Beatles Irish Heritage

The Beatles were the main instigators of what has come to be known as the 'British Invasion' period of rock-and-roll, the overwhelming majority of their fans throughout the world do not realize that the roots of the famed Liverpool quartet lie not in Merseyside, but actually across the stormy waters of the Irish Sea in Ireland.

The afternoon of 6 July 1957 forever changed the history of rock, as it was the day that fifteen year-old James Paul McCartney happened to attend the annual fair at St Peter's Church in Woolton. The young McCartney saw a skiffle band called the Quarrymen, led by another young Liverpudlian named John Lennon who, like McCartney, had Irish grandparents. 

Despite Lennon being intoxicated and singing the wrong words to Come Go With Me by the Del Vikings, McCartney was not only impressed by Lennon, but also wanted the opportunity to show him that he was a better guitar player. A mutual friend introduced the two boys, and thus the most famous musical partnership in modern history followed.

 The Lennon/McCartney partnership focused world attention on British rock music, but the two surnames are, of course, Irish in origin.

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