The contribution of the Irish Diaspora to the popular music of Britain has been well documented - The Beatles, Dusty Springfield, Elvis Costello, The Smiths and Oasis are just some of the names on a long and impressive list.

That said, Ireland's role in the invention of Heavy Metal is possibly not so well known.

It was certainly news to me, and was one of several discoveries made while reading a book called Into The Void – the autobiography of Geezer Butler, bassist and main lyricist with the legendary rock band Black Sabbath.

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Open the book at the pictures section and the first thing you’ll see is a snap entitled "Me mammy, sister Eileen and me. Dún Laoghaire ca. 1952." Turn the page and there’s the whole family plus Granny Butler on the beach in Blackrock.

After a few shots of Sabbath in all their dark glory, you’ll see Geezer as he is today, standing outside his Granny’s old house on Upper Leeson St. and where, perhaps not surprisingly for a man of his sensibilities, Geezer saw a ghost.

And then it all falls into place. Terence Michael Joseph Butler was born in 1949 in Birmingham – Aston to be precise, the home of Aston Villa – but both his parents were born in Dublin, as were his sister Maura and his brothers James and Patrick.

His upbringing was full-on Irish and Catholic, and long before he’d discovered Elvis, The Beatles or Cream, he was very well acquainted with Kevin Barry and Come Out, Ye Black and Tans – an interesting detail given that his father had served in the British Army in India and Egypt before settling in Aston.

When I spoke to Geezer recently we spent a lot of time talking about his memories of growing up Catholic and devout. He went to Mass, Confession and Benediction and attended the Sacred Heart school. His eventual break with the church came when a nun, clearly annoyed by his long hair, insisted on calling him "miss."

That said, the break was never entirely complete. "Once a Catholic, always a Catholic" he says, and he remains grateful for his upbringing. Not just the religion of his early years but also the example of his parents – neither of whom drank or swore. Geezer, a retired Rock God, doesn’t swear either.

Black Sabbath, circa 1970: Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Ozzy Osbourne
(Pic: Chris Walter/Getty)

But where does all this fit in with Black Sabbath – a band with a reputation for taking an unhealthy interest in the Devil? Certainly Geezer, curious about all manner of religions, was also at times fascinated by horror and the occult – a fascination that is clearly reflected in his lyrics.

But no wonder, he argues, when the nuns and priests of his childhood went on about the Devil every day of his life, not to mention the visiting missionary priests who cranked things up even further. And this too is in the lyrics.

In fact, Geezer still has a pamphlet given to him by one particularly fiery priest, and it won’t be lost on Sabbath fans that the title of that pamphlet is Heaven and Hell.

Into The Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath and Beyond by Geezer Butler is published by Dey Street.

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