It's easy to imagine that someone who was originally named Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus could well be an Irishman, but Elvis Costello was born and raised in England. The fact that one of his great-grandfathers was Irish has led some folks to include him in discussions about Irish rockers.
In an interview published on his website, Costello disabuses us of that notion when he is asked about the effect of his Irish roots on his music. "It's had almost no bearing. There was hardly any Irish music played in our house. I think that my family history has had more of a bearing on my music. There are four generations of musicians in my family."
So, Costello has the distinction of being the only artist to be included on our list because he isn't Irish. At least, not so you (or he) would notice.
