Marvel comics' Irish superheroine Shamrock has been rediscovered. Could she and her fellow Irish heroes use their superpowers to fix Ireland's economic woes, asks JOE GRIFFIN.
FORTY-ONE million Americans claim Irish ancestry, so it’s not surprising that our diaspora has spread to the pages of superhero comics. In recent days the internet has rediscovered Shamrock (“real” name Molly Fitzgerald), who first appeared in Marvel comics in the 1980s and is thought to be the first Irish superheroine.
When broadsheet.ieran a story with the headline "Remember Ireland's first female superhero?" it prompted a lively debate about racial stereotyping. Shamrock has appeared on various online lists of most-racially-insensitive comic-book characters, alongside Indian Killer and the Africans of Tintin.
Shamrock first appeared in the comic Marvel Super Heroes Contest of Champions, in 1982. Her invention has been credited to numerous writers and artists who worked for Marvel at the time. Subsequent colleagues and costars include genuine icons like Hulk and Iron Man.
She had a humble rural upbringing in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath. She was born into a paramilitary family, though the comic’s writers seem not to sympathise with the republican cause. Indeed, her evil republican father once drugged her to steal her powers. And what are her powers? She can harness poltergeists and lost souls and use their luck, good and bad.
She's not the only Irish superhero to grace the pages of comic books. Banshee from X-Menand his daughter Siryn are probably the best-known.
Most superheroes have a weakness, and the unifying kryptonite of Irish heroes seems to be national stereotypes. Along with IRA and farming associations, other Irish cliches afflicting these characters include functional alcoholism (Cassidy from Preacher), wise-cracking (Cassidy again, and Tommy Monaghan, aka Hitman) and an interest in folklore (Banshee and Jack O'Lantern).
Economists and politicians have suggested that reaching out to our foreign cousins might be part of the solution to Ireland’s problems. Could our superheroes help? An audit of the Irish heroes’ superpowers suggests they would be of little use to Mother Éire.
In fact, many of their characteristics are related to the causes of our present woes: cronyism (collectives such as the X-Men seem more interested in hiring friends than reading CVs); nepotism (Siryn and Banshee); and questionable government appointments (Judge Joyce, an Irish character in a Judge Dreddcomic, was a weak member of the judiciary).
On the other hand, Matt Murdoch (aka Daredevil) is a noble, Irish-American superhero based in Hell’s Kitchen. He mightn’t have it in him to turn the country around, but we could at least learn from his industriousness: not only can he hold down two jobs (as superhero and lawyer), but he also works tirelessly in both gigs campaigning for human rights – all without the use of his eyes since a tragic accident.
We could also learn a thing or two from the hard-drinking Irish vampire Cassidy (from the Preachercomics), who fought in the 1916 Rising before moving to the US. Having met both Parnell and Lenin, he might have some salient points to make about history's mistakes.
The Irish footprint on comics is undeniable, and we’ve proved that we can play superheroes onscreen too, so it would be nice to see a timely Gaelic superhero emerge. Failing that, we could just rewatch the 1978 Superman movie and fantasise about his ability to spin around the planet, turn back time and reverse disasters.
Celt crusaders
BansheeAppeared in the recent X-Men: First Class. A fan of Aran sweaters, his superpower lies in his scream.
CassidyA Rising veteran turned vampire created by Irishman Garth Ennis.
The League of VolunteersA band of heroes inspired by Irish mythology.
The Gay GhostAppeared in 1942. A spectre who fought numerous villians after being killed by a highwayman in the 18th century.
