We here at Arts look pretty striking in green, so we're naturally excited when St. Patrick's Day rolls around. In honor of St. Patrick chasing the snakes out of Ireland (seriously), we thought we would honor the other Irish (and Irish-American) men and women who have made our Irish eyes smile over the years. (And to the Sports department, we promise we came up with this idea before you ran yours!) Here's our list, from most to least Irish:
Sin?©ad O'Connor
If ever there was a fighting Irishwoman, it's Sin?©ad O'Connor. Who else could shave her head, sing one of the most heartbreaking songs of all time ("Nothing Compares 2 U," surprisingly penned by Prince), refuse to have the American national anthem play before one of her shows (prompting Frank Sinatra to say he wanted to "kick her in the ass"), rip up a picture of the Pope on national TV to protest organized religion, get married twice, admit to having sexual relationships with women, and still be ordained as a priest in a splinter Catholic group? Sin?©ad's a bigger hooligan than anyone we know.
Liam Neeson
In addition to being one of the most respected actors of our time, Neeson gets extra credit for making a common English name seem exotic: Did you know that "Liam" is short for "William"?!?
House of Pain
We were going to come up with something clever for them, but allmusic.com's description says it all: "Led by rapper Everlast, the group celebrated their Irish-American heritage by wearing green, drinking prodigious amounts of beer, and swearing constantly." Pack it up, pack it in...
B*Witched
Say [what] you will, say [what] you won't, but the girl group that brought you the 1998 pop hit "C'est la vie" are actually Irish, not French.
The Kennedys
Yep, all 12 million of them. Irish America will always hold a special place in their heart for the Kennedys, no matter how many supermodels they bang (we're looking at you, JFK) or how large they get (sorry, Teddy). If there's ever a Catholic Birthright trip, we're thinking the Kennedys could fund every kid who wants to go to the Vatican.
Conan O'Brien and Denis Leary
Both Boston-area natives (from Brookline and Worcester, respectively) who went to local schools (Harvard and Emerson), these two funnymen have obviously drawn on that famous tradition of Irish wit to find success in the world of comedy. Except we're guessing Oscar Wilde never relied on the "string dance" or the "A-hole" song to entertain his contemporaries.
Ronald McDonald
Who said Irish cooking was all boiled meat and soda bread? This redhead has fed the world arguably delicious burgers and fries for over 50 years
Shaquille O'Neal
Eradicating yet another stereotype of the Irish, Shaq proves that not everyone from the Emerald Isle is a wee leprechaun. If one of Shaq's dunks can't keep the English out of Northern Ireland, then the IRA have no hope.
Julia Roberts as Mary Reilly
Considered by many to be the worst accent in the history of moving pictures, Roberts' brogue in this Jekyll-and-Hyde-inspired historical drama is legendary - but not in a good way. Rarely has a person known for her red, curly hair disappointed the Irish so much. Just remember: She's America's sweetheart - not Ireland's.
