5 Of Our Favorite Irish People & Characters in Comics

Siryn

Yes, this is a shameful exploitive gimmick article on a day full of shameful exploitive gimmick articles. Shut up and drink your green beer, lightweight. At any rate, please find five of our favorite Irish people. We would have made it longer, but we understand that some kind of curse was in effect.

5. Siryn: I’ve always thought that Siryn had a lot of potential. The daughter of Banshee, and for years nothing more than a pretty face that screamed, her fans knew that there was something more to Theresa Rourke Cassidy than was being seen in her then-current stories. Enter Peter David. The recent stunning developments in X-Factor have really brought this character to life, even if he had to (not to spoil anything) break everyone’s heart to do it.

Banshee

4. Banshee: Yes, he’s now dead. Nevertheless, Sean Cassidy of the X-Men tried hard to embody every single thing that Americans perceive to be Irish. Culturally connected code-name? Check. Name spelled “Sean”? Check. Smoked pipe? Check. Wore green? Yep. Fond of spouting “Irish-sounding” phrases that would make a Leprechaun blush? Indeed. (Man, that was one of my favorite parts of X-Men in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s; you could learn eight new words or phrases anytime that the team got surprised). Though he got taken out relatively recently, Banshee spent a number of good years serving the X and guiding younger mutants.

Cassidy

3. Cassidy: Everyone’s favorite drunken, Shane MacGowan-lookin’ vampire clocks in at number 3. Proinsias Cassidy, as you may recall, was the best friend of Jesse Custer in the immortal Preacher. A walking metaphor for addiction, Cassidy grappled with his own emotional and psychological baggage even as he tried to be something that he often failed miserably at: a friend. Capable of incredibly despicable acts, Cassidy nonetheless loved Jesse, and even made a deal with God to try to ensure that both he and his buddy survived their enormous trials. He was a captivating character, and one that we miss following every month.

2. Tommy Monaghan: Speaking of guys that we miss . . . Hitman, this one’s for you. Honestly, despite the whole propensity for leaving bodies in his wake, was there ever a better buddy than Tommy? Left with X-ray vision and telepathy from the craziness of the Bloodlines crossover of yore, Tommy used his powers to his advantage in his day job: professional killer. Through 60 issues (and assorted other appearances) by Garth Ennis and John McCrea, Tommy was one of the biggest badasses in the history of the DCU. He was proud to be Irish, loyal to his buddies, and a gift to us.

You know what, we can’t just focus on comic book characters with this list – we’ve got to turn it over to our favorite Irish comic book creator as well, and without a doubt, that has to be:

Garth Ennis: Though the man has distinguished his resume with any number of sharply written serious titles (Battlefields, Pride and Joy), it’s the absolutely gonzo nature of his willingness to cheerfully blast taboos to bits that makes his work so consistently enjoyable. Arseface? The Boys? His run(s) on Punisher? Tommy and the gang fighting a zombiefied Gotham City Aquarium? Going out of his way to include “Leprechaun stomping” in the Medieval Spawn/Medieval Witchblade crossover? All that, and he managed to sum up the history of white settlers’ treatment of Native Americans in 13 words from one classic moment in Preacher: “White man f--- us before. White man f--- us again. Big f------ surprise.” How can you not love this guy?