Eagles bass player takes Irish citizenship

Speaking to Olaf Tyaransen in Chicago recently, the California-born musician said, “You guys are Irish, aren’t you? Well here’s a titbit for ya… I recently became an Irish citizen.

“I’m still an American citizen as well but because my wife, her parents are from Ireland – they were a Catholic-Protestant union and they got out in the 1950s. It was very difficult back then, I guess, and they moved to Philadelphia and that’s where she was born. So, I was sort of parlayed into becoming a citizen; I thought just for safeties sake, you know for a world safety net, it was a good thing to do.”

When asked if he'd applied for an Irish passport, Schmit said: “I don’t have the passport yet but I am a citizen which allows me to apply for one now. So, there’s a little Irish titbit there.”

Eagles will be playing two dates in Ireland in June, but Schmit and his family plan to take a longer trip over here in the near future.

“We’ve been there a few times, but not as much as we’d like. But since we’re going to go and do Ireland, she’s going to come and see her family. Still when we drive by the property that her family used to have, they still say, ‘There’s your farm.’ Her family’s from Northern Ireland – Dungiven in County Derry.”

Read more from Olaf's interview with the Eagles in the new Hot Press, in shops now.