Ed Sheeran has stunned fans by revealing he identifies more with Irish culture than British, despite being born and raised in England.
The chart-topping Shape of You singer, 34, grew up in Suffolk but said his Irish heritage has shaped who he is far more than his English upbringing.
Sheeran declared: “I class my culture as Irish. I think that’s what I grew up with.”
Sheeran’s father’s side of the family hails from Ireland, and the singer spent much of his childhood there.
Sheeran’s father’s side of the family hails from Ireland, and the singer spent much of his childhood there
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His grandmother Anne Mary - known as Nancy Mulligan - was a nurse from Gorey, County Wexford, who married Bill Sheeran of County Derry in London in 1951.
Their love story inspired his hit song Nancy Mulligan.
“My mum’s family is very, very small, it’s her and her parents,” Sheeran explained on The Louis Theroux podcast.
“And my dad’s family is... he’s got seven brothers and sisters. We’d spend all of our holidays in Ireland. My first musical experiences were in Ireland, I grew up with trad music in the house.”
“So I identify culturally as Irish,” he added, “but I was obviously born and raised in Britain.”
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It’s not the first time Sheeran has expressed his deep connection to the Emerald Isle
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The singer went on to challenge traditional ideas of national identity, stating: “Just because I was born in Britain doesn’t necessarily mean that I have to just be [British].”
He continued: “I do feel like my culture is something that I’m really proud of and grew up with and want to express. There’s loads of people I know that are half this or quarter this. I don’t think there’s any rules to it. It should be how you feel and how you were raised and what you lean into.”
Asked about his popularity in Ireland, Sheeran responded: “I’d say it’s basically my second home musically. I’d say Ireland is the place that I am most successful musically.”
It’s not the first time Sheeran has expressed his deep connection to the Emerald Isle.
In a past appearance on Desert Island Discs, he revealed he spent most childhood summers, birthdays, and Christmases in Ireland with family.
Sheeran opened up about the challenges of fame, particularly in protecting his family
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Away from music, Sheeran opened up about the challenges of fame, particularly in protecting his family. He and wife Cherry Seaborn, whom he married in 2019, share two children - and he's fiercely protective of their privacy.
“My first daughter, six weeks after she was born, we hadn’t sent any photos of her whatsoever,” he said. “But there was paparazzi outside our house that got a photo of her, and it was in the paper and I just found it weird that some strange old man that I’d never met was the only person with an image of my kid on their device.”
“It’s a strange trade-off,” he reflected. “To be successful in the music industry, you end up being rich, famous and successful... but my kids have not signed up to that, and I find it weird that it’s normal to take pictures of other people’s children if they’re famous.”
Despite his global fame, Sheeran insists he lives modestly - revealing he doesn't own a private jet and prefers trains.
He said: “I like the environment, I like trees. I’d find it hard to justify,” he said, though admitted that during “intense promo trips” there is “the odd time.”
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