By Michael Sihksnel 

Another year in the books, and another group of great albums released from some of your favorite Irish artists. From punk rock to Brit-pop, the Irish have produced some of the year’s top albums in different genres. Here’s my top five of the year.

Flogging Molly: Within a Mile of Home

THIS album makes you ask yourself one question — how often do you hear a punk record that prominently features a banjo, bouzouki and the bodhran? 

These touring vets from California are one of this year’s surprise hits, leaving everyone but their fans wondering how this release cracked the Billboard Top 50 with virtually no radio support. A testament to their fans’ broad tastes, there are songs that come blasting at you with quick guitar riffs and pounding drum lines like “Seven Deadly Sins,” and others which feature the tin whistle as their lead instrument and a soft, very melodic feel. 

“Factory Girls,” sounds like a hybrid trad-rock song, and features accompanying vocals by Lucinda Williams. Flogging Molly has done it again, and shown that the Irish can rock hard with any instrument, from the banjo to the electric guitar.

The Thrills: Let’s Bottle Bohemia

THE Thrills, only one year after their debut release, So Much for the City, have shown they will not fall victim to any sophomore slump. Let’s Bottle Bohemia keeps some of the pop riffs that made the Thrills so easy on your ears, but the lyrics portray the loss of innocence these lads from Ireland have felt since they began living in the United States. 

“Whatever Happened to Corey Haim,” stands out as one track that shows their disillusionment, with lyrics such as “Can’t you see I’m full of lies/Of something once pure/I came to the city to build a mountain and marry a Kennedy.” 

The album has a hipster rock sound, reminiscent of the Beach Boys with a more bouncy rhythm. Songs like “Saturday Night,” and “Faded Beauty Queens,” make you feel like you are listening to a good 1960s rock band, except for the jaded lyrics. 

Snow Patrol: Final Straw

EASILY the biggest surprise of the year, this CD completely sucked me in and wouldn’t let go. Starting with a simple techno-influenced riff on “How to Be Dead,” and lead singer Gary Lightbody’s soothing voice, this album will entrance the listener. I found myself singing all of the songs well after turning the record off. 

This band from Northern Ireland has been getting bigger and bigger in America, with their last show in New York’s Irving Plaza selling out, with scalpers reportedly getting $100 per ticket. 

“Run” is also the most haunting song released by any pop act of the year, with “I can barely look at you, but every time I do, I know I can’t hardly make it anywhere, but here,” sticking with you for days. A must have for fans of good pop music, Brit-pop, or steady rock and roll.

This band is ready to explode. Video game manufacturer EA Sports licensed Snow Patrol for the lead track of their hit game Triple Play 2005.

U2: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

WHAT more can possibly be said about U2, the quintessential Irish band that has released one smash record after another. Well, first of all, don’t get Bomb if you want to listen to another U2 offering like the ill-fated Pop. 

Bono has guided his group into a release that returns to their rock roots in a big way. The first single, “Vertigo,” may be a bit misleading, as it is by far the hardest song on Bomb with its echoing beginning of “Uno, Dos, Tres, Catorce,” being engraved in everyone’s head, whether from the Apple commercial or the constant airplay as the number one song in the country. “Miracle Drug,” takes us back to older U2, as a pining love song reflecting a significant other’s affect on you.

Saw Doctors: Live at Galway

THE Saw Doctors, perhaps Ireland’s most popular native band outside U2, released their first live album this year, celebrating a long history of pleasing audiences. Little known in mainstream America, they have slowly been making inroads as they open for other, more established bands here.

The new live album includes such favorites as “Share the Darkness,” “Clare Island” and the ever popular “Hay Ride.” Their catchy guitar riffs and choruses make it impossible to not sing along, and it only puts you more in touch with your roots, as the songs have almost as many references to Ireland as a Jameson bottle. 

Growing in strong Irish Catholic colleges like Boston College and Fordham, you can still sit back with the Docs before the rest of America catches up to one of Europe’s hottest bands.