Bruce Springsteen visits Kildare town to trace Irish roots

Bruce Springsteen paid a surprise visit to the small Co Kildare town of Rathangan, as part of a low-key series of events exploring his Irish roots, ahead of his upcoming three concerts in Dublin.

His great-great-grandmother Anne Garrity emigrated from Ireland to the US, and is believed to have left the Rathangan area in Co Kildare during the Famine, before later settling in New Jersey.

The US singer-songwriter visited a number of spots in the town on Thursday, in a trip that was kept under wraps until late the evening beforehand.

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During the visit Springsteen dropped in to see a local creative performance art youth group, as well as stopping into the Burrow pub in Rathangan. Springteen also visited a library in Newbridge where a presentation was made to the singer about his Irish ancestry.