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. He also spent a day in Dublin in February 1979, returning there that summer to see Status Quo headline an all day music festival. In September 1999 Peel took advantage of the change in schedule to go to Dublin for the weekend with Sheila.

Featured Artists
The following artists from the Republic of Ireland recorded sessions for the John Peel Show:
 * Boomtown Rats: (2 sessions, 1977-1978)


 * Chieftains: (5 sessions, 1970-1975)
 * Cranberries: (1 session, 1992)
 * Dr. Strangely Strange: (1 session, 1970)
 * Finbar and Eddie Furey: (3 sessions, 1972-1974)
 * My Bloody Valentine: (1 session, 1988)
 * Planxty: (3 sessions, 1972-1973)
 * Skid Row: (1 session, 1970)
 * Stars Of Heaven: (4 sessions, 1986-1988)
 * Thin Lizzy: (11 sessions, 1971-1977)

Festive Fifty Artists
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)
 * 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)
 * Thin Lizzy: Emerald (Live) #49 (1978 Festive Fifty)
 * U2: New Year's Day #41 (1983 Festive Fifty)