YOU MIGHT be surprised to learn that emerging superstar and recently established household name Billie Eilish has Irish roots.
But if you do a little research you’ll find that her real name is Billie O’Connell—and then it starts to make more sense.
Even Eilish, her middle name, is Irish—or close to it. It’s likely an Anglicisation of the popular Irish name Éilís, which is pronounced Eye-leesh.
The 17-year-old megastar was practically unheard of last year, but the phenomenal popularity of her single ‘Bad Guy’ meant that almost every single one of the 57,000 strong crowd at Laois’ Electric Picnic Festival flocked to the main stage to see the teenager perform.
“I’m part Irish, dude” Eilish said as she whipped up the crowd between songs. “This is my home,”
Crashing on to the stage to the iconic opening beat of Bad Guy, Eilish certainly looked the part as she bounced around with green hair, and despite a faux pas where she greeted ‘Dublin’ (She was in fact in Stradbally, County Laois), most seemed willing to let the mistake slide.
Hopes are now high in Ireland that Eilish’s success at Electric Picnic means a headline show in Dublin is on the cards—no one can deny the interest is there.
