish band of the decade but i think the stunning and the waterboys (both shoulda done better internationaly than they did) should get a mention

what about six and their masterful version of whole lot of loving - these young tigers are gonna rip apart the oppostion

Surely U2 followed by the criminally underrated Hothouse Flowers!!

i think an enduring favourite had to have been the pague monkeys. i loved whipping boy at a certain stage, but now they seema bit pointlessly angry. weren't the waterboys a not irish but "celtic in a general type of way" band?

plague monkeys were a great band. i thought the waterboys were a "not irish" band as such?