Tom Dunne: Good Irish summer songs are as rare as a good Irish summer

Tom Dunne discovers the summer of 1976 is the inspiration for most of Ireland's iconic summertime tunes

The Undertones performing on the BBC's 'Top Of The Pops' in 1980. Their song, 'Here's Comes The Summer', was likely inspired by the hot summer of 1976 when its members were teenage boys. Picture: Michael Putland/Getty Images

Irish summer songs. This might not come as a surprise but that’s one small playlist. Up there, as I discovered after the rugby, with 'Legendary Kiwi Bands'. Two very short lists for which there are no CD compilations.

When I approached this on radio I decided to start aggressively, flying a kite as a politician might say. I stated that the entire canon of Irish Sunshine Songs consists in fact of just two: The Undertones’ 'Here Comes the Summer' (1979) and the Blades' 'Hot for You' (1980).