Irish blood pumps new heart into English music

Irish Blood, English Heart

You’d have heard the tales of ‘No blacks, no dogs, no Irish’, jokes about thick Paddies were common, and publications from the Daily Mail to The Face wrote negatively about Irishness. The IRA’s murderous bombing campaigns also complicated any sense of pride you had in your ethnic background, and made you a target for suspicion and hostility.

To make matters worse, you also weren’t quite accepted on the other side of the Irish Sea. Even those who literally wrapped themselves in the green flag would have heard snide ‘plastic Paddy’ murmurs on the terraces at Irish soccer matches.