On both the Irish albums and Irish singles front, Kodaline cleaned up last year. The band's third album, Politics of Living, sailed in at No. 1, while their single 'Follow Your Fire', also took the top spot for songs.

Gavin James and Picture This also enjoyed successful years, with James' second album Only Ticket Home coming in at No. 2 on the top albums, while Picture This' three single releases from 2018, 'This Morning', 'One Drink' and 'When We Were Young', all appeared on the Top 10 songs. The Academic also had a massive year, with their debut album Tales From The Backseat coming in at No. 3.

Elsewhere on both lists, Finbar Furey and Christie Hennessy prove that there's still a massive appetite for folk music in Ireland, while singers like Nathan Carter and the late Big Tom enjoyed success as leading lights in country music. Hot Press Annual coverstars Versatile made it to No. 6 on the top songs of 2018 with their viral hit 'Ketamine', a huge achievement considering it had next to no industry backing. Hozier's return to music with 'Nina Cried Power' landed him a place on the Top 10 songs, while Dermot Kennedy sets himself up for a bright 2019 with 'Power Over Me' taking the tenth spot.

Top 10 albums by Irish acts released in 2018

1 POLITICS OF LIVING - KODALINE
2 ONLY TICKET HOME - GAVIN JAMES
3 TALES FROM THE BACKSEAT - THE ACADEMIC
4 THE LAST GOODBYE - CHRISTIE HENNESSY/RTE ORCHESTRA
5 VOICE OF HOPE II - TOMMY FLEMING
6 DON'T STOP THIS NOW - FINBAR FUREY
7 BORN FOR THE ROAD - NATHAN CARTER
8 FLICKER - NIALL HORAN FT RTE ORCHESTRA
9 THE PLEASURE HAS BEEN MINE - BIG TOM
10 TWICE AROUND THE WORLD - THE STUNNING

Top 10 songs by Irish acts released in 2018

1 FOLLOW YOUR FIRE - KODALINE
2 THIS MORNING - PICTURE THIS
3 ALWAYS - GAVIN JAMES
4 ONE DRINK - PICTURE THIS
5 WHEN WE WERE YOUNG - PICTURE THIS
6 KETAMINE - VERSATILE
7 BROTHER - KODALINE
8 NINA CRIED POWER - HOZIER FT MAVIS STAPLES
9 HEARTS ON FIRE - GAVIN JAMES
10 POWER OVER ME - DERMOT KENNEDY

All statistics record by Officialcharts.com