The Ultimate Collection: The Spirit of the Irish

I'm not a die hard Dubliners fan, so I can't say how this rates as one of their many compilations, but I do know that I can't stop listening. If you like music in general and your collection needs a little traditional Irish in it, this is a safe bet. Try Flogging Molly and the Pogues for something a bit different.

This is a good CD, but hardly "the ultimate collection." I say this because it consists of primarily recent recordings; 14 of 20 cuts in fact are 1987 or newer, with only 3 cuts from the 60's. Not that this is all bad; the latter day Dubliners are generally more polished than the older line-ups. The point is, if you are looking for stuff from the Luke Kelly/Ciaran Burke era, this isn't the collection you want.

i'm 15 and listen to punk music and irish folk type stuff like the pogues, flogging molly, and the tossers. this and a clancy brothers/hammond CD were really my first true folk CD's. holy effin' hell it's awesome! this is definately my favorite album ever. i was very impressed. there are about 10 songs on there that i've heard other versions of by bands like those i mentioned above. every one of them is better by the dubliners. there's not a bad song, or even okay song on it. they're all good or great. the dubliners definately know how to make awesome music. if you like irish folk, buy it. if you don't, expand your music horizons and buy it. you won't be disappointed unless you have horrible taste in music. ; )