A playlist of Cillian Murphy’s favourite Irish songs
Since entering the industry just over two decades ago, Cillian Murphy has become one of the most formidable actors to grace our television and cinema screens.
He found favour with the British public through flat caps and a Brummie accent on Peaky Blinders and won over the masses through a series of collaborations with Christopher Nolan, culminating in 2023’s Oppenheimer, perhaps his finest performance to date.
Murphy is a master of his craft, an actor who seems so at ease on screen that it’s hard to imagine him in any other vocation. With a ‘Best Actor’ Academy Award to his name and directors lining up to work alongside him, Murphy is well on the way to becoming one of the greatest actors of his generation, but film and television weren’t always his plan.
Before he fronted the Peaky Blinders, before he honed a partnership with Nolan, even before he made his debut in 28 Days Later, Murphy was considering a career on-stage rather than on-screen. In his youth, he played in a band with his brother named after a Frank Zappa track, and the duo even received an offer for a record deal. When Murphy grew up, he came to favour acting over singing, but his love for music never wavered.
Although acting ultimately became his profession, music remained a constant thread throughout Murphy’s life. Rather than abandoning one passion for another, he simply found a different outlet for it, carrying his curiosity and enthusiasm for new sounds alongside his increasingly successful screen career.
He has continued to prove his place as a tastemaker with appearances on BBC Radio 6, showing off his wide-ranging music taste. With curations that span everything from German electronica to contemporary indie, Murphy refuses to be constrained by his genre in his listening habits, but he seems to have a sweet spot for music from his homeland.
That connection to Irish music appears to be about more than simple national pride. Murphy has consistently championed artists who push creative boundaries, whether through the literary post-punk of Fontaines D.C. or the experimental folk traditions explored by Lankum, reflecting the same adventurous spirit that has defined his choices as an actor.
Throughout his radio shows, Murphy has often taken the time to shout out Irish artists, from post-punk outfits to folk musicians. One of his most frequently played artists is Fontaines D.C., with his specific track choices including ‘Big’ and ‘Liberty Belle’. Led by Grian Chatten, the band pen addictively catchy guitar tunes that are often inspired by Ireland, so it’s no surprise that Murphy is a fan.
Murphy’s post-punk enthusiasm doesn’t stop there, as he’s also shared a liking for Dublin-born band The Murder Capital, playing their 2019 track ‘Don’t Cling to Life’. The song pairs driving guitars and percussion with lyrics about the world collapsing. There’s a sense of calm, though, as singer James McGovern declares, “Failing this, let’s dance and cry,” over and over.
The actor’s sonic shout-outs to Ireland aren’t limited to harsh guitars, though. He has also included Lankum on his radio show, the folk group who took home the Mercury Prize last year. In another softer realm, he once played ‘Coast’ by Participant, a twinkling guitar track with gorgeously poetic lyrics and declarations of love.
From late Irish artist and activist Sinéad O’Connor to hip-hop singer Denise Chaila, Murphy clearly has his finger on the musical pulse in Ireland, even when he’s on press tours and award seasons on the other side of the world.
It’s a demonstration of Murphy’s wide-ranging taste – though it never seems to dip in quality – as well as a demonstration of how much great music is coming out of Ireland right now. From the haunting stylings of Lankum to the endlessly catchy refrains that could only ever come from Grian Chatten’s mouth, Murphy is just as dependable for music recommendations as he is for movies.
Find the full list of songs below.
A collection of Cillian Murphy’s favourite Irish songs
- Fontaines D.C. – ‘Big’
- Fionn Regan – ‘Put A Penny In The Slot’
- Maria Somerville – ‘All My People’
- The Frames – ‘Lay Me Down’
- Paul Brady – ‘Arthur McBride’
- Simple Kid – ‘Serotonin’
- Caoimhin O’ Raghallhaigh and Dan Trueman – ‘What What What’
- Fontaines D.C. – ‘Liberty Belle’
- Villagers – ‘Hold Me Down’
- Denise Chaila – ‘Duel Citizenship’
- Participant – ‘Coast’
- Powpig – ‘Mayday (Powpig)’
- The Murder Capital – ‘Green & Blue’
- A Lazarus Soul – ‘Black & Amber’
- Denise Chaila – ‘Copper Bullet’
- Arborist – ‘Taxi’ (Seamus Fogarty Remix)
- Sinéad O’Connor – ‘Mandinka’
- Lankum – ‘The Young People’
- Fionn Regan – ‘Collar Of Fur’
- Seamus Fogarty – ‘Carlow Town’
- The Murder Capital – ‘Don’t Cling To Life’
- The Divine Comedy – ‘Philip and Steve’s Furniture Removal Company’
- Jape – ‘We Threw A Dead Thing Overboard’
- Fontaines D.C. – ‘Roy’s Tune’
