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Bruce Springsteen says Catholic upbringing had profound impact on his music

The Boss: "Once you’re a Catholic, you’re always a Catholic"

By
DARA KELLY,
IrishCentral Staff Writer
Published Friday, February 17, 2012, 7:59 AM
Updated Friday, February 17, 2012, 1:33 PM

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Bruce Springsteen performing live at the Grammy's 2012
Bruce Springsteen performing live at the Grammy's 2012
Photo by Google Images


Bruce Springsteen has stated that his Catholic upbringing  had a profound impact on his music.

Springsteen told the Irish Times, “I got completely brainwashed with Catholicism as a child. Once you’re a Catholic, you’re always a Catholic . . . It’s given me a very active sense of spiritual life and made it difficult sexually, but that’s all right,” he jokes.

A new book recently  discovered that Springsteen has Irish roots through his paternal grandmother Martha O'Hagan. She married Springsteen's grandfather, Anthony Springsteen, who was of Dutch ancestry, in 1899.

And it turns out that Martha's grandmother, Ann Garrity, hailed from County Westmeath. Garrity left Ireland in 1852, seven years after the famine devastated much of Ireland.

She settled in the town of Freehold, New Jersey, where Bruce himself was born 62 years ago.

Springsteen went to the Catholic St Rose of Lima School, where he was taught by nun,s many Irish.

Bruce Springsteen's "Sad Eyes":

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See more: Entertainment News , Bruce Springsteen , Irish American , Irish roots , Irish ancestry
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9 Comments

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IrelandNorth | Feb 20, 2012, 06:59 AM EST
Having a Catholic upbringing doesn't presuppose Irishness, though one can readily appreciate a correlation, given the preponderance of such hybrid nationalities and religion. The suffix -steen infers Jewishness, so hi smother must have been Irish, like go ol' Spanish Irish-American, Martin Sheen-Estevez. Viva las Irlandesas-Americanos.

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Nicomax | Feb 17, 2012, 01:41 PM EST
Who Knew? Nice story in any case, and for the most part he has stuck to his roots.

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Murph46 | Feb 17, 2012, 01:17 PM EST
Hey Collete I suppose Sinead didn't?

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Collette2 | Feb 17, 2012, 12:40 PM EST
Amazing how everybody plays on their roots when expedient, presidents, politicians the lot, a real boys club, all dirty deeds accepted.

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rhunter67 | Feb 17, 2012, 12:06 PM EST
Maybe it's just because I'm from Jersey, but I've been aware of the Boss's Irishness for a long time. Anyone who's seen him perform Pete Seeger's "American Land" can feel the man's got some shamrock in him.

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arialgirl | Feb 17, 2012, 11:04 AM EST
The writer discovered his Irish roots? The fact that Bruse was raised Catholic and had Irish and Dutch ancesters is pretty well known.

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SamFromLimerick | Feb 17, 2012, 10:53 AM EST
"A new book recently discovered " A book discovered something? Or uncovered something? Surely perhaps the author discovered something. Glad the Boss has Irish roots.

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donal1951 | Feb 17, 2012, 10:02 AM EST
I had no idea Springsteen was raised Catholic and had Irish roots. I have enjoyed his music over the years and still do.

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Murph46 | Feb 17, 2012, 09:30 AM EST
Good for "the Boss".

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