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This is a directory of blogs, web-pages, archives, accounts and other media available online which I think might interest any person interested in punk music in Ireland from the 70s and 80s.

If something you created is in this directory and you would like it removed, please contact me at punc@tuta.io and I will fulfill your request forthwith. If you have a link which you think should be included in this directory, e-mail me at the same address.

I am particularly interested in finding out more about Irish hardcore and anarcho-punk from the 80s onwards and I would gladly welcome any information anyone has about them or relevant links.

General Resources

A project - a blog, a book and a regular column in Totally Dublin magazine - which displays all sorts of Irish print media from the 20th century. You'll find plenty of material about Irish punk rock and post-punk in here, with scanned pages from contemporary newspapers, fanzines and magazines. I've definitely lost hours browsing this site.

This blog was founded to collect and archive recordings of sessions broadcast on the Dave Fanning Show on RTÉ 2 from the 80s onwards. This has expanded to include relevant recordings from other radio programs and rare demos. Sessions by Nun Attax, The Virgin Prunes, Rocky De Valera and numerous others can be found there.

The website of a group of veteran gig-organisers, full of a wealth of interviews, reviews and recollections about punk rock in Ireland from the 70s on. On sale on the site are their two fine collections of gig memories from people in the Irish music community as well as some friends from abroad - both raising money for charity.

There are times where metal and punk intersect, and this archive of material relating to Irish metal music includes a few things (such as zines) which might interest the punks.

One man's heroic attempt to create an Irish punk equivalent to the "nuggets" compilations which proliferate in all corners of the earth. The first series of compilations includes tracks released between 1977 to 1989, inlcuding many rare and little-heard songs by obscure Irish punk bands.

An unbeatable resource with a great A-Z of Irish rock, punk and new wave bands. No band too small or obscure to get an entry with a discography and band photos. Definitely worth a look.

The Irish Left Archive is, as they describe themselves, "an online archive of materials relating to Irish left politics, freely accessible and easy to download and reproduce". A number of the publications in the archives include articles about music in Ireland or take an influence from punk culture, such as Class War and No Quarter magazine. It might take some digging but there is material of interest in there.

This is the online video archive of Ireland's state broadcaster, and includes some contemporary coverage of the early punk movement as well as footage of performances by Irish punk and post-punk bands. YouTube users uploading their VHS collections have done a better job at making important or interesting video available, but as far as I am aware this is the best "official" source for Irish punk on tape.

Dublin

The website of a Dublin band generally associated with Irish 70s punk. You can see tour dates, read a short biography of the band, listen to their albums (via the magic of spotify), and buy various things, including t-shirts, badges and a picture book.

Official website of the man from the Virgin Prunes. Features a biography, a discography, a nice gallery of photos and a blog, largely featuring scans of articles and links to radio or video interviews. Although it mostly focuses on his artwork, Guggi's website deserves a mention here because it has some nice photos of the Prunes and a nice one-word url. I guess there aren't too many other Guggis in the world.

A great interview with the late Phil Chevron from 2012.This is a great wide-ranging interview that covers Phil Chevron's time in both bands mentioned in the title, as well as the inspiration for some Radiators songs, the history and politics of Ireland in the 20th century, music piracy and Northern Irish punk music. Plus he gives U2 a bit of a kicking, which is always funny.

Official website of the Radiators From Space, one of Ireland's first and most enduring punk bands. Features a band history and discography as well as lyrics.

Blog of Steve Averill AKA Steve Rapid of the Radiators. Has some interesting photos and press clippings from the Radiators era.

The website of Dublin's very own punk poet and musician, featuring his art and music from the 80s onwards.

After Phil Chevron could no longer continue playing with the Radiators due to ill health, the rest of the band formed the Trouble Pilgrims, named after the third Radiators album.

Official website, featuring a biography and discography of the band, as well as lyrics and many scans from articles about the band and its members.

Now only available through the magic of the internet archive. Although the purpose of the site was to chronicle the early gigs of the letter U and the numeral 2, it also gives an incredible amount of information about punk in Dublin in the late 70s - both to put U2 in their context and just for love. Photos, press cuttings and detailed biographies of many, many bands.

Three-episode radio miniseries about punk music in Dublin in the late seventies. Features interviews with various people including members of the Radiators From Space, DC Nien and Chant! Chant! Chant!. Episode 3 includes an interview with Elvera Butler and discusses the Arcadia...

Northern Ireland

The website of the Northern Irish punk label Spit Records, but also (as the website's index says) "a detailed resource on the bands, venues and labels who all contributed to the scene" in Northern Ireland. There is an incredible amount of material here about every aspect of punk in Northern Ireland. Of special note are the hundreds, perhaps thousands of images available on the site of everything from Rudi stickers to press cuttings about punk to hundreds of photos of ordinary punk fans from Northern Ireland. A truly impressive website and an immersive time capsule of the period.

Another great website about Northern Irish punk. Includes similar content to the Spit Record site - band biographies, reviews, photos and recollections about gigs and venues as well as a guide to the films and TV programmes that have been made about Northern Irish punk over the years. Covers not just the initial punk period but the 80s, 90s, 2000s and 2010s. Not updated in a while but a great resource.

Official website of Derry's finest crammed with pictures, lyrics, an extensive discography and gigography, gig memories, news and more. Look out for the story of how the Undertones were inadvertently responsible for the Chocolate Watch Band finally getting paid...

Website of the anarchist punk collective that organized all sorts of things in Belfast from the mid-80s onwards. Focal point of the Northern Irish punk scene in the 80s, still active today.

Cork

The unofficial fan-site for Microdisney, with pictures, press clippings, recollections from fans and clips from gig recordings.

This compilation, released April 2020 by Allchival, finally made the songs of Nun Attax, Five Go Down To The Sea? and Beethoven available available all in the one place.

Great in-depth interview with Ricky Dineen, guitar player in Nun Attax, Five Go Down To The Sea? and Beethoven.

TV Documentary about U2's early gigs in Cork that is also a documentary about the Arc and Cork punk by the backdoor. In Irish but it has subtitles. Currently not available via the Player but version are on YouTube, probably.

Record Labels and Distros

Distro for Paranoid Visions and the F.O.A.D label. They sell LPs, CDs and the odd book.

Reissues label derived from Chiswick Records which has issued and reissued albums by the Radiators (From Space) and compiled a collection of recordings by the Nipple Erectors (AKA the Nips).

Zines

Archive of Cork zines "from the 1970s onwards". Naturally includes a number of punk and punk-influenced zines. Their collection isn't digitised but if you want to see bits from it have a look at their twitter.

Other

Website commemorating the life of the German-born cabaret singer who had some association with punk in Dublin. The website has a biography, photographs, articles and interviews, song lyrics and embedded video of interviews and performances.

Writing about music from a Cork perspective. Generally covers rock music in Ireland in the late 20th century, including punk and indie.