It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day! A day when people all across America throw on some green clothing, put food coloring in their beer, and fight over who can do the best County Cork accent. While many people claim Irish ancestry on this day of parades and parties, tons of extremely talented performers call the Emerald Isle their home sweet home. To celebrate these proud Paddys, here are 5 Irish Performers.
1. Bono, Singer
Colored glasses wearer Bono was born Paul David Hewson in Dublin, Ireland. As the lead singer of U2, Bono has buried his way into our hearts and iPhones (whether we like it or not), with his songs about fighting the power, and the greater good. Growing up, Bono and his friends would often give each other nicknames, as boys do. One of Bono’s being “Steinhegvanhuysenolegbangbangbang,” which has a sort of ring to it, but would look silly on an album cover. He was christened “Bono Vox,” an alteration of Bonavox, a Latin phrase which translates to “good voice,” by friends who heard him sing. Bono stuck, and the rest is musical history.
2. Kenneth Branagh, Actor
Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh was born in Belfast, Ireland. Best known for his stirring portrayals of Shakespearian leading men, Branagh got his stage street cred at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and even had an affair with Helena Bonham Carter while married to Emma Thompson, there’s some Shakespearian worthy drama for you. In 2012, he became a “Knight Bachelor” which is the lowest ranking knight, but still a higher ranking than everyone who isn’t a knight.
3. Susan Ginnety, Dancer
Michael Flatley may be the Lord of the Dance, but Susan Ginnety is the Queen. Hailing from the lovely land of Ire, a 16 year old Ginnety performed in the interval act of the 1994 Eurovision competition, an event that launched “Riverdance the show,” a phenomenon that may have single handedly sustained the market for very curly wigs. A Principal Lead dancer, and later dance captain, Ginnety celebrated her 10 year anniversary and retirement of Riverdance at Radio City Music Hall, New York City, on St. Patricks day 2005.
4. Evanna Lynch, Actor
Evanna Lynch, best known for her quirky portrayal of Luna “Loony” Lovegood in the Harry Potter movies, was born in Termonfeckin, County Louth, Ireland, and yes, that’s a real place. The story of how Lynch was cast in the Potter movies gives hope to every super fan out there. Basically, she was a die-hard fan of the book, went to an open audition with zero acting experience, and, obviously, got the role in this huge blockbuster of a franchise. If that’s not a great example of the luck of the Irish, I don’t know what is.
5. Dave Allen, Comedian
Dave Allen, born in Firhouse, Dublin, was a sit down stand up. He did a lot of his comedy act on a stool facing his audience, with a drink in his hand, like your curmudgeonly uncle, only actually funny. He became a success in Australia, touring and hosting several TV shows, before getting picked up by the BBC to host The Dave Allen Show, a variety/comedy sketch series, and later Dave Allen at Large. The name of the theme song for his show was “Blarney’s Stoned.” Slow clap for that.
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