THIN LIZZY have been voted the best Irish band of all time in a poll of more than 10,000 music fans.
The survey, completed in the four days leading up to St Patrick’s Day, asked listeners of Ireland’s Radio Nova to choose their favourite Irish band.
The radio station’s ‘Shamrock Referendum’ saw more than 10,000 Radio Nova listeners voting via text, WhatsApp and social media to choose the winner.
Sixteen of the most famous Irish artists and bands faced off in the tournament, with heats and playoffs broadcast live on air over four days, from March 14-17.
The artists that made it into the final 16 were The Boomtown Rats, Something Happens, Ash, The Coronas, U2, Horslips, Snow Patrol, Van Morrison. The Frames, Aslan, The Undertones, Hosier, The Pogues, Sinead O’Connor, The Coronas and Thin Lizzy.
Ultimately Thing Lizzy scored the top spot with 60.5 per cent of votes compared to 39.5 per cent voting for runners up U2.
The winner was broadcast at 5pm on St Patrick’s Day.
“Competition was fierce with so much passion for the various bands and artists across the week – and to have two monster bands like U2 and Thin Lizzy face off in the Grand Final today was nail-biting,” said presenter Matt Dempsey, who presided over the Grand Final live on-air on Radio Nova.
“We certainly felt the tension in the on-air studio, with literally hundreds of texts coming in in the last 10 minutes and more than 10,000 votes over the course of the week.”
Thin Lizzy have been voted the best Irish band of all timeThin Lizzy were formed in Dublin in 1969 and their music - which reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music - continues to influence artists worldwide to this day.
Lead singer, Phil Lynott is widely deemed to have paved the way for Irish rock music in the 1970’s, while still drawing from influences of Irish culture such as traditional Irish music.
His lyrics commonly drew on his working-class experiences in inner-city Dublin and he is immortalised in the city in a bronze statue located outside of the famous Dublin rock pub Bruxelles.
Radio Nova is one of the largest radio stations in Leinster, broadcasting to Dublin, Kildare, Meath, Wicklow on FM and nationwide via smartphone, online and smart speaker.
The station has 172,000 listeners as per the most recent JNLR Irish radio ratings.
See More: Dublin, Irish, Music, Phil Lynott, Radio Nova, Thin Lizzy
