Born in County Kildare? Bruce Springsteen is more Irish than you think
Bruce Springsteen. New Jersey. Hell, Born in the USA. The man practically came out the womb wrapped in a banner of stars and stripes.
The Boss’s patriotism towards his country has always been a major factor in his brand, whether people like to realise it or not. People love him because he’s one of the last remaining embodiments of one united cause in rock and roll, which means he also stands up to be counted where it really matters.
But this pride in his heart is not just restricted to the boundaries of the 50 states. Part of Springsteen’s global authority is also found in the fact that he can deliver this message no matter where in the world he travels. Yet whenever he hits Ireland, it just seems to always resonate that little bit more.
Yet that is for a very good reason, since Springsteen would have no stake in the American landscape at all if Ireland hadn’t come first. Tracing back through that prolific family tree, you would find that the ‘Born to Run’ singer’s great-great-great-grandparents actually hailed from County Kildare. It was where the story really began.
Without meaning any disrespect to the people there, the small town of Rathangan, to the west of the county, and 40 miles from Dublin, probably owes the biggest part of its cultural map to Springsteen’s ancestors – unless you were to count Brian Dowling, the 2001 winner of Big Brother, that is. The whole point is that when The Boss rocked up there to find out more about his family history a few years ago, it was a pretty massive deal for the locals.
Between singing with the punters in the local pub and taking in the town’s landmarks, Springsteen clearly left an impression on the place before he headed off to tear up the stage for his Dublin shows that night. Yet with ‘My Hometown’ from Born in the USA still ringing in his ears from his pub performance, it was clear that his sense of identity had gone through a change.
Naturally, Springsteen will always be deeply American to his very core – that’s the whole reason why he’s lauded as a hero for fighting for justice, waging a war of words with the current government, and always campaigning for a better tomorrow. He loves the country he’s from, and his only main goal is to see it thrive.
But maybe part of why he is currently raging so hard against the light is because he has seen, with his own eyes, the place where his ancestors came from, and how society can be so different there… No, it may not always be a perfect utopia, but a piece of his heart will forever remain in Ireland as long as he lives.
The Boss is, naturally, far from the only American to have Celtic connections in their bones – funnily enough, that’s a rare thing that he and his old pal Donald Trump actually have in common. Yet for every blazing statement he makes about the Stateside status quo, that’s a piece of the storming Irish spirit shining through.
