WLR’s 2025 Wrapped has landed, and it’s a pretty clear snapshot of a county that loves its own, has a soft spot for a good singalong, and is absolutely not immune to the gravitational pull of a certain Gallagher-led band.
Let’s start at the top. The most-played song of the year on WLR was “Shangri-La” by Moncrieff, and yes, it also took the crown as the most-played Irish song. No surprise there. The Tramore native has been a constant presence on the airwaves, and listeners clearly weren’t getting tired of it.
Local runs deep on WLR. Moncrieff didn’t just dominate with one track; he was also named Most Played Waterford Artist, firmly planting the Déise flag in WLR’s year-in-music.
When it came to audience passion, though, one band stood above the rest. Oasis were officially the most requested artists of the year. Call it nostalgia, call it attitude, call it people typing “Wonderwall” into WhatsApp- whatever it is, Waterford still believes the hype.
Here is the breakdown:
  • Most Played 80s song: Never Gonna Give You Up – Rick Astley
  • Most Played 90s song: Rhythm Is A Dancer – Snap
  • Most Played 00s song: Love Story – Taylor Swift
  • Most Played 10s song: A Sky Full of Stars – Coldplay
Behind all of this is a serious amount of music. Over the course of the year, 74,452 songs were played on WLR, and 22,335 of them were Irish.
So what does WLR Wrapped tell us about Waterford?
It’s proud of its own, loyal to the classics, happily sentimental, and not afraid to blast a dance anthem when the mood hits. Also, Oasis are still MASSIVE!  Some things never change.
Roll on 2026 –