10 Irish Artists Like Dave Lofts You Need to Hea

By Chris Kennedy | Published 27th Sept, 2026

If you’re a fan of Dave Lofts and you’ve been searching for more Irish artists who deliver that same combination of honest songwriting, powerful vocals and songs that actually mean something, you’ve come to the right place.

Ireland has always punched ridiculously above its weight when it comes to singer-songwriters. There’s something about the Irish tradition of storytelling that translates perfectly into music - whether it’s one voice and an acoustic guitar in a packed pub or a huge chorus being sung back by thousands of people at a festival.

For fans of Dave Lofts, there’s a particularly rich crop of Irish musicians worth exploring. Some lean towards folk, others towards indie rock, soul or alternative pop, but all ten artists below put songwriting and emotion front and centre.

So stick on the headphones, turn the volume up and start with these 10 Irish artists like Dave Lofts.

1. Dermot Kennedy

If emotional vocals and songs that gradually build into massive, cathartic choruses are your thing, Dermot Kennedy is an essential listen. The Dublin singer-songwriter built his early following through busking and intimate performances before his mix of acoustic songwriting, indie folk, pop and electronic production took him to arenas around the world. There’s a rawness to Kennedy’s voice that keeps even his biggest productions feeling personal, with lyrics regularly circling love, loss, hope and resilience. His debut album Without Fear established him internationally, while Sonder pushed his sound further towards widescreen contemporary pop.

Start with Outnumbered, Power Over Me, Giants, Better Days and Something to Someone.

2. Kingfishr

One of the most exciting Irish bands to emerge in recent years, Kingfishr bring folk storytelling into a much bigger, atmospheric indie-rock setting. The trio - Eddie Keogh, Eoghan McGoo McGrath and Eoin Fitz Fitzgibbon - met while studying engineering at the University of Limerick before turning their attention to music. Their songs combine acoustic instruments, banjo and folk influences with soaring choruses designed to fill festival fields. Early tracks Eyes Don’t Lie, Flowers-Fire and Caroline helped establish the band, while the community-minded Killeagh became a number-one hit in Ireland. Their debut album Halcyon followed in 2025. If you like Irish music that feels intimate one minute and enormous the next, Kingfishr should be high on your list.

Start with Eyes Don’t Lie and then head straight for Killeagh.

3. Damien Dempsey

There really isn’t anyone quite like Damien Dempsey. The Donaghmede singer-songwriter has developed one of the most distinctive voices in Irish music by mixing traditional Irish folk with rock, reggae and socially conscious songwriting. Rather than sanding down his Dublin accent, Dempsey made it central to his music, giving his songs an unmistakable sense of place and identity. His work can be political and socially observant, but it can also be deeply personal, hopeful and communal - particularly live, where audiences regularly turn his concerts into enormous singalongs.

Essential songs include Sing All Our Cares Away, Colony, It’s All Good and Not on Your Own Tonight.

4. Glen Hansard

Few Irish songwriters can make vulnerability sound as powerful as Glen Hansard. A former Dublin busker and frontman of The Frames, Hansard has spent decades moving between folk, indie rock and deeply intimate acoustic songwriting. International audiences may know him best for Falling Slowly, written with Markéta Irglová for Once, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. But there’s far more to explore across The Frames, The Swell Season and Hansard’s solo catalogue. His voice can move from an almost whispered confession to a full-throated roar in the space of a song, which is a huge part of what makes his live performances so compelling.

Essential songs include Falling Slowly, try Say It to Me Now, When Your Mind’s Made Up, Her Mercy and Winning Streak.

5. Mick Flannery

Cork songwriter Mick Flannery is one for listeners who pay attention to every line. Raised in Blarney, County Cork, Flannery grew up around folk and blues and began writing songs as a teenager, with influences ranging from Bob Dylan and Tom Waits to Nirvana. His debut, Evening Train, was originally conceived around a fictional story involving two brothers, immediately demonstrating the narrative instinct that would become central to his songwriting. Since then, he has become one of Ireland’s most respected singer-songwriters, known for a gravelly voice, understated arrangements and lyrics filled with complicated characters and relationships. Albums including White Lies and Red to Blue helped establish his reputation.

Good entry points include Gone Forever, No Way to Live, Red to Blue and songs from the much-loved Evening Train.

For Dave Lofts fans: Put on Red to Blue and give it some proper headphone time.

6. Moncrieff

Moncrieff, the stage name of Waterford-born singer-songwriter Chris Breheny, brings a more contemporary pop and soul edge to this list. His music is built around a huge, expressive voice and intensely personal songwriting, with polished production that never completely hides the emotion underneath. After moving to London to pursue music, he worked as a backing singer before developing his own material, with early songs such as Symptoms and Serial Killer helping him attract attention. He has since built a substantial following in Ireland through emotionally charged pop songs including Warm and Love Somebody.

If the side of Dave Lofts you enjoy most is the big vocal performance and the emotional release of a great chorus, Moncrieff is well worth exploring. Start with Warm.

7. Pa Sheehy

You might already recognise Pa Sheehy as the former frontman of Irish band Walking On Cars, but his solo material deserves attention in its own right. Since stepping away from the band, the Dingle songwriter has developed a more personal sound that gives his distinctive voice and songwriting more room to breathe. There’s plenty of acoustic singer-songwriter DNA in his solo work, but Sheehy isn't afraid to pull from different genres or let songs grow into much bigger live moments. His reputation has increasingly been built around raw, honest songwriting and energetic performances, while recent material such as The Top of Bin Ban has introduced another side of his work to Irish audiences.

Dig into Sheehy’s solo catalogue after revisiting some Walking On Cars - the change in scale makes his newer material especially interesting.

8. Hozier

Yes, Hozier is the obvious name on this list - but there’s a reason for that. The Wicklow singer-songwriter has taken Irish folk influences, blues, gospel, soul, rock and literary songwriting and turned them into a sound capable of filling arenas without losing its depth. Take Me to Church introduced him to a global audience, but his catalogue goes much deeper, from the gentle folk of Like Real People Do to Nina Cried Power, Eat Your Young and the enormous 2024 hit Too Sweet. His writing frequently draws on literature, mythology, religion and social themes, while that instantly recognisable voice can move effortlessly between a quiet folk song and a full-blown blues-soul anthem.

Go beyond the hits and listen to Like Real People Do and Shrike.

9. David Keenan

If lyrics are the first thing you listen for in a song, David Keenan could become your favourite artist on this list. The Dundalk singer-songwriter has built his reputation around poetic, intensely descriptive writing and live performances that blur the line between a gig, storytelling session and spoken-word performance. Keenan wrote El Paso, an ode to his hometown, while still in his teens, and later released his debut album A Beginner’s Guide to Bravery in 2020, which reached number one on Ireland’s independent album chart. Folk, blues, rock ’n’ roll and traditional Irish storytelling all find their way into his music, but his lyrical voice is unmistakably his own.

Along with El Paso, explore tracks from A Beginner’s Guide to Bravery and its follow-up WHAT THEN?

10. Nathan Johnston

Mullingar-born Nathan Johnston brings something slightly different to the mix. Formerly releasing solo music under the name Sion Hill, Johnston combines acoustic songwriting with blues, soul and pop influences, citing artists including Otis Redding, Jack Johnson and Paolo Nutini among his inspirations. His musical journey has taken him from Ireland to Berlin, Hamburg and London, while his collaboration with Hamburg collective Angels of Libra pushed his music into wonderfully cinematic, retro-soul territory.

Their 2022 album Nathan Johnston & The Angels of Libra includes tracks such as All Your Love, Angel of Libra, Modern Times and Icarus. Under Sion Hill, Speak Up is another good introduction to his songwriting. Now performing under his own name, Johnston returned with Outlanders in 2026, bringing the focus back towards raw vocals, guitar, groove and soul.

Why Dave Lofts Fans Have Plenty to Explore in Irish Music

What connects these artists isn’t one particular genre. Dermot Kennedy’s modern production sounds very different from Damien Dempsey’s folk influences; Hozier’s blues and gospel leanings are a long way from Kingfishr’s festival-sized indie folk; and Nathan Johnston’s soul influences take things somewhere else again.

The connection is songwriting.

These are artists who put voice, lyrics and storytelling at the centre of what they do. Their best songs feel personal without becoming inaccessible, and many of them share that particularly Irish ability to turn individual experiences into something an entire room can sing together.

That’s exactly what makes this such a good rabbit hole for a Dave Lofts fan.