Ed Sheeran has confessed that his smash hit “Galway Girl” almost ended up being called “Portlaoise Girl” – and yes, the internet would probably never have recovered.
Chatting on The 2 Johnnies podcast, the singer admitted he knew there was already a famous “Galway Girl” floating around – the Steve Earle track later made iconic by Sharon Shannon and Mundy – so he toyed with a few alternatives while writing his own.
Among the rejects? “Sligo Girl,” “Derry Girl,” and, hilariously, “Portlaoise Girl.” Cue laughter from the hosts, who couldn’t help but point out that “Portlaoise Girl” might not have quite had the same global ring to it. Ed agreed, laughing that the song is “so f***ing polarising anyway” with fans either belting it out at the top of their lungs or swearing they never want to hear it again. Still, he says he often gives audiences a treat by starting with the Steve Earle version before sliding into his own, calling it a “double whammy” of Galway goodness. One thing’s for sure – “Portlaoise Girl” might have been a bop, but it probably wouldn’t have become the international anthem we know today.
Watch more of the podcast below.
