Key Preoccupations in the Work of English Rock Artists of Irish Descent

In his landmark study Irish Blood, English Heart (2011), scholar Sean Campbell notes that a remarkably large proportion of England’s greatest musical artists from the mid-twentieth century onwards have been of Irish descent. In his prologue, Campbell gives the following examples: Lonnie Donegan, Paul McCartney and John Lennon of The Beatles, Dusty Springfield, John Lydon (Johnny Rotten from The Sex Pistols), Kate Bush, Elvis Costello, Shane MacGowan of The Pogues, Kevin Rowland of Dexys Midnight Runners, Boy George of Culture Club, Morrissey and Johnny Marr from The Smiths, and Noel and Liam Gallagher of Oasis.