Morrissey is indeed an odd man with views that range from the puzzling to the distinctly unpleasant. But Zoe Williams’ article (A Morrissey tribute band separates the art from the artist – but I still end up feeling queasy, 30 July), which took issue with the song Irish Blood, English Heart, betrays a misunderstanding of the lyrics.
Like Morrissey, my parents were Irish immigrants to England, although it only served as a way station before they emigrated to the US. This song, disparaged by Williams as some type of nascent anthem of the Reform party, articulates the complex feelings regarding country of citizenship and country of heritage that many first-generation residents of England, the US, Canada etc feel, regardless of where they are from.
