Springsteen visits favourite Irish haunts during tour, including Dublin chipper
‘The Boss’, who says Ireland is his adopted home, is playing four shows here over 15 days
Bruce Springsteen is indulging his favourite Irish pastimes during his two-week concert visit, ranging from linking up with friends to enjoying pints and savouring traditional Dublin fish and chips.
The US star fulfilled his promise to rock a sell-out 28,000 Nowlan Park crowd in Kilkenny last night – the second of his four Irish concerts.
The New Jersey rocker recovered from a slight cold he suffered at the Belfast concert last Thursday and delivered a thundering three-hour set at his first Kilkenny concert since 2013.
Fans were treated to songs from some of his most-loved albums, from classics such as Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town and Born in the USA, to more recent LPs such as Wrecking Ball, The Rising and Letter to You.
Kilkenny was included by promoter Peter Aiken on the Irish tour schedule at the specific request of The Boss, who enjoyed playing two gigs there so much 11 years ago he was determined to pay a return visit.
Ardent fans arrived at Kilkenny on Friday in a attempt to secure wristbands to ensure access to the front-of-stage mosh pit.
Kilkenny businesses enthusiastically adopted a “Boss” theme for the weekend, with a giant Springsteen mural on a wall approaching Nowlan Park, while Matt The Millers pub had a “Welcome The Boss” canvas spread across its entire roof.
Springsteen – who turns 75 in September – had issued a simple message for fans heading to the Kilkenny gig.
“The other thing I am very proud of – we are going to rock you into the ground when we get there. I warned you,” he said.
Only Spain will enjoy a longer visit by Springsteen and the E Street Band than Ireland during the 2024 European tour.
The Boss has regularly joked that Ireland is now his “adopted home”.
The band are spending 15 days in Ireland for their Belfast, Kilkenny, Cork (May 16) and Dublin (May 19) concerts.
Croke Park – with a capacity of more than 80,000 – will rank as one of the largest gigs played by Springsteen and the E Street Band in Europe this summer.
Springsteen will play to a total audience of more than 200,000 during those two weeks – bringing his total Irish ticketed performances to more than one million fans since his Irish debut at Slane Castle in June 1985.
Since then, Springsteen has never omitted Ireland from his European tour schedule and, by May 19, will have played a total of 35 concerts in Ireland over the past 39 years.
Over the years, Springsteen has developed several favourite stops during his Irish tours.
Last Friday night, he visited Leo Burdock’s fish and chip shop at Christchurch in Dublin – a stop he now religiously makes on every Irish tour.
His first visit was in July 1989 during his Tunnel of Love tour. The band enjoyed the food so much they have visited on almost every tour since then, with the various visits of The Boss commemorated on the wall of the chipper.
In May 2023, Springsteen visited Newbridge Library, where he was greeted by James Durney of Kildare County Council as well as librarians, archivists and genealogists to help examine his Irish family tree.
He also visited a local graveyard where some of his ancestors were buried.
Springsteen’s surname comes from the Dutch side of his father’s family. But, from his mother’s side, he inherited strong Irish and Italian ties – something he proudly speaks about every time he plays in Europe.
He is engaging in further ancestral research during his current visit.
A number of Springsteen’s songs have been inspired by Irish ballads and themes.
His mother’s Italian family hail from just outside Rome, while his ties to Ireland are focused around south Leinster and the midlands, with links to the O’Hagan and Gerrity/Garrity clans.
Springsteen has a large number of Irish friends and is close to Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton of U2 , as well to people within the sporting world including Limerick horse trainer Enda Bolger.
Last year, on hearing of the illnesses of RTÉ broadcaster Charlie Bird and The Pogues singer Shane MacGowan, Springsteen met both men before his three concerts at the RDS.
The families of both are expected to attend the Dublin gig by The Boss next Sunday.
Other E Street Band members adore Ireland as well. Guitarist Nils Lofgren visited one of his favourite bookshops, No Alibis, during their visit to Belfast, while fellow guitarist Steven Van Zandt met friends in Dublin where he regularly plays solo shows under his Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul moniker.
‘Since his Irish debut in 1985, Springsteen has never omitted Ireland from his European tour schedule’