Galway Girl singer and famous redhead Ed Sheeran is engaged - congratulations!

Sheeran shared with fans via his Instagram that he popped the question to his girlfriend Cherry Seaborn just before the New Year. 

Sheeran captioned the photo: “Got myself a fiancé just before new year. We are very happy and in love, and our cats are chuffed as well xx (sic)”

The 26-year-old singer and Seaborn, 24, are childhood friends. They attended the same school but did not begin dating until many years later - they have now been a couple for three years. 

Read more: Ed Sheeran’s new album includes traditional Irish songs

While it seems unlikely that Seaborn, a risk advisory analyst, inspired Sheeran's recent Irish hit Galway Girl, she was the inspiration behind his recent single Perfect, as he revealed during an interview on the Ellen Show: 

Although the ‘Castle on the Hill’ hitmaker is set to head off on the next leg of his ‘Divide Tour’ in March this year, he won’t have to spend too much time away from his fiancée, as he previously admitted she would be flying out to spends weekends with him during his European dates in May.

Read more: Irish dancing, Ed Sheeran, the Donegal landscape - the most perfect Irish video ever?

He said: "It's actually really easy for Cherry to come. She works and can't give up her job.

"But it's gonna be easy because it's weekends and two months of it is in Europe so she can just pop out.”

Congratulations to the happy couple!