This was translated into Irish for Seachtain na Gaeilge’s Irish-language album, Ceol ’08. The Coronas are an Irish rock and indie band, that originated in Dublin. They are signed to their own independent record label, 3ú Records, and are based between Dublin and London.They have released three studio albums, Heroes or Ghosts (2007), Tony Was an Ex-Con (2009) and Closer to You (2011). 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.

Two of the members of The Coronas, Danny O’Reilly and Graham Knox, were born two weeks apart, in Dublin. Their families were friends, and in turn Danny and Graham built a firm friendship as well. Both came from particularly musical backgrounds; Danny’s mother is the renowned Irish folk vocalist Mary Black.

In 1997, while attending Terenure College secondary school in Dublin, Danny and Graham were introduced to Conor Egan; it was here as well that the three made friends with Jim Lawless, who would later become their manager. Identifying a mutual love for music, Danny, Graham, and Conor, then only 15 years old, formed a band called Kiros along with another friend. However, this band did not work out and soon split. But in 2003, upon leaving school, Danny, Graham, and Conor reformed under a new name, Corona, taking Jim Lawless on as their manager. “Corona” came from the Smith Corona typewriter used by the protagonist in the film Almost Famous.

Danny went on to attend University College Dublin to study Commerce and Irish, while Graham and Conor both studied sound engineering. Meanwhile, practicing in a disused factory and gigging around small venues in their free time, Corona began to gather a small following. The band soon entered and won a competition for Irish up-and-coming bands, called the Jack Daniel’s “JD Set.” In 2005, Corona recorded a self-titled EP, their first recordings of original songs, in a small house in county Wicklow, Ireland. The EP proved to be popular, especially among college students in Dublin. It was around this time that the band also changed its name to The Coronas, largely because the pre-existing Italian dance act, also called Corona, re-emerged.

In 2006, they met guitarist Dave McPhillips while on a holiday in Vancouver; shortly thereafter, asked him to join the band as lead guitarist. Dave was a fellow Dubliner, hailing from Monkstown, and had attended Gonzaga College. Dave later studied at University College Dublin.

In September 2006, The Coronas sold out a show at Whelans, one of Dublin’s most prestigious venues for new music. 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. A second LP, Tony Was An Ex-Con, followed in September 2009. They were nominated for four Meteor Awards, winning Best Irish Album in 2010 for Tony Was An Ex-Con.

The band’s third album, Closer to You, was released in Ireland on 11 November 2011. The Coronas recorded the album in LA with producer Tony Hoffer who has worked with Air, Beck, The Kooks, Belle and Sebastian and many more. Their first single from the album, Addicted To Progress, was a big hit on Irish airwaves and the single was in the Top 5 Irish Airplay Chart for more than 13 weeks. The song was also nominated for the 2012 Meteor Choice Music Prize. The band’s second single from the album, Mark My Words, was released on 10 February 2012.