“Diddly-Dee Potatoes”: A New Zealand Man Has Slammed Ed Sheeran’s Galway Girl For ‘Cultural Theft’

Ed Sheeran’s song Galway Girl, and indeed its video, are stereotypically Irish in every way. From a cast of Irish celebrities, Irish dancers in the street, ginger bar men, and trad music, it practically screams Paddy’s Day.

But one New Zealand man isn’t happy about it. Alan Perrott wrote an opinion piece for Stuff Magazine, and it rips Ed Sheeran to shreds.

Titled ‘Ed Sheeran’s new single is cultural theft and it’s not OK’, Alan wrote, “It’s now a fact that Sheeran’s cupboard of ideas isn’t so much bare as smashed up and tossed on the fire. Because, and let’s be clear on this, Sheeran has resorted to that hoary of English trope of cultural theft.”

He continued, “For starters he’s appropriated an entire Irish folk tradition. And not only musically: his lyrics are essentially a grab bag of Irish stereotypes that stops a “to be sure” short of “diddly-dee potatoes.” Harsh.

“Why? Well, obviously science proves everyone loves a bit Irish with all that craic, Mrs Brown and other random Irish stuff. Which means it’s guaranteed to be played in all those ghastly faux-Irish pubs that infest cities everywhere where punters deep in their cups will sing along and think it the best song since ‘What Does the Fox Say?’

“Would he nick Scots tradition like that and then play it in Glasgow? Not unless he has a death wish.”

Alan even criticised Ed for the way he looks, saying, “He’s even got the gurn of a wide-mouthed frog with floppy mop to match. You can’t fire your bog standard “looks like an unmade bed” condescensions at him either because he’s too damn small, more like the crumpled hankie you find in dead men’s suits at the charity shop.”

Christ. Take a breath, Alan. Who made you the king of music and style…