Bruce Springsteen paid a visit to his ancestral homeland in Co Kildare on Thursday, May 4, and performed a fitting rendition of "My Hometown" in a local pub. 

Springsteen, who is in Ireland for three sold-out concerts in the RDS Arena in Dublin, visited his ancestral homeland in Rathangan on Thursday morning. 

Springsteen's great-great-grandmother Anne Garrity lived in the Mount Prospect Area of the Kildare town before emigrating to New Jersey during the Famine. 

"The Boss" arrived in Rathangan shortly after 11 am on Thursday and paid a visit to the Burrow Pub, which opened early for the special visit. 

There, Springsteen led locals in an acapella rendition of his hit song "My Hometown", a fitting choice considering the location. 

Staff in the bar joined in on the song, prompting Springsteen to declare with a laugh: "You guys are all fired in the E Street Band, I'm hiring these people!"

Bruce Springsteen hits Rathangan.. #brucespringsteen #usa #musician #musically

Posted by Rathangan Past & Present. on Thursday, May 4, 2023

Of course, like any good tourist, Springsteen then tried his hand at pulling a pint of Guinness:

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Elsewhere, Mark Stafford, a member of Kildare County Council, said on social media that Springsteen "was given a brief rundown on his heritage in the Riverbank in Newbridge by Karol Kiely and Mario Corrigan of Kildare County Council.

"He was then taken to Mount Prospect where his family came from and shown the location of the two possible sites of the Garrity homestead and then onto Wilsons Bridge on the Grand Canal where his great great great grandfather worked guided by local resident Fergus Burke.

"He was taken to the old graveyard in Rathangan and shown the Rath, then onto to the former St. Patricks Church now the community centre where Christy Garrity and Catherine Kelly were married and where Annie Garrity was baptized. He was given a copy of the extract of the registers of those, and he enjoyed an impromptu performance from the CPA dance academy and finally a brief stop in the Burrow."

Stafford added: "It was very much a private visit a last minute closely guarded secret. I know many many people would like to have met him but those were the terms of the visit but he did agree to a official visit in the future and to hopefully plant the tree!"

Its official! Bruce Springsteen comes home. The great man himself accepts the veracity of the research of Megan...

Posted by Mark Stafford on Friday, May 5, 2023

Earlier in the week, The Boss visited Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan in his home. 

MacGowan's wife Victoria Mary Clarke shared a photograph of Springsteen sharing an embrace with her husband and described Springsteen as a "truly wonderful man" and a "total genius."

Springsteen will play three concerts at the RDS Arena on May 5, 7, and 9, marking the first time that he has performed in Ireland since he played two sold-out concerts at Croke Park in 2016. 

A total of 114,000 people are set to see Springsteen perform over the three evenings 

Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform for three hours with no breaks or support acts and will play a variety of his most famous songs during the three concerts.