Ireland

Ireland (Irish: Éire) is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest on Earth. Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland), which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, in the northeast of the island. In 2011, the population of Ireland was about 6.4 million, ranking it the second-most populous island in Europe after Great Britain. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just over 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.
== Links To Peel ==
Peel's connection to the country was linked to his wife Sheila, who is of Irish descent. He took his first holiday with her in Ireland in 1969 with Andy Roberts and Adrian Henri of The Liverpool Scene. Peel seemed to discover Thin Lizzy in 1971, when he met singer Phil Lynott and the rest of the band on a ferry between Dun Laoghaire and Holyhead. In the same year, he hosted a festival in Wexford, a town better known for its annual opera festival, and Irish television broadcast a report on the event.
During the 1970s, Irish folk music became a regular part of Peel's playlists, with sessions from artists such as the Chieftains and Planxty. As with his liking for reggae, this led to the DJ receiving racist hate mail from a few listeners.
He spent a day in Dublin in February 1979, returning there that summer to see Status Quo headline an all-day music festival. ln the 90's Peel mentioned on his 15 September 1999 show that he took advantage of the change in schedule when BBC Radio One decided to broadcast a Supergrass concert in place of his programme to go to Dublin for the weekend with Sheila.
== Sessions ==
The following artists from the Republic of Ireland recorded sessions for the John Peel Show:
*A House: (2 sessions, 1987-1992)
*Boomtown Rats: (2 sessions, 1977-1978)
*Bothy Band: (3 sessions, 1976-1978)
*Cane 141: (1 session, 2001)
*Chieftains: (5 sessions, 1970-1975)
*Cranberries: (1 session, 1992)
*De Dannan (1 session, 1978)
*Dr. Strangely Strange: (1 session, 1970)
*Fatima Mansions: (2 sessions, 1989-1990)
*Finbar and Eddie Furey: (3 sessions, 1972-1974)
*Frank And Walters: (1 session, 1991)
*Rory Gallagher: (2 sessions, 1973)
*Gilbert: (1 session, 1968)
*Christie Hennessy: (1 session, 1974)
*Hey Paulette: (1 session, 1989)
*Hitchers: (1 session, 1997)
*Horslips: (3 sessions, 1973-1974)
*Jubilee Allstars: (1 session, 1996)
*Luggage: (1 session, 1995)
*Microdisney: (6 sessions, 1983-1986)
*My Bloody Valentine: (1 session, 1988)
*Na Fili: (3 sessions, 1973-1976)
*Pet Lamb: (2 sessions, 1994-1995)
*Planxty: (3 sessions, 1972-1973)
*Rollerskate Skinny: (1 session, 1993)
*Rumble: (1 session, 1996)
*Sewing Room: (1 session, 1996)
*Sharon Shannon: (1 session, 1994)
*Skid Row: (1 session, 1970)
*Stars Of Heaven: (4 sessions, 1986-1988)
*StumpAnglo-Irish indie/experimental/rock group featuring former Microdisney members Mick Lynch (vocals) and Rob McKahey (drums), along with Kev Hopper (bass) and Chris Salmon (guitar): (4 sessions, 1986-1988)
*Sultans Of Ping F.C.: (1 session, 1992)
*Tam Linn: (1 session, 1975)
*Taste: (3 sessions, 1968-69)
*Thin Lizzy: (11 sessions, 1971-1977)
*Tír na nÓg: (4 sessions, 1972-1973)
*Vipers: (1 session, 1979)
*Gay And Terry Woods: (2 sessions, 1975-1978)
*Would Be's: (1 session, 1990)
*Zerra 1: (2 sessions, 1983)
== Festive Fifty ==
The following artists from the Republic of Ireland had Festive Fifty entries for the John Peel Show:
* Boomtown Rats: Looking After Number One #39 (1977 Festive Fifty)
* Burning Love Jumpsuit: Cheerleader #41 (2002 Festive Fifty)
* Fatima Mansions: Blues For Ceaucescu #33 (1990 Festive Fifty)
* Frank And Walters: Happy Bus Man #31 (1992 Festive Fifty)
* Hitchers: Strachan #21 (1997 Festive Fifty)
* My Bloody Valentine: Feed Me With Your Kiss #17 (1988 Festive Fifty) / You Made Me Realise #06 (1988 Festive Fifty) / Soon #02 (1990 Festive Fifty) / To Here Knows When #37 (1991 Festive Fifty) / Feed Me With Your Kiss #27 (All Time 2000 Festive Fifty) / Soon #16 (All Time 2000 Festive Fifty) / In Another Way #37 (2013 Festive Fifty)
* Stump: Charlton Heston #35 (1988 Festive Fifty)
* Thin Lizzy: Emerald (Live) #49 (1978 Festive Fifty)
* U2: New Year's Day #41 (1983 Festive Fifty)
* Would Be's: I'm Hardly Ever Wrong #12 (1990 Festive Fifty)
== Compilations ==
(Known Peel plays of various artists (v/a) music from Ireland)
	
(CD - Music At Matt Molloy's) Real World
*07 November 1992: Various Artists: Killmavee Jig / The Maid Of The Well / The Old Geese On The Bog
*14 November 1992: Various Artists: Over The Moor To Maggie / Fred Finn's / The Hunter's House (Reels) 
(LP - The Traveling People Of Ireland) Lyrichord
*17 December 2002: Unnamed Irish Travellers: Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes 
== See Also ==
* Gigography 1971
* Countries
* Dave Fanning Show
* Irish
* Our Times
* Rattlebag
* RTÉ News and Current Affairs
*Disc & Music Echo: Peel Columns‎‎
*Sounds
== External Links ==
* Wikipedia
* Irish Rock Discography
* Keeping It Peel Podcast – Irish Peel Sessions
;Footnotes
Category:Countries
Category:Places
Category:Maps
Category:Compilations