Internationally successful Irish rock band U2 could owe it all to the fairies, according to delegates at a conference in Galway. A paper presented to a meeting of Nordic and Irish scholars has claimed the legendary music talent of the fairies is being passed on to mere mortals, like U2, the Chieftains and other top groups from Ireland. The academic behind the theory, Rionach Ui Ogain, of the Department of Irish Folklore at Dublin’s University College, said “The music of the fairies is wonderful, compelling and powerful.” In general, in the legend, these features are transferred to the music of the human musician. “The concept of learning music from a supernatural being may be the expression of the notion that such exceptional talent indicates a connection with the fairies,” he said. The music legend is one of a number being examined by 140 delegates from Ireland and Scandinavia at the conference.
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