What It Means to Be ‘Culturally’ Irish When You’ve Lived Both Sides of the Irish SeaI know a little about Ed Sheeran’s dilemma. Like him, I was born in England but carry Ireland in my DNA. My parents were Irish immigrants, and I grew up in Britain through the 70s and 80s a time when claiming an Irish identity wasn’t always comfortable. My formative years were shaped by both sides: an English heart formed in London streets and classrooms, and Irish blood running thick from family, summers “back home,” and a cultural soundtrack of ballads, wit, and a stubborn sense of belonging.When Sheeran calls himself “culturally Irish,” some scoff, pointing to his English upbringing. I understand exactly where he’s coming from. Heritage isn’t an on/off switch; it’s a layering. Mine came from Irish grandparents telling stories that were half history lesson, half comedy routine. From holidays in rural Ireland where the air smelled different and the pace was stubbornly its own. From an English education that made me fluent in both Shakespeare and the banter of a London pub.For second-generation Irish in Britain, identity is fluid. In the 70s and 80s, you learned to navigate suspicion, the Troubles loomed large, and the news could make you a target. When on 8 March 1973 Two car bombs exploded outside the Old Bailey courthouse and near the Ministry of Agriculture in Whitehall. More than 200 people were injured, and one person died of a heart attack, my Mother was ostracized by her workmates, one a WIndrush immigrant, the other an indian immigrant. She like so many got swept up in the anti Irish sentiment. Her accent set her apart. Yet growing up in London within an irish immigrant community, there was also a fierce pride, a quiet solidarity in our heritage. Our status as second generation made us understand otehr kids, the kids coming in from Jamaica, the indian kids, the chinese, we were all different, but coming from immigrants and facing backlash, we were the saem, in many ways too. Of course our irishness showed in Irish pubs and parish halls, in ceilidhs and GAA matches played on muddy pitches behind school fences.Today, things are different. The Good Friday Agreement opened a space where many of us can say “both” without fear of betrayal to either side. Like Sheeran, I don’t feel a need to choose. I’m not just British and Irish in terms of paperwork; culturally, I am both, and that mix has shaped how I move through the world, now as a digital nomad, comfortable slipping between countries and cultures.Being “culturally Irish” isn’t about the passport; it’s about humour that cuts through pretence, a love of language and music, and a deep sense of connection to a place, even if your connection comes in bursts of summer holidays, old family recipes, or the memory of voices that have long since gone silent. It’s also about adaptability, something Ireland’s diaspora has always understood.I’ve lived long enough to see Irishness move from the margins into mainstream celebration. The music of U2, the wit of Graham Norton, the influence of Irish actors and writers, these didn’t just soften attitudes, they showed Britain that Irish culture wasn’t “other,” it was part of the shared story.So yes, I’m British. And yes, I’m Irish. My wife is first generation irish, born in the North, my musical taste sway towards ballads with a story, My Grandfather told the most incredible stories, made up on the fly, I’m sure about Irish life. For my, the proportions shift depending on where I’m standing, who I’m talking to, what day it is, or what’s on the radio. But I’ve stopped trying to distil that into a single label. Like Ed Sheeran, I’ll take the complexity over the simplicity any day. Because if you’ve lived your life in between two identities, and youve libed in so many countries, you know that your identity is a feeling in the heart, not a stamo on a passport and you know the in-between is where the richest stories live.Whats your ‘diversity’ story?

I know a little about Ed Sheeran’s dilemma. Like him, I was born in England but carry Ireland in my DNA. My parents were Irish immigrants, and I grew up in Britain through the 70s and 80s 

What It Means to Be ‘Culturally’ Irish When You’ve Lived Both Sides of the Irish Sea

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What It Means to Be ‘Culturally’ Irish When You’ve Lived Both Sides of the Irish Sea

What It Means to Be ‘Culturally’ Irish When You’ve Lived Both Sides of the Irish Sea

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