Bruce Springsteen surprises fans with visit to Kildare ahead of Dublin gigs

Videos online show the star singing 'My Hometown' while in a pub in Rathangan

Springsteen has been spotted out and about while in Ireland for his RDS gigs.

Bruce Springsteen has been spotted out and about in Kildare as the singer connects with his Irish roots ahead of his three-night run at Dublin’s RDS.

The New Jersey singer’s great-great-grandmother, Anne Garrity emigrated from Rathangan, County Kildare during the Famine.

Springsteen and his wife Patti Scialfa visit Ireland regularly but this time around, 'The Boss' surprised locals in the Kildare town when he popped into a pub for a singsong. Taking a leaf out of US President Joe Biden's book, he opted for a visit to the town of his Irish ancestors.

Videos online show the star singing 'My Hometown' while in The Burrow pub in Rathangan. The American singer-songwriter said: "I haven’t played it in a long time," before launching into the song.

After encouraging the others around him to join in, he declared: "I'm firing the E street band, I'm hiring you!"

Bruce Springsteen just casually singing “My Hometown” in a local Ireland bar…nothing to see here pic.twitter.com/NxWsyDdEpX

— Bruce Springsteen: Blog It All Night (@blogitallnight) May 4, 2023

Newbridge Councillor Rob Power said that the 73-year-old also met with local history researchers at Newbridge Library to hear about the life of his great-great-grandmother.

In 2013, the Irish Family History centre was commissioned to research Bruce Springsteen’s Irish roots and. His Irish immigrant ancestors were the Gerrity/Garrity family of Rathangan, who emigrated between 1851 and 1854 and settled in Monmouth, New Jersey.

Springsteen also visited Dublin's Windmill Lane Recording Studios on Thursday. In a post online, the studio said: “Such an honour to have The Boss recording in Studio One today ahead of his sold-out Dublin concerts."

@WindmillLaneRec Such an honour to have THE BOSS @springsteen recording in Studio One @WindmillLaneRec today ahead of his sold-out Dublin concerts. Photo from left - Greg Clooney, Tony Perrey, Bruce Springsteen, Michael O'Brien & Pat McCaul.

On the same day, the Born in the USA singer met up with The Pogues singer, Shane MacGowan.

In a post to Twitter, Shane MacGowan’s wife Victoria Mary Clake shared a snap of the moment ‘The Boss’ and The Pogues singer, Shane MacGowan met. She described the American singer as “a truly wonderful man”.

"What an amazing honour and a beautiful experience to get a visit from The Boss,” she wrote.

“Such a truly wonderful man and a total genius.”