In May 1992, when Irish confidence was nothing like it is now, when profuse apologies and cap tipping were still our thing, the NME put Cathal Coughlan and Sean Hughes on the cover. The masthead was in green, white and orange. Ireland, and being Irish was cool, apparently.
It was seismic. NME, the stalwart of cool anti-culture in the UK, had been borderline racist in its previous assessments of Irish talent, U2 and Sinead, notwithstanding. It was dismissive at best. Irish acts bloomed in Ireland and were cut down to size in the UK, that was the deal.
This is exclusive subscriber content. Already a subscriber? Sign in
