Top of the crop...

In the second part of our Top 50 list of the most influential figures in Irish music, Joe McNamee considers some of the surprising results.

WHAT? No Dustin?! That’s it, I’m out of here.Once you’ve got over the shock exclusion of Dustin the Turkey in our list of the 50 most influential figures in the Irish music industry in 2005, you might start to wonder about a few other seemingly obvious names.

No room at the inn for Van Morrison? Shocking, you might say. But, once again, we remind you that the most essential criterium in the compilation of this list was a nominee’s level of activity in 2005.