Cian Ducort News Today

It was a bold declaration, but one I stand over. In more than 20 years writing about music for the Irish Independent, I don’t remember a year as good for homegrown talent as 2023. Often, it’s hard to argue that there were 10 exceptional Irish albums in any calendar year; this time there were comfortably 20. And when I drew up that number of superb albums, there were yet others that didn’t quite make that cut, but still come highly recommended.

From Miley Cyrus’ inescapable anthem of female empowerment to U2 rocking out in a giant ball in the desert, and from critically lauded new material from the Rolling Stones and the Beatles to the ubiquity of Taylor Swift, 2023 had something for everyone.

We paid the new HMV store on Henry Street a visit and found a shop that has moved with the times without forgetting it's roots.