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The Coronas are an Irish people rock band that originated in Dublin. They release their music by their own independent record label, 3ú Records, and are based between Dublin and London. They have released seven studio albums, Heroes or Ghosts (2007), Tony Was an Ex-Con (2009), Closer to You (2011) The Long Way (2014), Trust The Wire (2017), True Love Waits (2020Time Stopped (2022) Thoughts and Observations (2024).
Three of the band's members - Danny O'Reilly, Graham Knox and Conor Egan - met at Terenure College where they formed a band called Kiros with a friend. The band split and then reformed as Corona, later changing the name to The Coronas to avoid any confusion with the Italian dance outfit. The first album brought them widespread popular acclaim with songs such as, Heroes or Ghosts and San Diego Song. Tony Was an Ex-Con received Best Irish Album at the 2010 Meteor Awards, beating Snow Patrol's Up To Now and U2's No Line on the Horizon among others. Closer to You was released in 2011, and was the band's first UK release, later in 2012. In November 2014, the band's debut album with Island Records, The Long Way was released.
Following this gig they were signed to the independent label 3ú Records, in November, and soon began to record what would become their debut full-length album, Heroes or Ghosts, which was released in October 2007. The album debuted at number 27 in the Irish Albums Chart, and was described by Hot Press as "walking a soulful line between Jeff Buckley and the Libertines." The album spent a total of 74 weeks in the Irish album charts, peaking at number 18.
The Coronas appeared on RTÉ's Late Late Show, The Cafe and The Podge and Rodge Show, TV3's event guide, Channel 6's Popscene and radio shows, along with being interviewed on YouTube. In 2008 the Coronas were nominated for a Meteor Award, in the Best Irish Pop Act category. In 2009 they were nominated for two Meteors in the Best Pop and Best Live categories. The title track, Heroes or Ghosts, was also translated into Irish ( Taibhsí nó Laoich) for the Irish-language album Ceol ’08.
After the release of Tony Was an Ex-Con, The Coronas made their television debut on RTÉ's Late Late Show on 18 September 2009. Prior to this televised performance the band did promotion for the album in print, radio and television media. The band appeared on the front cover of Hot Press magazine which hit news stands on 24 September 2009. They appeared in HMV music stores around Ireland, doing in-store promotions. After the success of the album in Ireland, the band went on their first Tour of America, and performed in over ten different cities. They also did an Asian tour, playing in places such as Singapore and Thailand.
Tony Was an Ex-Con won Best Album at the 2010 Meteor Awards, beating albums by artists such as U2, Bell X1 and Snow Patrol. The band did a version of "Listen Dear" in the Irish language for the Irish cover compilation album Ceol '10 Súil Siar. The track is named "Éist a Ghrá" and is listed as a bonus track on the record.
The album was met with favourable reviews throughout Ireland. Blogger Lottie from Irish site Culch.ie said "Having listened to Tony Was An Ex-Con a few times this evening, I can say it’s an enjoyable album overall. Although sweet and more polished than their first, this second album is like Heroes or Ghosts heavy on the ballads and a little samey at times."
The first single from Closer to You was "Addicted to Progress", which received more radio play in Ireland than any of the band's previous singles, topping Today FM's playlist chart for three consecutive weeks in December 2011. The band released their second single "Mark My Words", which featured O'Reilly's now ex-girlfriend and MTV Presenter Laura Whitmore in the official video. Closer to You is also the band's first mainstream UK release, having released it in July 2012. They proceeded to release videos for other tracks on the album, including "Dreaming Again" and title track "Closer to You".
The third single from Closer to You was "Dreaming Again" and was released on 10 September 2012. The fourth single released from Closer to You is the title track. RTÉ Ten reviewer Alan Corr gave the album three stars, claiming that "The Coronas play it straight for the masses on another set that will please their fans and leave hipsters as bewildered as ever." Orlagh Murphy from Oxygen.ie said "Although the lyrics of some tracks use typical clichés, and would remind you of a gushing Lionel (Richie) track, The Coronas' music has certainly evolved entirely."
"All the Others" is the lead single from their fourth studio album The Long Way, which was released on 21 November 2014. Guitarist Dave McPhillips left the band in December 2019 at the conclusion of The Long Way Home Tour, citing the unpredictability of the touring lifestyle.
Upon its release, Trust the Wire debuted at number one on the Irish Albums Chart, becoming the band’s first album to reach the top position. Critics described the record as polished and confident, though some reviews noted a stylistic familiarity compared with their earlier work. The band supported the release with an extensive Irish tour followed by performances in the United Kingdom and Australia.
The album features the singles “Strive”, “If You Let Me”, “Don’t You Say You’re in Love”, and “At Least We’ll Always Have LA.”⁴ Upon release, Time Stopped debuted at number one on the Irish Albums Chart, giving The Coronas their third consecutive chart-topping album after Trust the Wire and True Love Waits. According to Hot Press, this achievement made the band the first self-released Irish act to secure three straight number-one albums.
The Coronas promoted Time Stopped with a North American tour and Irish festival appearances through 2023 and 2024, continuing to perform internationally as of 2025.
| 2007 | Heroes or Ghosts
| 21 |
| 2009 | Tony Was an Ex-Con
| 3 |
| 2011 | Closer to You
| 3 |
| 2014 | The Long Way
| 2 |
| 2017 | Trust the Wire
| 1 |
| 2020 | True Love Waits
| 1 |
| 2022 | Time Stopped
| 1 |
| 2024 | Thoughts & Observations
| 1 |
| 2007 | "The Talk" | 18 | Heroes or Ghosts |
| "San Diego Song" | 26 | ||
| 2008 | "Grace, Don't Wait!" | 30 | |
| "Heroes or Ghosts" | 24 | ||
| 2009 | "Listen Dear" | 16 | Tony Was an Ex-Con |
| 2010 | "Someone Else's Hands" | 23 | |
| "Wont Leave You Alone" | — | ||
| 2011 | "Addicted to Progress" | 7 | Closer to You |
| 2012 | "Mark My Words" | 33 | |
| "Dreaming Again" | — | ||
| 2014 | "Closer to You" | — | |
| "All the Others" | 3 | The Long Way | |
| "Just Like That" | — | ||
| 2015 | "How This Goes" | — | |
| 2019 | "Find the Water" | 73 | True Love Waits |
| 2020 | "Haunted" | 91 | |
| "Cold" | — | ||
| 2021 | "Write Our Own Soundtrack" | — | Time Stopped |
| 2022 | "Strive" | — | |
| "Don't You Say You're in Love" | — | ||
| "If You Let Me" | 3 | ||
| 2024 | "That's Exactly What Love Is" (featuring Gabrielle Aplin) | — | Thoughts & Observations |
| "—" denotes a title that did not chart. | |||
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