Ed Sheeran went from humble beginnings to global stardom, becoming one of the biggest acts of the 21st century.
As he gears up to play Croke Park for two nights in a row later this month, we are taking a look back at the singer's phenomenal journey from busker to millionaire. Ed holds Dublin dear to his heart, having played a number of gigs here before his career launched him onto the global stage.
Ed has been open about his Irish routes, revealing that his grandparents are Irish with his father coming from a "very Irish Catholic family".
Read more: Ed Sheeran's Croke Park gig hinted setlist revealed
Inspiration from Damien Rice
Ed Sheeran came to Dublin with his father in 2004 at the tender age of 13 to see Damien Rice perform at Whelan's. Many have said that trip was a turning point for Ed. After the gig, the freckly teenager had the opportunity to speak with Damien, and it is believed that young Edward stayed up to write his first six songs that very night.
This would not be the last time Ed explored his love of music in Dublin in the early days of his career.
Early gigs in Ireland
As he got older and began performing himself, he busked in Ireland on numerous occasions.
Some of Ed's earliest gigs in Dublin saw him performing at Ruby Session's in Doyle's Corner, a music night he revisited in 2011 and 2014 upon returning to the city.
In 2014, the singer called his surprise gig in the city centre pub "the best gigs of the year for me".
Before becoming a world wide famous musician, he also played gigs in HMV on Dublin's Henry Street.
Massive Dublin gigs
With Ed's skyrocketing fame, his gigs in the city have grown from intimate to mammoth as the performer has wowed crowds at the 3Arena, Phoenix Park and Croke Park numerous times.
2015 saw Ed play two gigs at Croke Park. Simply using his guitar and his voice, he blew away scores of thousands in the stadium. Since the release of more dance-pop hits such as Shivers and Bad Habits, the 31 year old is set to bring Croke Park audiences a totally different experience this time as well as his classic acoustic sound.
While he has played to massive crowds in Ireland, Ed still enjoys an intimate gig in the city he owes so much to. The singer is set to play a series of small gigs at Vicar Street and Whelan's before his Croke Park shows this month.
Read more: Ed Sheeran at Croke Park: Everything you need to know heading to the show
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