Labour for Irish Unity to continue its efforts in 2023

LABOUR for Irish Unity (LFIU) has welcomed new members to its organisation

The links with the North continued in a court case which came to an end last week when a court in the US ruled that he did not copy Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On when composing Thinking Out Loud

At one point in court proceedings Sheeran said that his influence would have been Belfast singer and composer Van Morrison, and not Marvin Gaye.

The organisation campaigns in the British labour movement and the Irish community in Britain for the reunification of Ireland, on a basis to be decided by the people of Ireland.

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held recently where reports of LFIU’s work and the political strategy for 2023 were discussed

IT has been a mixed few weeks for Ed Sheeran. In April his Irish grandmother, to whom he was very close, died in Enniscorthy.

Anne Mary – known as Nancy –Sheeran, was born a Mulligan, from Gorey.

She was the subject of the song

Nancy Mulligan

Ed’s grandfather William Sheeran was a Protestant from Belfast. He studied and practised dentistry in London. It was there that he met a nurse at London’s Guy’s hospital, Anne Mulligan, and married her in 1951.

Sheeran explained to Zane Lowe on his Beats 1 show: “One was Protestant and from Belfast and one was Catholic from southern Ireland. They got engaged and no one turned up to the wedding. He melted all his gold teeth in his dental surgery and melted them down into a wedding ring. They wore borrowed clothes to get married and had this sort of Romeo and Juliet romance which is like the most romantic thing. I thought I’d write a song about it and make it a jig.”

Sheeran previously sang about Bill on the X track Afire Love Divide also features the song Supermarket Flowers, in which Sheeran pays

In court Sheeran absolutely denied stealing elements of the song for his 2014 worldwide hit Thinking Out Loud.

Outside the court, Sheran said: “It looks like I’m not going to have to retire from my day job after all,” he said. “But at the same time I am absolutely frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all.

“If the jury had decided this matter the other way we might as well say goodbye to the creative freedom of songwriters.

“I am not and will never allow myself to be a piggy bank for anyone to shake,” he added, reports the BBC

A statement from the organisation said: “Over the past year, LFIU has continued to generate a discussion on a united Ireland, civil liberties and historical issues. We have worked alongside politicians, human rights and community activists, trade unionists and others both in Ireland and Britain.

“We have submitted motions calling for the Labour Party leadership to prepare for a Border Poll at Constituency Labour Party meetings and voiced our opposition to the Legacy Bill.

“While a growing debate is taking place throughout Ireland about re-unification, LFIU seeks to support this conversation by raising awareness. Our meetings and online webinars form part of this process.”

SEVEN piece folkpunk—rock-ballad band The Mary Wallopers were formed by brothers Charles and Andrew Hendy and their friend Sean McKenna.