Dermot Kennedy’s Giants was the biggest song released in 2020 by a country artist.
The County Dublin Giants singer and songwriter released in June, inspired by the poem ‘What if 2020 is not postponed? ‘by Leslie Dwight. The message of hope was brought to the hearts of Ireland, especially after Dermot’s stunning performance on the track with superfan Michael Maloney on The Late Late Toy Show in November.
The Giants spent twenty consecutive weeks in the Official Top 10 Irish Singles Record, before returning to the top flight for a four-week period at No. 1, which included a bid for Christmas No. 1, the first song with an Irish act to do so since 2005. The song also helped Dermot’s first Irish act to replace themselves at No. 1 when the Giants opposed Paradise (a collaboration with Meduza) from top of the Irish Singles Official Card.
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Neil Horan claims to be the second most hit city of 2020 with No Judgment, released back in February, and Picture This land in third place by Winona Ryder, taking the title for the most popular song released last year by an Irish group.
New faces for 2020 complete Top 5: rising producer Shane Codd represents the dance genre with Get Out My Head (4), while Robert Grace of Kilkenny went viral on TikTok with Fake Fine (5), which went to No. 1 on the Homegrown Register in October.
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Dreams Irish charity release in Harmony was the biggest home run with a female act at No. 7, while Denise Chaila had Chaila at No. 14, and new entrant Lea Heart at No. 18 with Old .
In addition to spoken word artist and rapper Denise, there is more production for Ireland ‘s successful hip – hop scene on the year – end list, with Offica Drogheda and the A92 rap collection appearing at No. 10 on Fumez the Engineer Plugged In Freestyle, and Balbriggan’s Rose & Chuks with Facts at No. 20.
Irish Homegrown 2020 official chart
| POS | TITLE | ARTIST | PEAK HOMEGROWN |
| 1 | GIANTS | DERMOT KENNEDY | 1 |
| 2 | NO YEARS | NIALL HORAN | 1 |
| 3 | WINONA RYDER | PICTURE SEO | 3 |
| 4 | GUR A-mach MY HEAD | CODD SHANE | 2 |
| 5 | GET FINE | ROBERT GRACE | 1 |
| 6 | BOXES | GAVIN JAMES | 4 |
| 7 | DREAMS | AFTERNOON PRAYER IN HARMONY | 1 |
| 8 | WHY WE ARE | KODALINE | 6 |
| 9 | HYMN | TAKING ABBEY | 1 |
| 10 | PLUGGED IN FREESTYLE | FUMEZ AN INNLEAD / A92 / OFFICA | 2 |
| 11 | PUT ON THIS WAY | CORONAS & GABRIELLE APLIN | 5 |
| 12 | THE GREEN PART | HOZIER | 5 |
| 13 | HAITI | PRAY | 3 |
| 14 | CHAILA | CHAILA DENISE | 4 |
| 15 | POET HERO | FONTAINES DC | 6 |
| 16 | TRUCK AND ROL | MONEY MARTY | 12 |
| 17 | WE ONLY ACCEPT ME when SHE is locked | 2 JOHNNIES | 8 |
| 18 | HYMN | LEA HEART | 3 |
| 19 | 1 2 STEP | MARTY GUILFOYLE / JOHN GIBBONS | 7 |
| 20 | INFORMATION | ROSE / CHUKS | 16 |
© 2021 IRMA / Official Records Company. All rights reserved.
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Neil Horan’s second studio album Heartbreak Weather was the most popular to be released in 2020 by an Irish act.
One Direction member’s second card on the Irish Albums Official Card was hugely popular with Irish people, spawning Homegrown Official Card No. 1 hitting Nice To Meet Ya and No Judgment and Top 3 Black and White singles and Give Me a Little Love.
In August Irish pop rock group The Coronas took over Fontaines DC ‘s post punk costume for the leading role of the Irish Irish Albums Card, and although the Coronas beat No. 1, Fontaines DC managed to sell more copies over 2020. Fontaines ‘second album A Hero’s Death ends at No. 2 at the end of the year, and The Coronas’ sixth album, True Love Waits, ends
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Kodaline take fourth place with their fourth album at level 2, One Day At A Time, and American duo Hudson Taylor finish in fifth place with Loving Everywhere I Go which reached No. 1 on the Official Albums Irish Charter in March.
Gavin James has EP Boxes at No. 6, while new entrant David Keenan hits a chord at No. 7 with his debut album A Beginner’s Guide To Bravery. Dance music legend Roisin Murphy released the favorite album of Irish female artist Roisin Machine at No. 8, and then Celtic musician Sharon Shannon with The Reckoning at No. 9.
An optional Top 20 is completed by the likes of country singer Derek Ryan, Boyzone legend Ronan Keating, female punk group Pillow Queens, rock images of Boomtown Rats and new entrant Ailbhe Reddy.
Top 20 official albums released in 2020 by Irish acts
| POS | TITLE | ARTIST |
| 1 | HEARTBREAK LAND | NIALL HORAN |
| 2 | POET HERO | FONTAINES DC |
| 3 | TRUE LOVE WAITS | CORONAS |
| 4 | ONE DAY AT A TRUE | KODALINE |
| 5 | TAKING ONLY ALL | HUDSON TAYLOR |
| 6 | BOXES | GAVIN JAMES |
| 7 | GUIDE BEGINNERS TO BRAVERY | DAVID KEENAN |
| 8 | MEASUREMENT OF ROSE | MURPHY ROISIN |
| 9 | AN RECKONING | SHARON SHANNON |
| 10 | TAKE ME AGE | ACADEMIC |
| 11 | THE JOURNEY TO CHRISTMAS | DEREK RYAN |
| 12 | RATS ARE NOT INCLUDED | SCRATCH |
| 13 | TWENTY | RONAN KEATING |
| 14 | CLOUDS | TAKING A FRIEND |
| 15 | ANN THE WAITING | QUEENS PILLOW |
| 16 | CITIZENS OF BOOMTOWN | BOOMTOWN RULES |
| 17 | FUTURE | EDEN |
| 18 | PERSONAL HISTORY | AILBHE REDDY |
| 19 | DANGER ONLY DIES | EMPEROR OF ICE CREAM |
| 20 | LIFE STORIES | MARY COUGHLAN |
© 2021 IRMA / Official Records Company. All rights reserved.
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