🇮🇪 A First for Irish Culture on Netflix

When House of Guinness dropped, it did more than unveil a dynastic drama - it became the first Netflix series to offer Irish-language subtitles.

In a statement, Netflix noted that including “Irish (Gaeilge)” among the subtitle languages allowed them to lean fully into cultural authenticity and opened the door for audiences who prefer to consume content As Gaeilge.

The move has been hailed as a milestone for Irish representation on global platforms - signalling that cultural specificity is no longer a liability, but a brand asset. (Yes, bold branding move.)

🎧 The Soundtrack: Blood, Beer & Beats

If subtitles were the structural coup, the soundtrack is the emotional engine. What you get is anachronistic fire - a collision of folk, punk, hip-hop and Irish traditional with 19th-century Dublin as rotating backdrop. The music doesn’t sit behind the story - it drags it forward, accents its contradictions, and whispers that history never really leaves us.

Several outlets call the soundtrack “a selling point” - one that fuses Irish folk anthems with Celtic punks, rap rebellions, and haunting modern voices.

The show even leans into this in interviews - Anthony Boyle mentioned that he curated playlists and dropped Irish bands like The Mary Wallopers directly into the creative feeds.

📀 Tracklist & Artists (Episode-By-Episode Highlights)

Below is a distilled guide (not exhaustive) of standout tracks and the artists behind them. Use this like a playlist cheat sheet while you binge.

• Episode 1
   – “Starburster” - Fontaines D.C.
   – “Get Your Brits Out” - Kneecap
   – “Devil’s Dance Floor” - Flogging Molly
   – “Hood” - Kneecap

• Episode 2
   – “Cruel Katie” - Lankum
   – “In ár gCroíthe go deo” - Fontaines D.C.
   – “The Rich Man and the Poor Man” - The Mary Wallopers

• Episode 3
   – “As I Roved Out” - The Mary Wallopers
   – “Goodnight World” - Lisa O’Neill
   – “Another Round” - The Scratch

• Episode 4
   – “I bhFiacha Linne” - Kneecap
   – “Brother Was a Runaway” - Adrian Crowley
   – “Jailbreak” - Thin Lizzy 

• Episode 5
   – “Brewing Up a Storm” - The Stunning
   – “Carraig Aonair” - Pebbledash
   – “Choose Life” - Shark School

• Episode 6
   – “Come Out Ye Black and Tans” - Derek Warfield & The Young Wolfe Tones
   – “The Granite Gaze” - Lankum
   – “Cheeky Bastard” - The Scratch
   – “Boil the Breakfast” — The Chieftains
   – (Multiple others in this ep)

• Episode 7
   – “Fáilte 2025” IMLÉ
   – “Old Note” - Lisa O’Neill
   – “Go Head” - ROCSTRONG
   – “It’s Been Ages” - Kneecap
   – “Saints and Sinners” - The Feelgood McLouds

• Episode 8
   – “For Everything” - The Murder Capital 
   – “Starburster” - Fontaines D.C. (reprise)
   – “Beer, Beer, Beer” - The Clancy Brothers
   – “Lawman” - Gilla Band
   – Plus various others like All the Boys on the Dole (TPM), Nausea (Gurriers), The Parting Glass versions

  🎯 Why It Works (- and Where It Risks)

Wins:

• Cultural authority as marketing. The Irish subtitle inclusion doesn’t feel like a token - it becomes a statement: this is Irish storytelling on your global bill.

• Sound as emotional amplifier. The genre-blurring, time-bending soundtrack ensures the show hits you before you even realize it. If characters speak in whispers, the beat is already roaring.

• Cross-audience magnetism. Punk heads, rap fans, folk devotees - the music casts a wide net. If you came for the drama, you stay for the drops.

Risks:

• Overuse of anachronistic tracks (like Come Out Ye Black and Tans in a 19th-century setting) may rattle purist viewers. Analysts already flagged potential historical stretch.

• Some tonal dissonance - the clash between a moody period world and street-level rap can feel like tonal whiplash if not handled deftly.