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CHICAGO IS IN people’s minds more than ever now with the recent Chicago Cubs win in the World Series, not to mention Ireland’s historic victory over the All Blacks last week.
Ireland and Chicago have long been linked, with many Irish emigrants setting up home in the Windy City and helping to shape it physically and culturally. But those Chicagoans haven’t been shy about returning the favour – from music, to art, film and food, they’ve been putting their stamp on the world and Ireland particularly. Here are eight of the most influential Chicagoans and Chicago inventions around.
If you’re a fan of a deep-dish pizza, you’ve Chicago to thank for it. While pizza’s obviously an Italian invention, different American cities put their own twist on it, and in Chicago it’s a pie. A delicious, delicious pie.
America’s outgoing president has well-known Irish connections, with his family tree rooted in Moneygall, Co Offaly. He’s so influential to the area, he has a service station in the area named after him. Can’t be arguing with that.
House music was born and raised in Chicago in the mid-eighties and has spread across the world. Some of the pioneers of house music include Frankie Knuckles, Jesse Saunders, Ron Hardy and Marshall Jefferson – and the Smart Bar, a long-standing Chicago clubbing institution, is still going strong to this day.
Chicago house music has influenced top artists around the world including Disclosure, Basement Jaxx, Major Lazer and Ireland’s own Annie Mac.
We couldn’t mention one without the other so acting siblings John and Joan Cusack are both making an appearance. The two have been acting since they were teens and have often worked together in films like Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity. Both siblings are from Evanston, Illinois (although Joan was born in New York) and now live in Chicago.
The Cusacks are Irish-American with both sets of grandparents born to Irish parents and have spent time holidaying here. John starred in the ultimate weepy of your youth, Stand By Me, and Joan’s near-marrying of Uncle Fester in Addams Family Values no doubt gave you nightmares, too.
If you’re chewing gum right now, you have Chicago to thank for it – and all the trouble you got into in school, probably. Didn’t everyone?
The first mass-produced chewing gum, Wrigley’s Chewing Gum, was invented in 1893 and is where The Wrigley Building and Wrigley Field in Chicago get their names.
The late, great Michael Jackson is also from Chicago (as Gary, Indiana is part of the Chicago metropolitan area), and has had a huge influence on music over the course of his lifetime. Whether he’s the sound of your childhood, teens or adulthood, he’s definitely made an appearance on the soundtrack of your life.
The King of Pop spent a lot of time in Ireland both playing live shows, recording music and just chilling.
Ireland recently beat the All Blacks in Chicago’s Soldier Field for the first time in 111 years. The All Blacks are back-to-back world champions and this win has got to be up there as one of Ireland’s most famous sporting victories – and it happened right there in the Windy City.
Fancy experiencing a little more Chicago culture? Heineken Sound Atlas is bringing Chicago electronic and house DJ Kate Simko to Ireland for three gigs – in Drogheda, Galway and Cork this November. Head over to Heinekenmusic.ie to find out more.
Ok there’s a few errors here. Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. But stood in Chicago for election. Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana. Joan Cusack was born in New York but raised in Evanston, Illinois and her brother, John, was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois. Seriously, who does your research for these articles? Hillary Clinton was born in Chicago though if you want to to run with that.
Can’t argue much of that! Although Evanston is more a less Chicago, just a suburb of Chicago, but that aside. BILL MURRAY!!! was also from there. Billy fecking Murray, how could you leave that man off any list. Wouldn’t wish Gary, Indiana on my worst enemy, horrendous place.
You could have give us Home Alone, Kenan & Kel, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Married with Children, Al Capone, Steve Carell, Cindy Crawford, Walt Disney or Michael Flatley but you decided to give us the Cusacks :(
They could even have said Kanye West.
@Eugene Molloy: If it has not clicked yet, I think the Cusack connection is about the Irishness of it all…….
@William Kavanagh: The Irishness of Deep Dish pizza, Chewing gum, House music and Jackson must be at a stretch then, probably like the Tom Cruise connection
Smashing Pumpkins
Goose Island beer!
@The Magnificent Wat a band. Siamese Dream still in my top 5 albums of all time.
@Eugene Molloy: Cusack…. I said Cusack…. And Cruise is Irish, the church of scientology ordered it and held a shotgun to my head while typing this.
@Jonny. Absolutely rockin!
Michael Jackson was born in Gary Indiana
Micheal Jackson is from Gary Indiana
Deep dish pizzas are just wrong.
and Fall Out Boy guys.
And radioactive man
They can hold on to the deep-pan pizza. It’s like a mix of pizza and apple tart. Brutal!
Wrigleys did not invent chewing gum. They weren’t even the first manufacturers in the States.
Michael Jackson is not from Chicago. Barack Obama is also not from Chicago. Do you people do any research before you vomit this stuff all over your screen?
How on earth did BILL MURRAY!!! not get on that list, from a suburb of Chicago but Chicago all the same. Chicago Bulls of the 90′s were pretty spectacular too and not to mention The Blues Brothers, The Chicago Outfit, run by non other them Al Capone. Someone half asleep doing this one!
The blues brothers
The Blues Brothers! Shiiiit! They still owe you money fool!
Broad shoulders and excellent chop houses
Dion O’Bannon
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