‘On Raglan Road’ Has Officially Been Voted Ireland’s Favourite Folk Song

On Raglan Road has been crowned Ireland’s favourite folk song. RTÉ had organised a public vote to find the winner, which was then announced on The Late Late Show this week and also brilliantly performed live on the show by Luka Bloom. The classic song was written by poet Patrick Kavanagh and became one of the country’s most iconic songs thanks to The Dubliners’ singer Luke Kelly.

Luka Bloom sings Raglan Road - Ireland's Favourite Folk Song https://t.co/nZ8SS0Vm9w

— Irish Literary Times (@IrishLitTimes) June 1, 2019

Folk legend Mary black, who presented RTÉ’s Ireland’s Favourite Folk Song series, said, "I’m delighted to hear that the public voted for the wonderful On Raglan Road as Ireland’s favorite folk song. "It’s always been a favourite of mine and deserves this great accolade!" Poet Gerry Hanberry, who wrote the background stories to each of the shortlisted songs for RTÉ Culture, said the search "has been the focus of some enjoyable heated debates and counter-thumping since it arrived on our screens a few months ago". He added, "It has stirred some wonderful spittle-spraying discussions around the definition of folk music, the intensity of which has not been heard since Dylan took out his electric guitar at Newport Festival decades ago." READ NEXT: One Of The Most Popular Irish Films Of 2018 Is Now On Netflix