Global superstar Ed Sheeran swapped stadium spotlights for the cozy glow of The Sky and The Ground pub this week, to deliver a surprise performance that will be the talk of the town for years to come.
The special appearance was part of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2025 and supported by Guinness Ireland, who raised a glass to the occasion.
Taking a brief pause from his sold-out European Mathematics Tour, Sheeran delighted an intimate crowd with impromptu sets alongside a dream lineup of Irish talent; the electrifying Beoga, soulful Biird, rising stars Amble, and the ever-charismatic Aaron Rowe.
Between the trad tunes, sing-alongs, and the smell of fresh pints, Wexford had its very own global gig and not a stadium seat in sight.
Wexford holds a special place in Ed’s heart, as a child he frequented the county multiple times a year to spend time with family and friends.
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Recently reflecting about his connection to Ireland on The Louis Theroux Podcast, Ed said: "We’d spend all of our holidays in Ireland. My first musical experiences were in Ireland. I grew up with trad music in the house."
Ed’s grandmother Anne was actually born in an 18th-century farmhouse near Gorey where the singer would later spend his summer holidays.
This is the same grandmother the singer wrote about in his song Nancy Mulligan, which was recorded in 2017.
The track touches on his grandparents’ love story and how they married across the religious divide, with his grandfather William having been a Protestant from Northern Ireland.
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Anne left home during World War II to train as a nurse in London, this is where she met dental student Bill.
The couple married and went on to have five girls and three boys before returning to Wexford in 1983.
The surprise pop up is the latest in a series of "Old Phone" pop-ups.
The "Thinking Out Loud" singer previously built a purpose built pub in Ipswich, Boston, then brought it to Coachella and his hometown of Ipswich.
He has now brought it to the acclaimed traditional Irish pub – The Sky & The Ground in Wexford.
Speaking on the performance, Caolán Barron, from the Barron family run pub said: "We’re delighted to welcome Wexford-man Ed Sheeran to The Sky & The Ground during The Fleadh Cheoil 2025. We’ve the spare room made up for him, and my mother has made him a chicken curry in case he needs feeding and all thanks to our closer partner Guinness for making it possible."
* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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