The 64th Grammy Awards take place this Sunday night in Las Vegas. However, aside from one obvious band, Irish acts have not done as well as you might think at music's biggest night of backslapping...
You’ll often hear - quite correctly - that Ireland punches well above its weight on the global music stage but when it comes to the Grammys, Irish acts have not fared as well as you might expect despite inspiring fervent fanbases and more importantly selling lots of records.
Which is weird considering the huge influence Ireland has had on some of America’s oldest forms of music, not to mention many other US institutions and traditions.
Ireland’s less than multi-platinum Grammys record is also curious given the American Recording Academy’s policy of having one - a dinky little golden gramophone trophy - for everyone in the audience. This year there are a staggering 86 award categories.
That's not to say the event hasn’t been short of shock on-stage incidents. Serial stage invader and, in Obama's immortal words, "jackass", Kanye West is banned from performing at this year's event.
Like all award ceremonies, the Grammys has lost their lustre but what hurts the Recording Academy the most is dwindling viewership. More importantly, the Grammys have fallen into disrepute for numerous reasons over the past number of years, not least because of allegations of racial bias.
The extraordinary scenes at last week's Oscars when Will Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock is something you might have expected to see when two feuding music acts settle their "beef" in public, but of late the Grammys have been a decidedly lame affair with the men and women in suits triumphing over the more rock `n’ roll instincts of the actual talent.
That’s not to say the event hasn’t been short of shock incidents. Serial stage invader and, in Obama's immortal words, "jackass", Kanye West is banned from performing at this year's event and organisers will be anxious to avoid their own "slap-gate" on Sunday night at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.
Besides, who would possibly want to attack host Trevor Noah, the nice guy comedian and pundit who returns as host this year?
A pall of grief will also hang over this year’s ceremony following the tragic death last week of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.
When it to comes to Ireland at the Grammys, we could, of course, apply the Jack Charlton rule and claim numerous victories since the ceremony began back in 1959 (after all, Irish American Billie Eilish is in the running again this year) but let’s make this a sober appraisal of the Irish at the Grammys, pop fans.
This Sunday night we’ll be flying the flag for Dublin playwright Conor McPherson, who is nominated alongside producers Simon Hale and Dean Sharenow for Girl From The North Country, the acclaimed Broadway play based on the songs of ten-time Grammy winner Bob Dylan.
Those peerless gentlemen of the road, The Chieftains, will always have something to keep in the downstairs loo, having won an impressive six Grammys between 1979 and 1994.
There are no Grammys for guessing which Irish act have won by far the most dinky golden gramophones over the past 33 years.
With a truly impressive 46 nominations and a total of 22 wins, U2 are not only the most Grammy-garlanded Irish act ever but also the most Grammy-awarded band of all time.
It’s easy to see why. Love 'em or loath 'em, only a churl would be unimpressed by the band’s achievements in the past forty years. Always on message and always wholesome, America and the Recording Academy, the suits and artists who run the Grammys, have long embraced U2 to their bosom.
Here is a band who have long celebrated and lambasted America’s mythical sense of itself, and the Academy likes that. A lot.
You could call Van Morrison the Paul Newman or the Marty Scorsese of the Grammy Awards. The Belfast cowboy was too long in exile and his two wins arrived long after he did his best work.
And let’s not forget, U2 also do, or used to anyway, something the Grammys have always loved - sell records and make lots of money for the US music industry.
From their first win in 1988 for Album of the Year for The Joshua Tree to their Grammy Hall of Fame win in 2014, they deserve it.
But what other Irish acts have done well at the Grammys?
Those peerless gentlemen of the road, The Chieftains, will always have something to keep in the downstairs loo, having won an impressive six Grammys between 1979 and 1994.
Nine-time nominated Celtic demi-goddess Enya sculpts seductive choral ambient tapestries which she hates to see described as New Age Music even though she has won four Grammys in the New Age Music category.
Her siblings in Clannad won the award in the same category for their album Landmarks in 1999.
In a similar vein of swirling Gaelic mysticism, composer Bill Whelan won a well deserved Grammy for Best Musical Show Album for Riverdance in 1997.
Five-time nominee Sinéad O'Connor has only won once. In 1991 she was gonged for Best Alternative Music Performance for I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got. However, she became the first artist in Grammy history to refuse to accept her gong by simply not turning up. Good for her!
You could call Van Morrison the Paul Newman or the Marty Scorsese of the Grammy Awards. The Belfast cowboy was too long in exile and his two wins arrived long after he did his best work.
Back in 2002, future of Irish pop Samantha Mumba saw her song Baby, Come Over (This Is Our Night) nommed for the all-important Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical gong but she went home empty handed, while in 2007, Celtic Woman were given the nod for Best World Music Album for their album, Destiny.
And spare a thought for Hozier. He was nominated for the ubiquitous not to mention epochal Take Me to Church in the Song of the Year category in 2015 but frankly someone should have called the LAPD when he lost to Stay With Me by Sam Smith.
Alan Corr @CorrAlan2
