Ed Sheeran missed his beloved grandmother’s funeral in Ireland today because he had to “defend his integrity” in his New York court case, his father told a packed church today.
The superstar singer is said to have tuned in online to say goodbye to 98-year-old Anne ‘Nancy’ Sheeran, who inspired one of his most personal songs, Nancy Mulligan.
Today Ed’s father John, his voice breaking with emotion, delivered the eulogy to his mother, saying, “I am very sad that our son Edward cannot be here today. He’s so upset he can’t be there – he has to defend his integrity thousands of miles away in a court in America.
“I know he’s comforted by the fact that just a month ago he was able to spend some precious time alone with his grandma.”
Ed, 32, is battling before a Manhattan federal jury against a copyright infringement case based on alleged similarities between Marvin Gaye’s “Get it On” and Sheeran’s hit song “Thinking Out Loud.”
Due to his copyright lawsuit, Ed has not been able to pay respects today with the rest of his family (pictured) in County Wexford, Ireland
Ed’s dad John Sheeran (pictured center with wife Imogen) said his son was ‘very upset’ he couldn’t be there
Ed Sheeran leaves Manhattan federal court in New York yesterday
Heartbroken: Ed Sheeran based his hit Nancy Mulligan on his grandmother Anne ‘Nancy’ Sheeran’s (pictured) romance with her husband William Sheeran
Nancy and William met in London during World War II and were happily married for many years
Nancy’s life was described as one that was “rich and fulfilled” during her funeral service
Matthew Sheeran, Ed Sheeran’s older brother, pictured today at funeral in Ireland
He’s even vowed that if the jury finds him guilty, he’s “done” with music.
And his absence from Nancy’s funeral underlined how much fighting the plagiarism allegation means to the singer.
St Patrick’s Church, Monaseed, Nancy’s home village, set in the rolling hills of County Wexford, was packed to the brim for the service and guards of honor were provided by local boxing and golf clubs in which she was involved.
John Sheeran, 65, Nancy’s youngest son, who attended along with Ed’s mother Imogen and older brother Matthew, described his mother’s life as “rich and fulfilled.”
“Nancy Mulligan was a country girl with a tomboy spirit who helped out on the family farm,” he said
‘Mum was a driven woman all her life, with a strong social conscience and an innate desire to help others less fortunate than herself.
She spent the first 20 years of her life in Ireland, then the next 40 in London, followed by another 40 back in Wexford.
He said she was well aware of the rural poverty around her, with many classmates at Monaseed National School walking barefoot for miles, adding: “For the rest of her life, her instinct was with the underprivileged .’
He gave those in attendance a wry laugh when he said, “Mama was expelled from Loretto Abbey School as a teenager after she wrote a poem inspired by the cruelty of the nuns.”
He then turned to the love story “Romeo and Juliet” of his parents, who met in London during World War II, referenced in Ed Sheeran’s hit song.
Guards of honor were provided by local boxing and golf clubs Nancy was involved with
Nancy’s family publicly mourned together as they gathered to celebrate her life
Nancy’s coffin was wheeled through the streets in a hearse prior to the service
RIP: Anne Mary, known as Nancy, Sheeran née Mulligan, from Gorey, passed away peacefully last Tuesday at Castle Gardens Nursing Home in Enniscorthy
Nancy and her husband William are pictured together on their wedding day
Nancy (third from left) and Ed (bottom right) pictured together at a concert in 2013
Nancy passed away last week at the age of 98 (Photo: meeting with a relative last month)
He said: ‘After the U-boat threats in the Irish Sea had subsided, Mum traveled to London in October 1944 to study nursing at Guy’s Hospital.
She remembered the challenges of caring for badly injured and burned fighter pilots and bomber crews undergoing plastic surgery, and she herself narrowly avoided injury or death from a devastating explosion from a V-2 rocket.
“Mama said she and her fellow nurses developed a spirit of resilience and defiance and a ‘just get the job done’ attitude, which is what she did for the rest of her life: get the job done.
“Mom met Dad, a dental student, at a Guy’s Nurses home party. Friendship turned into love, but the Northern Irish Presbyterian side of Dad’s family went to great lengths to end the relationship.
Their wedding was attended by only one family member: Mum’s twin sister Peggy. They lived above that dentist’s office in South London with a growing family. In the end five boys and three girls. Mum joked to us that she originally wanted 11 kids so she could feel the football or cricket team.’
The Irish side of the family joined the Sheerans in their grief, including her granddaughter Laura Sheeran, who, like her cousin Ed, is also a singer – in her case for an “alien synthpop band” called Nanu Nanu.
Along with Matthew and Laura Sheeran as pallbearers, other grandchildren were Murray and Rory Cummings and Bridget Sheeran.
After the final accolade, Nancy was carried from the church to the tones of the ‘Hawk of Ballyshannon’ as a single bell rang above.
While Father Byrne sprinkled holy water over the coffin, the family followed him a few miles down the hill for the funeral.
Earlier, the priest who led the service said Ms Sheeran will be missed by the entire community where she lived.
Father Felix Byrne, 93, told MailOnline: ‘Anne was a lovely woman and her late husband was a gentleman.
“They lived down the street on a farm, but sold much of the land after they retired.
‘Anne was involved in all community activities and organized all kinds of groups connected to the church and the village. We will all miss her very much, it is a great loss.
“I know her grandson Ed visited often, but I only met him once, about 15 years ago.
“Anne helped me organize a service to bless all the animals in the parish – people’s dogs and cats and whatever. Ed joined, and I thought he was a nice guy to hang out with.
“Everyone here knows the beautiful story of how William melted gold from a dental operation and made Anne a wedding ring.”
Ed Sheeran pictured himself attending the premiere of his Disney+ documentary series last night in New York
Ed Sheeran himself remembered the inspiration for his song Nancy Mulligan a few years ago.
They were married in Wexford and Ed said, “No one turned up for their wedding,” he said.
“My grandfather stole all the gold teeth in his dental office and melted them down into a wedding ring.
“They wore borrowed clothes to get married, and actually had a kind of Romeo and Juliet romance, which is the most romantic thing.
“So I thought, I’ll write a song about it and make a mold of it,” said Ed.
The singer’s grandparents subsequently had eight children and 23 grandchildren.
When the song went public, a touching video emerged of Nancy listening to it for the first time in 2017.
She even appeared on RTE News, where she spoke at length about her gifted grandchild.
‘I will never consider him famous, I must say. He is exactly the same as always when he comes to visit.
“And it’s very rare because he’s always working and if you think he’s been working since he was 14, you should feel sorry for him, you know he’s so tired but he loves it,” Nancy said.
Last night, the singer looked relaxed during the premiere of his Disney+ documentary series in New York.
Ed wore a black leather jacket over a white T-shirt, black jeans and Nike sneakers for the screening, where guests were treated to his docuseries, “Ed Sheeran: The sum of everything.”
He also rocked his usual scruffy beard and wore his ginger hair in a tousled bedhead style with choppy bangs.
After initially thinking his four-part documentary series would follow him into the studio and write music, the challenges in Ed’s life – especially in February 2022 – saw the show turn into a therapeutic experience, where he bares his soul to his massive fanbase.
The series offers a personal, behind-the-scenes look at Sheeran’s life, including a heartbreaking moment when he cried as he remembered learning about his wife Cherry Seaborn’s cancer diagnosis.