She joins the likes of Taylor Swift, Shania Twain and Rihanna as a notable Irish diaspora figure.
With a surname like O’Connell, we had to know if was an Irish connection with Billie Eilish. It didn’t take much digging to find that Billie’s green roots were showing (see what we did there?) Turns out, over the last few years as she has sprung to super stardom, the artist has been quite vocal about her heritage.
Her first trip to Ireland
Over the last few years, the artist has been vocal about her heritage. During Billie’s first trip to Ireland in 2019, she spoke with Today FM, explaining she’d grown up being told about her Irish and Scottish roots.
Later at Electric Picnic, which she headlined, she famously called out:
“I’m part Irish, dude…this is my home.”
The Irish origins of her name
Billie’s full name is Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell. A distinctive and memorable name, it is rich in cultural significance. Eilish is actually her middle name, the Gaelic version of Elizabeth, and her father’s surname O’Connell is of course recognisably Irish, hailing from Cork.
Something Billie has experienced growing up with an Irish name is the consistent mispronunciation of that name. In a 2018 Hot Press interview, she expressed how incredible she found it that the Irish didn’t pronounce her surname “eye-lash.”
“I’m Scottish and Irish. I can’t tan AT ALL. For years nobody had ‘Eilish’ even in their vocabulary. Literally the other day somebody stopped me in the street to take a picture and he said that his girlfriend’s first name was ‘Eilish’. I was like, ‘Oh my God’. I’m excited to go to Ireland and not be the only one. I like being unique and everything, but I would also like to be somewhere people can pronounce my name correctly.”
She is not the only famous Irish diaspora member to show gratitude for the correct pronunciation of her name. Noel Gallagher famously thanked Angela Scanlon on BBC The One Show for being able to do just that.
What can we say, sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your (sur)name.
Billie and her Cork roots
In 2022, even more was uncovered about the singer’s heritage. Her roots were unexpectedly traced back to a pub in County Cork. Journalist Kieran O’Mahony told the Irish Sun that he was in fact fourth cousins with Eilish. A relative of the journalist discovered this accidentally during his own genealogy research.
“He was able to connect Billie’s great-grandparents to the Clubhouse Bar in Lisbealad, near Dunmanway. He thinks he’s the first person to have traced her roots. William H. O’Connell was from The Clubhouse in Lisbealad and he married Catherine T O’Connell from nearby Edencurra after they both emigrated to Boston at the turn of the 20th Century. When Billie’s grandfather, James O’Connell died in the States in 2014 his obituary said he was eight of nine children of William H O’Connell and Catherine T O’Connell. The obituary goes on to say that James is survived by his son Patrick M O’Connell and daughter-in-law Maggie Baird and their son, Finneas O’Connell, and daughter, Billie O’Connell.”
The pub is temporarily closed according to Google, but the building still stands. Who knows, maybe one day Billie will make her way to West Cork to have a pint, or even pull one, like her ancestors before her.
Billie’s Love for Ireland
Billie’s affinity for Ireland goes beyond her roots. In 2023, the “Happier Than Ever” singer wore Irish designer Simone Rocha to the Met Gala. Rocha graduated with a BA degree in fashion at NCAD in Dublin in 2008, followed by a Fashion MA at Central Saint Martin’s College, London. She then debuted at London Fashion Week in September 2010, and now has four standalone stores, in London, Taiwan, and New York.
Billie is also known to have a love for the Irish people, as you can see from the below Instagram selfie. Then again, maybe that’s just Andrew Scott specifically, which would be understandable. We feel the same way.
Her affection for Ireland hasn’t always translated into perfect geographical knowledge. On the Office Ladies podcast, Eilish laughed that she once believed Bono and the rest of U2 was from Scranton, Pennsylvania, due to a Jim Halpert moment of sarcasm. This was undone in her mind when she received a bunch of flowers from Bono ahead of her 2022 Dublin shows.
“I was like, ‘Why would Bono, who’s from Scranton…” the star began, which was interrupted by Kinsey saying, “You thought Bono was from Scranton, Pennsylvania?“
Eilish admitted sheepishly: “I kept asking everyone like, what is Bono doing sending me flowers all the way across the world?“
Perhaps she just needs a little more teaching in her fellow diaspora members… We know just the place where she can learn more about it.
Heading to Billie Eilish’s concerts at the 3Arena on the 26th or 27th of July? Looking for something cultural and inspiring to do before the show?
At EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, we explore the global impact of the Irish diaspora, including surprising stories like Billie’s. We’re giving 20% off admission to concertgoers who show their ticket at the front desk, as part of our Encore At EPIC offer. Come discover more incredible tales of Irish heritage and identity, and maybe even trace your own Irish roots.
From Cork pubs to the Met Gala, Billie’s story is part of the profound narrative of Ireland picture we celebrate every day.
Your Genealogy Journey
If you’re interested in researching your Irish family history, the team at Irish Family History Centre can help, based on-site at EPIC. Contact us today to learn how we can help you unlock new pieces of your family’s story.
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