Ireland has a healthy mix of music bloggers, who largely focus on independent music with a healthy interest in what’s happening on the ground. Here are 10 Irish music blogs you should check out:

MP3Hugger - Dubliner Kevin has been posting great songs quietly without much fanfare since 2005. Mostly likely to post little-known indie-pop bands who deserve greater exposure such as Dublin’s Scared Animals or Galway’s Low Sea. (

Asleep on a Compost Heap - Verbose, witty, measured, tangental. All of these words apply to Darragh McCausland’s personal space on the web which manages to coherently cover life in Kells, musings on minimal techno and verdicts on the indie albums du jour.

Those Geese Were Stupefied - Karl McDonald is a young Irish writer who takes his music as serious as most scholars take James Joyce. His Irish interview series is essential reading for followers of this country’s music.

Cubikmusik - Cubik’s interests lie in electronica, soul, R&B, beats and hip-hop and you’ll find an eclectic selection of the above on his blog along with his regular “Under the influence” series with producers and musicians.

The Torture Garden - Shane Culloty is the owner of perhaps Ireland’s longest running music blog (March 2005). A massive fan of Arcade Fire and Cathy Davey, his blog is the first place to look for news and demos on both those acts as well as North American folk-indie artists.

Tenacious Tim - Tim is an American living in Ireland. Regular gig-goers should read his experiences with tinnitus and should stay for the tunes drawn from mainly Scandinavia and Ireland.

Bandwidth Films - Our sole Northern representative, Bandwidth is chock-a-block with live performances

Swear I’m Not Paul - Generally less niche than most other blogs, Ronan Hunt-Murphy covers a little bit of everything so you’ll be sure to find something you like in the setlists from gigs, album reviews, news and interviews.

Harmless Noise - No other blogger cares more about Irish music than Nay McArdle. Her regular roundups of Irish music both North and South of the border are absolutely essential reading.

Spherical Notions - Joey Kavanagh’s spot on the web covers live gigs and the hottest new electro and pop acts coming your way. Recent featured artists include Estelle, Ellie Goulding, Goldfrapp, Bitches With Wolves and Kiss Kiss Kiss.