Ten
Years after the death of the King, Eamon Carr presents some startling new
evidence which clearly indicates that Elvis Presley was as least as Irish as
Ronald Regan.
( please note for those of you who are not Irish, the man that
appears in all the black and white photographs with 'Elvis' is non other then
the ex. Prime Minister of Ireland Mr. Charles J. Haughey )
Before
Elvis there was nothing when John Lennon said that he knew what he was talking
about. The famous Sun Studios' echo which drenched the vocals of a young
Elvis Presley over thirty years ago still reverberates around the world. A
harbinger of change in 1954, the voice of Elvis had a seismic effect on popular
culture. However the full Elvis experience transcends mere
superstardom. Embodying, as it does, the undying love and respect of
millions, the Presley legacy is that of a deity.
Over
the years countless fanzines and photo-journalists have been devoted to superficial
studies of the man. A steady stream of cheap -shot biographies
and documentaries have exploited the Presley legacy. While Elvis himself
once astutely remarked, "The image is one thing. The man is another"
observers of the Presley phenomenon have long being struck by the lack of
scholarly studies on the nature of the man who occupies the premier position in
contempory mythology. This situation is finally being remedied. A
recent biography full of fresh insights and new information, has been hailed by
one American newspaper as " the best Elvis book yet." It
contains dramatic news. Elvis was Irish! Well as Irish as Ronald
Regan. While it behooves the America President to acknowledge his Irishness,
Elvis is a leader whose Constituency contains a multi-racial legion of fans,
rock'n'roll their manifesto. But this being a political world, we
must ask ourselves did the scheming Dutchman, Col. Tom Parker, deny Elvis
awareness of this important information, this simple joy? Are we
confronted by another sad example of Orange versus Green? Had he known
would Elvis have visited his homeland? There are so many questions, yet so
few answers. But one thing we now know is that it was Irish blood which
pumped in those energetic veins. And if we believe in what poet and
statesman W.B. Yeats called Anima Mundi ( The Great Memory
), itself a parallel to Plato's 'anamnesis', then we can be sure that the
soft voice of his ancestors reached across the centuries, calling him home.
'ELVIS AND HIS IRISH ROOTS'
Described by the New York Daily News as "a literate, careful biographer who cares", Elaine Dundy presents the results of months
of painstaking research in her new book 'Elvis and Gladys-The Genesis of
the King'. Unearthing previously ignored source material such as 'Lee
County Cemeteries' and 'Itawamba settlers' she puts branches on the family
tree. Historians and fans alike have hailed what is possible the single
most exciting genealogical discovery in recent times. What was once
suspected is now an undeniable fact. At last we have the proof.
Elvis's great-great-great-grandfather was Willie Mansell, son of Irish immigrant
Richard Mansell. Of course this was on the mother's side. Willie
marries a Cherokee Indian called Morning Dove so perhaps that's why Elvis didn't
look your average Irishman! Ms Dundy tells us that 'Richard Mansell
had been a soldier in the revolution...during the Norman conquest there had been
many men from Le Mans. They went all over England...and from Scotland they
went to Ulster to America in the mass migration which began in 1718 and where
they became known as Scots-Irish.'
Should the author continue her explorations into Elvis's past, rich discoveries
await her. I've no doubt the Mansell family were distant cousins of both
the De Mandeville's of Rotoath, Co Meath and of John ' The Fenian' Manderville
whose statute still stands in Mitchelstown. Edward McLysaght's 'More
Irish Families' revels that'...they were located for the most part in Tipperary
and Limerick; in both these counties Mansels (sic) held the position of Chief
Sergeant in the thirteenth and early-fourteenth centuries.' Information of
this calibre contributes much to our understanding of the career of Elvis
Presley. For example, when, in 1970, Elvis accepted the badge of Deputy
Sheriff of Shelby County he was simply carrying on the family tradition...
In
the light of this remarkable discovery we can perhaps begin to give credence to
other more speculative links in the Elvis-Irish connection.
FACT:
Elvis's natural hair colouring was fair to sandy, like that of his ancestors (
more evidence of his Irish roots ) as clearly illustrated by this photograph of
him as a young boy.
'ELVIS SINGS IRISH'
In dressing-rooms after strenuous live appearances, at home in the
bosom of his family, while taking time-out in the recording studio, Elvis liked
to relax by singing his favorite music, gospel songs. Right? Wrong!
Elvis first love was Irish music! just listen to his particularly poignant
reading of 'Danny Boy' on the album 'From Elvis Presley Boulavard,
Memphis, Tennessee' or turn to the Fiftieth Anniversary Limited Edition Box Set
where Elvis accompanies himself on piano on 'I'll take You Home
Again Kathleen' and you won't question that here's a man at one with Irish
musical tradition. Sean O'Riada, Brendan Shine, Shane McGowan they're only
in the ha'penny place! Is the old dog-catcher from Tampa, Colonel Tom
sitting on a pile of unreleased tapes? Are 'Muirsheen Durkan' and 'The
Helicopter Song' the great lost singles? Will we ever get to hear the
legendary albums 'Elvis Salutes The Men Behind The Wire' or
'Irish Whiskey A-Go-Go? Who can say. However it should also be
pointed out that one of the reasons Elvis loved to play Las Vegas was because on
his night off he could slip down the road for a jar and catch Brendan Bowyer and
the Irish Show band recreating the atmosphere of a typical rain-soaked night in a
miserable marquee somewhere outside Glenamaddy. Who knows what plans were
hatched when El and the lads got together backstage, apres gig. To
this day Mr. Bowyer remains tight-lipped. So it's still unclear whether
Elvis actually recorded that other Irish anthem 'The Hucklebuck'.
'ELVIS AND THE GAA'. ( Gaelic Athletic Association )
'When I was a kid I used to play football for hours and hours and never feel
tired' said Elvis to columnists Paul Denis in '59. A year later he told
the editor of Movie land Magazine ' I used to lie awake nights and dream of
being a football hero. I lived football -its still my favorite
game.' No doubt you'll claim that Elvis was referring here to that bizarre
sport known as American Football, where grown men dress up as automobiles and
spend an afternoon crashing into each other. But I would contend that
given the recent unseemly money-grabbing antics of the GAA, as manifest in their
acceptance of homicidal Australian thugs and the destruction of our premier
pitch, Croke Park, by crazed teenage pop fans, Elvis was ahead of his time!
Because in a couple of years the Central Council will undoubtedly accept
Budweiser sponsorship to promote a bunch of American bull-goose loonies in their
efforts to demolish the formidable full-back line of future All-Ireland
Champions Meath.
'ELVIS NIXON AND RATHMINES'.
In December 1970 Elvis, resplendent in purple velvet suit and cape, dropped in
unannounced at the White House. Political historians and pop sociologists
have long speculated as to the real purpose of the visit. One theory
gaining ground in recent years is that Elvis, contemplating a visit to the land
of his forefathers, requested a report on life in the Emerald Isle from the most
famous Irishman of the time, President Richard M. Nixon. Within a few
months the President and his staff arrived on a fact finding mission on behalf
of the King and its believed
that they reported back to Graceland that, yes there were late night
movies at the Carlton, but only on weekends, and yes, one could get
a substantial late-night nosh, served by the ever-genial May, in the intimate
surroundings of the suitably named Manhattan, near Kelly's Corner. Given
the favourable nature of the report, how is it Elvis never made it to Dublin,
birth place of the cream cracker? Shredded Oval Room files deny us access
to the truth but there are those that contend that while passing through
Rathmines Nixon was appalled by Rednecks whom he believed to be worse than
those in 'Deliverance'. Even the Memphis Mafia, El's personal bodyguards,
blanched when they heard stories of 'culchies', 'bog monsters' and 'muck
savages'.
'ELVIS AND BECKETT'
It's being alleged by the gutter press that, like many an Irishman before him,
Elvis displayed a fondness for the bed, often taking to it for weeks at a
time! I defy anyone to name one Irish person who's not partial to the odd
lie-on. In refusing to get up for work, Elvis was subconsciously asserting
his Irish identity and in so doing he displayed an affinity with the great
modern playwright, Samuel Beckett, the man who conceived a series of
contemporary theatre masterpieces while supine in the scratcher.
'ELVIS AND THE FAMINE'
What most people don't realize is that before the Great Famine there were a few
minor famines which presented the sort of deprivation which would have indigent
farmers lunching on nettles prior to redoubling their efforts to
snare the occasional bull-goose. No, no, no, I'm not talking about Gerry
Ryan. Anyway in later years when Elvis called for home fries, French fries
or the odd single, he was responding to an instinctive hereditary
impulse which demanded spuds. An arguable Irish trait. And one which
we know can usually be awakened by a few pints of porter.
'ELVIS AND RED COLLIER'
Elvis
might have managed to get away with dying his hair black from an early age if he
hadn't agreed to the movie 'Kissing Cousins'. You'd have to be half -blind
not to notice that Elvis au natural had fair-to-sandy coloured hair. I recently heard a Trinity College Professor in a pub claim that
this was due to a chemical quotient inherent in celluloid and that in fact Elvis
was a natural redhead whose hair was similar to that of the great Meath
half-back from the sixties, 'Red Collier'.
'ELVIS AND MONTHY PYTHON'
It's also true to say that Elvis possessed a quality that we sometimes like to
think is exclusively Irish. Elvis had a brilliant sense of
humour and loved Monthly Python's Flying Circus. He also had the greatest white
rock'n'roll voice of all time and was definitely the most charismatic performer
in the music game. He will be sorely missed.
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