Latest news with #JohnSheeran
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Bitter family rift at the heart of Ed Sheeran's Emerald Isle roots: How Suffolk- born singer's beloved grandparents were shunned by loved ones, as he cops backlash for 'identifying culturally' as Irish
The devastating family rift at the heart of Ed Sheeran 's roots is revealed after he sparked a backlash for claiming he 'identifies culturally' as Irish on the The Louis Theroux Podcast. While the singer, 34, was born in Halifax, Yorkshire, and famously raised in Suffolk, he has many family members in Ireland and fondly recalls childhood holidays spent there. His father John's family hails from Belfast, and is one of eight siblings born to Nancy Mulligan and William Sheeran. While Nancy was a Catholic from the Republic of Ireland, her husband was a Protestant from Northern Ireland, so when they fell in love during the Second World War it caused huge ructions on both sides of the family. It was this bitter fall out in Ed's paternal lineage that inspired his hit 2017 song Nancy Mulligan, named after his grandmother. The folk track tells the tale of his grandparents being shunned for marrying outside their religions. Reflecting on the romance, Ed said: 'They got engaged and no one turned up at their wedding. He stole all the gold teeth in his dental surgery and melted them down into a wedding ring, and they wore borrowed clothes to get married. 'And just basically have this kind of Romeo And Juliet romance, which is like the most romantic thing'. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Despite the couple, who met in London during WWII before returning to their native Ireland years later, not being supported by their families they went on to start their own and welcomed a whopping eight children over their almost 70-year marriage. As well as Ed's father John they shared Jim, Bill, Peter, Chris, MaryAnne, Bridget and the late Sally as well as 23 grandchildren, with Ed spending many holidays wth his grandparents in County Wexford. William died in 2013, while Nancy passed away in 2023 aged 98, but Ed was forced to miss her funeral due to his ongoing and highly publicised copyright trial in New York - that he eventually won. Speaking at the service, Ed's father said the singer was 'so upset' to miss his beloved grandmother's funeral but he has to 'defend his integrity' across the pond. He then turned to the 'Romeo and Juliet' love story referenced in Ed's song: 'Mum met Dad, a dental student, at a Guy's nurses' home party'. 'Friendship turned into love, but the Northern Ireland Presbyterian side of dad's family did their utmost to end the relationship'. 'Their wedding was attended by only one family member – mum's twin sister Peggy. They lived above that dental surgery in South London with a growing family. Eventually five boys and three girls. Mum joked to us that she had originally wanted 11 children so she could feel the football or cricket team.' When Ed's song inspired by the romance was released in 2017, a sweet video emerged of his grandmother listening to it for the first time. The then 92-year-old told RTE News: 'I'll never think of him as being famous, I have to say. He's exactly the same as he always is when he visits. 'And it's very rare because he's always working and when you think he was working from the age of 14, you'd have to feel sorry for him, you know he's so tired but he loved it.' Following Nancy's death Ed revealed the loss inspired the song Supermarket Flowers on his album Divide. He said on social media: 'When my grandma passed away I wrote a song called Supermarket Flowers about the situation. The verse lyrics are about packing up her room at that hospital. The care she received was incredible; the people who worked there so lovely, compassionate, funny and caring. 'Me and my family became very close to the nurses who worked there and my mum is still in touch with them now. I just wanted to make a tribute to my gran, She was the musical one in my family. Hopefully I will pass that on to my kids'. Opening up on his heritage on the latest episode of The Louis Theroux Podcast, Ed explained: 'I class my culture as Irish. I think that's what I grew up with. 'My dad's family is ... he's got seven brothers and sisters. 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.' The Galway Girl hitmaker went on to say that he was 'really proud' of his Irish cultural roots, and that he didn't feel that he had to 'just be British', as it was down to 'how you feel'. Nancy passed away in 2023 aged 98, but Ed was forced to miss her funeral due to his ongoing and highly publicised copyright trial in New York (pictured) - that he eventually won He said: 'I don't overthink it but I do feel like my culture is something that I'm really proud of and grew up with and want to express. 'And I feel like just because I was born in Britain doesn't necessarily mean that I have to just be [British], there's loads of people I know that are half this or quarter this. 'I don't think there's any rules to it. It should be how you feel and how you were raised and what you lean into.' And when asked whether he gets 'a lot of love' in Ireland, the chart-topping star also praised the country as being 'my second home'. He said: 'I'd say it's basically my second home, musically. I'd say Ireland is the place that I am most successful musically.' 'I come from an Irish family, spent most of my childhood summers and birthdays and Christmases in Ireland listening to trad music bands,' Ed previously said in an interview. However Ed's comments sparked backlash as fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to hit back at his claims he is Irish as they claimed he was 'pretending'. They penned: 'Identifies just means to pretend'; 'does Ed Sheeran hold eligibility to start for the Irish national football team?'; 'They can have him'; 'It's not where you're born. It's your bloodline that determines what you are. Cliff Richard was born in India. Is he Indian? You can be born anywhere in the World. That doesn't automatically make you part of that culture.'; The Galway Girl hitmaker went on to say that he was 'really proud' of his Irish cultural roots, and that he didn't feel that he had to 'just be British', as it was down to 'how you feel' However Ed's comments sparked backlash as fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to hit back at his claims he is Irish 'Whilst he's of the Irish diaspora, he's English'; 'Why can't he just identify as himself'; 'That Galway Girl must've spun his head around'; 'Ed Sheeran tour posters for the top of the bonfire'; 'Grand so. Tell him he's now eligible to join the Gardai' 'His song Galway girl has to be up there with the worst songs of all rubbish with all the usual Irish cliché only thing he missed in the lyrics was shouting 'up the ra'..seems a nice lad but terrible music'. However others understood his point of view as they argued: 'Well his da is Irish so he's perfectly entitled to.'; 'You can be born and raised for some time anyway in England and still identify culturally as Irish. It's not unprecedented';
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Ed Sheeran reveals he 'identifies culturally as Irish' despite being born and raised in England and describes Ireland as his 'second home'
Ed Sheeran has revealed he identifies 'culturally as Irish' despite being born and raised in England, as he was heavily influenced by his time on the island. While the singer-songwriter, 34, was brought up in Suffolk, his father John hails from Belfast, meaning he spent much of his childhood in Ireland. Opening up on his heritage on the latest episode of The Louis Theroux Podcast, Ed explained: 'I class my culture as Irish. I think that's what I grew up with. 'My dad's family is ... he's got seven brothers and sisters. 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.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The Galway Girl hitmaker went on to say that he was 'really proud' of his Irish cultural roots, and that he didn't feel that he had to 'just be British', as it was down to 'how you feel'. He said: 'I don't overthink it but I do feel like my culture is something that I'm really proud of and grew up with and want to express. 'And I feel like just because I was born in Britain doesn't necessarily mean that I have to just be [British], there's loads of people I know that are half this or quarter this. 'I don't think there's any rules to it. It should be how you feel and how you were raised and what you lean into.' And when asked whether he gets 'a lot of love' in Ireland, the chart-topping star also praised the country as being 'my second home'. He said: 'I'd say it's basically my second home, musically. I'd say Ireland is the place that I am most successful musically.' Elsewhere in the podcast, Ed - who is dad to daughters Lyra, four, and Jupiter, two, with his wife Cherry Seaborn - revealed that he has enlisted 24-hour security for himself and his family amid safety concerns about 'dangerous people'. Speaking about life in the limelight, he revealed there had been an attempted break-in at his sprawling Suffolk home, dubbed Sheeranville, and he brought in 24-hour security as a result. The musician said: 'I do think that there is a different kind of normal that is our business. I have like 24-hour security on my house. I have security with my kids. 'I have security with me. I have security with my wife, just because there have been a couple of weird things over the years that have happened.' Louis appeared shocked, to which Ed added: 'Just so you know there's lots of dangerous people out there. We've had like you know a break-in attempt. 'In my industry, that's normal. That's kind of like an underlying thing that no one really talks about, but that is kind of a part of being in the public eye.' But reflecting on the positives of his success, the Perfect star lifted the lid on his very famous pals ranging from Elton John and Dave to Stormzy. He recalled how he once gave Stormzy a lift to the pub after buying his first car, a Mini, quipping: 'He didn't fit in the back'. He went on to describe his pal: 'He seems like he'd be quite shy but I don't think he is when you get to know him. His humour is very similar to mine.' While, speaking about fellow British rapper Dave, he gushed: 'He's done a lot of production on the new record because aside from being a brilliant lyricist, he's also an incredible producer and writer.' Another of the stars Ed has been lucky enough to spend time with is Eminem, who the A Team star worked with on the rapper's 2018 song River. The star revealed: 'He loves comic books, Marvel movies and video games. I sent him a Nintendo 64 with Goldeneye on it because he'd never played it.' Ed also recalled how Van Morrison once woke him up at six in the morning after a boozy night out with golfer Rory McIlroy. He said: 'I was doing a gig in Belfast and my grandmother had come down to the gig and she loves golf. Rory had come down and she loved being around him. We stayed up super late talking to him, and I'd say we went to bed at like 4am. 'About 6am, I got a call on my hotel phone from the hotel — "Mr Morrison's in the lobby, he wants to have breakfast with you". I was half asleep and half drunk. So I just hung up and I was like, "I have no idea who Mr Morrison is". 'Then I got another call and they said, "Sorry, Van Morrison is in". I ran downstairs and there he was waiting for me and we had breakfast, which is really surreal.'
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Ed Sheeran shares adorable moment with his father John as he features in his new music video
Ed Sheeran shared a sweet moment with his father John as he appeared in one of his new music videos. The singer, 34, released his new song Azizam, Persian for 'My beloved', just two weeks ago. And making his cameo in the fun-filled video was his art-loving father John, 68, who appeared as a wedding guest. John, who is often seen out with Ed, got stuck into the role of a dancing guest alongside his musician son. Ed's fans were treated to a surprise gig in his home county of Suffolk over the bank holiday weekend. The hitmaker has just released his new single Old Phone and renamed The Thomas Wolsey in Ipswich town centre after the tune. The pub has been taken over with the new name for two weeks and then it will revert to its original after. Ed - who is known for his impromptu gigs - shared clips of the night on his Instagram and penned on the caption: 'Brought the Old Phone for a homecoming show in Ipswich today. 'Thank you to @fishclawband for rocking it with me and for everyone who came down. Old Phone out now x.' Work started in the early hours of Sunday morning to rename the pub which is the title of the singer's newest song. He announced on Friday three gigs in Ipswich Town, penning on socials: 'From Ipswich, MA to Ipswich, UK... we're bringing The Old Phone pub home this weekend.' People were asked to respond to the message with a beer emoji for a chance to get invited. He has previously opened versions of The Old Phone in Ipswich, Massachusetts in the US for one night, and another one at the Coachella festival in California last month. It comes after last week Ed shared a series of throwback snaps to Instagram, including a fun selfie with Taylor Swift, while also reflecting on his copyright trial. The star launched a new Instagram account to celebrate his 'emotional' new single Old Phone. The account featured a number of never-before-seen pictures, texts, and lyric notes, and came ahead of the release of his new single on Thursday April 29. Ed was inspired to write the new song when revisiting his old phone during the copyright lawsuit around his hit single Thinking Out Loud. At the time, Ed denied he had ripped off Marvin Gaye's soul classic Let's Get it On for his 2014 hit song, and in 2023 was cleared in court. Explaining the new account, Ed penned in a new Instagram post: 'Put the sound on and have a listen. I got rid of my phone 2015, and moved onto email full time. I just turned my phone off December '15 and that was it. 'When I got sued, the judge ordered me to give up my old devices to the other sides lawyers, to look through messages, emails, voice notes, videos, etc, to see if there was anything on there to help their case. In the process, I switched on my old phone. 'The first message was from my friend Jamal Edwards, who had recently passed away. The second was from my ex girlfriend who I hadn't been in contact with for years. The third was a family member I haven't spoken to in a decade. And so on.' Ed shared pictures with pals including Taylor and the late Jamal Edwards, with the musician admitting looking through the phone made him emotional for a number of reasons. Ed continued: 'It felt like a time capsule, a time of life that I was in, and living at that time in 2015. Turning it on really spun me out, I found myself scrolling messages and conversations with people who are no longer here. 'I found myself crying at messages to friends who are now dead, who I won't get to speak to again. I found old photos of me with people I was so close to then, but we've lost touch since. 'The whole experience was such an emotional journey. I wrote the song Old Phone on my own at 2am whilst jet lagged in India finishing the album, and recorded it that morning. It feels like a song that should've been on my debut album, but also a song I couldn't have written until I experienced real life things happening to me.' Speaking on the meaningful new song, Ed added: 'It makes me emotional to sing, I hope it finds some emotion in you too. Maybe it makes you switch on your old phone and have a look at where you were a decade ago too. Whatever it does, I'm glad I wrote it. Old Phone, out Thursday 11am EDT / 4pm BST' It came after Ed surprised Londoners with a lunchtime performance outside of King's Cross station. The singer was dressed in a vibrant pink T-shirt as he set up in front of a backdrop of a large pink heart emblazoned with the word 'Azizam' in white - the name of his new song. Fans were delighted as Ed played his acoustic guitar and belted out hit songs including Shape Of You, Perfect and Bad Habits.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Yahoo
The White Boy Who Tried To Drown A Black Boy Last Year Just Got His Punishment —And It Will Shock You or Maybe It Won't
The Cape Cod community was rocked after a racist incident almost left a Black teen dead. Now, more than a year after the shocking attempted murder, the teen responsible is facing justice. John Sheeran was only 14 years old when he and another Mass. teen bullied a Black kid to the point of near death. The Root previously reported two Cape Cod teens, including Sheeran, threatened to throw rocks at an unnamed 15-year-old Black kid while calling him racial slurs. Things escalated when the victim then put on a life vest and informed the other boys he couldn't swim before they all hopped into Goose Pond in Chatham, Mass. It was then that Sheeran grabbed the boy and repeatedly held his head under water while the other white teen laughed and began calling him 'George Floyd'— a reference to the 2020 murder when Floyd's final words, 'I can't breathe,' were caught on video. After the July 2023 incident at the pond, Sheeran was charged with attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon, according to WCVB. The teen pleaded guilty to the crimes late last year, the New York Post reported. And now, a judge has handed out his sentence. 'I cannot undo what happened, but hopefully this resolution will bring the community closure and comfort,' Barnstable District Court Judge Sylvia Gomes said, according to the Cape Cod Times. With his guilty plea, Sheeran will not serve any time in jail. On Wednesday (Feb. 5), the now 15-year-old was sentenced to serve probation and 723 hours of community service, according to the Cape Cod Times. Additionally, Sheeran will have to attend an online educational class and formally apologize to the victim in the form of a letter. The judge also told Sheeran to stay away from the victim, including on social media. According to the agreement, if Sheeran reoffends before Feb. 4, 2028, he will be taken into custody until he is 21 years old. The boy's lawyer, Kevin Reddington, argued the Black teen was not a victim, pointing out that the two Mass. boys were 'friends' leading up to the near-death experience, the Times reported. 'I question the justice system in this case significantly, but I'm very pleased with the probation,' Reddington said. He also referred to Cape Cod District Attorney Robert Galibois as a 'puppet master,' claiming he incited the case against his client, Sheeran. According to Assistant District Attorney Eileen Moriarty, the victim's family chose not to attend Sheeran's court hearing. Instead, they submitted a victim impact statement, but it was not read in court. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
