Ireland's most successful music artists of 2024 have been revealed, with Hozier and U2 ranking at the top.

From The Cranberries to the late Sinead O'Connor, some of the biggest musicians and pop stars have come from the Emerald Isle. Now, with the help of Betfair Casino, the top Irish artists are being brought to center stage in a new study ranking the most successful.

To measure the success of each artist and band, the researchers examined record sales, monthly listeners, followers, popularity, artist rank, playlists and playlists reached, all on Spotify.

The study revealed Hozier as the leading solo artist. His debut 2013 hit single, "Take Me To Church" has amassed over 2.5 billion streams. The singer-songwriter has also racked up an astonishing 54 million monthly listeners on Spotify, placing 38th in the world - the highest of any Irish band or solo artist.

Coming in a close second was Dublin’s Dermot Kennedy. As well as reaching an impressive 640 million playlists on Spotify, the artist has amassed a total of 29,000,000 record sales. 

U2 in 2019. Credit: Getty Images
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U2 in 2019. Credit: Getty Images

As for bands, U2 ranked as the most successful Irish group with 135 million record sales, and reaching 450 million playlists on Spotify. First founded in 1976, the rock stars have certainly shown why they are still the biggest band - both in Ireland and the rest of the world. 

The Cranberries followed behind, with the most monthly listeners and followers among the bands. The Limerick-based band’s hit single "Zombie" contributed to 40 million record sales.

Meanwhile, 2000’s fan-favorite Westlife placed third. After splitting up in 2012, the Sligo-formed band reunited in 2018, releasing albums since and a world tour which began in late 2023. Westlife had the second most sales, but were far off The Cranberries in monthly listeners.

Check out the complete top 10 lists of Ireland's most successful bands and solo artists below.

Most successful Irish solo artists:

  1. Hozier
  2. Dermot Kennedy
  3. Danny O’Donoghue
  4. Van Morrison
  5. James Vincent McMrorrow
  6. Bono
  7. Sinead O’Connor
  8. Enya
  9. Dolores O’Riordan
  10. Gary Lightbody

Most successful Irish bands:

  1. U2
  2. The Cranberries
  3. Westlife
  4. Thin Lizzy
  5. The Corns
  6. Boyzone
  7. The Boomtown Rats
  8. The Chieftains
  9. The Dubliners
  10. Clannad 

Related: Music