Galway’s ‘Ed heads’ in search for Sheeran

Hundreds of people thronged the streets in Salthill and the city centre this week when word spread like wildfire that Ed Sheeran was in town to film the video for his hit song ‘Galway Girl’.

But unbeknownst to most of the fans eager to catch a glimpse of the chart-topping singer, Oscar-nominated actress Saoirse Ronan and Love/Hate stars Peter Coonan and Laurence Kinlan – Fran and Elmo – were also in tow.

Details of the shoot – which included shutting down William Street to record footage from his busking spot as a teenager – were kept a closely guarded secret, but word quickly spread when he was spotted in the laneway beside O’Connor’s Famous Pub in Salthill on Tuesday afternoon.

Ed and Saoirse arrived in Salthill at around 2.30pm, where they used the nearby home of publican Frank O’Connor as a ‘green room’ before the shoot.

“We were sworn to secrecy and signed agreements, we weren’t allowed tell anyone, I couldn’t even tell my kids why I was clearing out the house. My youngest asked if we were selling the house or something!” said Frank.

But by that stage, the cat was out of the bag – Ed had been spotted embracing members of his production team in the laneway beside the O’Connor family’s pub, and dozens of people began to gather.

It’s understood that dancers from the Celine Hession School of Dancing in Salthill, under their teacher Gemma Carney, also feature in footage recorded in the pub.

The singer’s security team ensured the bar was kept as a closed set, and by the time he left via a back door at around 6.30pm, there were up to 400 people spilling onto the street at the front of the premises.

“I had the fire on; they wanted it homely. Ed is a sound guy, very chilled out, and complimented me on the bar.

“It’s unbelievable publicity for Salthill, for Galway and for Ireland; it was great to have him here,” said Frank.

The singer and his crew then made their way to the Spanish Arch and Long Walk for more footage to be filmed, and then went on to O’Connell’s Bar in Eyre Square.

By that stage, hundreds more people had gathered around the Square and at William Street, where word had gotten out that Sheeran would be filming outside the Treasure Chest shop.

In 2014, a photo went viral of Ed as a 14-year-old busking outside the shop, and months later, the video for his hit single ‘Photograph’ featured clips of him busking in his teens at the same spot.

While the street was closed for several hours, he later posed for selfies and signed autographs for fans, before leaving at around 3am.

As a teenager, Ed was a regular visitor to Galway – his uncle Bill Sheeran previously ran an astrology shop in Quay Street. Bill’s daughter Laura is a hugely talented musician and singer, and three years ago, he spent a long weekend in Spiddal to attend Laura’s wedding.

For the rest of this story, see this week’s Connacht Tribune. Buy a digital edition of this week’s paper here, or download the app for Android or iPhone.