Ed Sheeran says he identifies culturally as Irish

Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has said he identifies culturally as Irish despite being born and raised in England.

Brought up in Suffolk, the Galway Girl singer's dad hails from Belfast.

"I class my culture as Irish. I think that's what I grew up with," he told The Louis Theroux Podcast.

"My dad's family is... he's got seven brothers and sisters. 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. So I identify culturally as Irish, but I was obviously born and raised in Britain."

"I don't overthink it but I do feel like my culture is something that I'm really proud of and grew up with and want to express," he added.

"And I feel like just because I was born in Britain doesn't necessarily mean that I have to just be (British), there's loads of people I know that are half this or quarter this."

He added: "I don't think there's any rules to it. It should be how you feel and how you were raised and what you lean into."

Asked if he gets "a lot of love" in Ireland, he said: "I'd say it's basically my second home, musically. I'd say Ireland is the place that I am most successful musically."

Sheeran is married to Cherry Seaborn and the couple have two children. He also spoke to Theroux about the difficulties of fame and having to have security for his family.

He said that for him personally, "it's kind of the part of the normal of being in the public eye" but that is was different when it came to his wife and children.

"I'm very, very private about my children's image... I can't take them to zoos or parks or anything really without someone trying to film them.

"There are times where the normal parts of life I kind of mourn for and wish I could push my kid on a swing in a public park and it not be weird, you know":[]}