Comments on: On St. Patrick’s Day everyone’s Irish

By: Alex Leonard

Alex Leonard — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 01:01:58 +0000

Definitely – if you started questioning the nationality of any of them, well, we're all from the same melting pot.

I did actually get a response from Joost who told me something I definitely didn't know about Def Leppard:

"While Def Leppard is a British band, their guitarist, Vivan Campbell, is from Belfast, which is why we included him in the list. And we included Morrissey in the list for the reasons you state below – that he is the child of Irish immigrants."

Still, poor old Thin Lizzy. No mention at all.

By: 2BiT

2BiT — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:21:48 +0000

Re: Def Leppard…following your U2 logic:

"Following their breakthrough, the band moved to Dublin in February 1984 for tax purposes to begin writing the follow-up to Pyromania"

just being pendantic

By: Alex Leonard

Alex Leonard — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:32:44 +0000

Heh. I was actually just talking to Warren about that. I was pointing out that I'm Irish, even though by blood I'm half-Greek.

I figure seeing as my mum lived in Ireland since she was three years old, and given that I can't speak any Greek and have only been to Greece three times in my life (once when I was two), I'm really Irish, no doubt.

I could probably play soccer for the Greek team though, in theory.

By: steve

steve — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:21:55 +0000

and well.. even within ireland. my da's from limerick, my ma's from dublin. i was brought up here. my 4 grandparents are from sligo, kerry, clare, and wicklow. but i'm from dublin. i have zero confusion about that. as an example, i suppose.

By: steve

steve — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:18:57 +0000

these guys are english… and who gives a shit..

By: Alex Leonard

Alex Leonard — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:23:59 +0000

In my draft post I had actually written (UK/IRL) beside the Pogues, but for some reason deleted it.

Yeah, it's definitely a tough one to define which bands are "Irish", I should have focussed mainly on the fact that Def Leppard are anything but Irish.

Nationalism sucks balls – doesn't really make any sense. All defined around arbitrary borders applied hundreds of years ago by inbred monarchs and generals!

By: Spewey Walshe

Spewey Walshe — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:19:31 +0000

I guess it all depends on what the definition of your nationality is, it's something I've never been sure of. What are the defining factors? Is it purely based on your parents nationality, is it to do with where you were born or spent most of your life?

Look at some of the people who most people would generally assume are completely Irish. Shane McGowan from the Pogues was born in England to Irish parents and spent most of his life there.

Andy Irvine from Planxty was born in Scotland to Irish-Scots parents.

Sure even some of our iconic national heroes are the same. James Connolly was born in England to Irish parents. Patrick Pearse had English parents but was born in Ireland.

I really don't know what the definition of your nationality is but it doesn't seem too straightforward to me.