IT'S A LIV AFFAIR

From the Fab Four to big Jim Larkin, our ties to Merseyside run deep

- DANNY DE VAAL

NEWS of the atrocity that befell the city of Liverpool on Monday quickly reverberated around the globe.

Shortly after 6pm, a man, 53, drove into multiple fans who were attending the Reds' bus parade.

What started as a truly joyous occasion quickly turned into utter devastation.

Nearly 80 people were injured, some of whom remain in a serious condition in the hospital. Here, in Ireland, our strong ties with Liverpool meant it hit hard.

The decades-long deeprooted connections between Ireland and the English port city meant the pain and devastation were felt even more deeply NCE here.

Figures show nearly 500,000 Irish Liverpool fans; and it's estimated around 75% of Liverpudlians have Irish ancestry.

The link is deeper, though - from music to accents to our vernacular and emigration, there's a lot that connects Ireland with Liverpool.

Today, we take a look at the unique Liverpool-Irish links.

MUSIC

Everybody knows the Beatles hail from Liverpool.

But some might be surprised to learn that the four members of what is arguably the most famous band in the world had Irish roots.

John Lennon's grandfather James was born in Co Down while his great-grandmother, Elizabeth Gildea, hailed from Omagh in Co Tyrone.

Paul McCartney's clan had connections with Co Monaghan. His maternal grandfather, Owen Mohan, came from Tullynamallow.

Ringo Starr is considered the most English member of the band, but his roots go back to Co Mayo.

George Harrison's family was originally from Wexford. It emerged that they were landowners before being stripped of their land by Oliver Cromwell during the plantations.