Ed Sheeran

Between his hit song Galway Girl, his clear affinity for traditional Irish music and his ability to “split the G” in a pint of Guinness, Ed Sheeran has made no secret of his appreciation for Irish culture over the years.

The Shape Of You singer opened up about his Irish roots while speaking on The Louis Theroux Podcast earlier in the summer, explaining how he sees himself as “culturally” Irish, despite being born in the UK.

“I class my culture as Irish. I think that’s what I grew up with,” he shared. “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, but I was obviously born and raised in Britain.”

However, it seems not everyone took too kindly to those remarks, with an ensuing backlash including accusations of being “plastic paddy”, a derogatory term often........

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