Kate Nash on Irish history, heritage and covering Sinéad O’Connor

Kate Nash Explores English-Irish Connections Through Music and History

Ninoda.com – For her newest video project, Kate Nash joined forces with artist and activist Tia O’Donnell, who stitched the words “The English Don’t Know Their History” across a duvet. The singer-songwriter feels that numerous English individuals have lost touch with elements of their own past, and her most recent single aims to spark dialogue about this disconnection.

Nash has recorded a rendition of Famine, Sinéad O’Connor’s 1994 composition addressing one of Ireland’s most challenging eras. Through this cover, she examines broader questions regarding how Britain’s involvement in the famine gets remembered today. The undertaking carried special significance for Nash personally. Raised in London by an Irish mother, she went to a Catholic school, enjoyed childhood vacations in the Republic of Ireland, and learned the tin whistle before the piano—despite frequently insisting otherwise.

A Personal Journey of Discovery

Looking back at the song after more than thirty years, Nash noted she felt surprised not just by its message but by her limited understanding of the topic. “Sinéad gave me the whole history lesson that school never gave me, that I didn’t really get at home either,” Nash told BBC News NI before performing in Belfast as part of this year’s Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann fringe programme.

She quickly explains what she means when claiming English people lack historical awareness. “When I’m saying the English don’t know their history, I’m also English. So I’m saying, I don’t know my history… and I want to learn.”

Nash, whose debut album emerged nearly two decades ago, describes her current work as deeply meaningful. Made of Bricks arrived in 2007 and produced her largest hit, Foundations. She has since put out four additional studio records, including 9 Sad Symphonies in 2024.

An American’s Suggestion

While working in the United States over ten years ago, Kate encountered music producer Kool Kojak, who encouraged her to investigate her Irish roots through song. Following O’Connor’s passing in 2023, Kojak proposed recording Famine. “I was like, ‘oh my God, that’s so audacious, only an American could suggest that’,” Nash recalled. “But then I thought, why not?”

“The tradition of covering old folk songs, passing music through is really important. And the more people that cover that song really the better, because you can bring that message, the education, to a new audience.”

Instead of merely reproducing the original, Nash modified sections of the track and inserted a fresh verse capturing her dual identity experience. “England doesn’t take responsibility for destruction that it’s caused, for its empire and now commonwealth, they left us uninformed,” she sings, mirroring ongoing discussions about how Britain’s imperial legacy gets taught and recalled.

Academic Validation

Enda Delaney, professor of modern history and director of research at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, considers Nash’s perspective “fair comment.” Unlike in the Republic of Ireland, he noted, Anglo-Irish history isn’t regularly included in English students’ education, producing a void in public comprehension.

“The fact that one million people died in a part of the United Kingdom, which of course Ireland was in the 1840s… there isn’t a really good knowledge of the context in which those terrible events occurred.”

Delaney advocated for stronger emphasis on Irish history within schools and highlighted increasing university interest in the field. “When you’ve got two societies which are so closely located to each other and so deeply intertwined, it’s really important that both Irish people and British people understand those shared points of history.”

Supporting Educators

Nash mentioned she has spoken with teachers about this issue and feels they require additional backing. “There’s a lot of pressure on teachers… they need to be empowered to teach difficult topics,” she stated. “Sometimes they rely on lessons they’ve already developed because they don’t have time or resources to introduce new material.”

The Department for Education, responsible for the curriculum in English maintained schools, noted that Ireland and the UK “have a uniquely shared history, relevant not just to the millions of British citizens of Irish descent but the country as a whole.” The department added that “The national curriculum provides a core frame within which teachers can take the opportunity to teach” these important connections.