News of the atrocity which befell the city of Liverpool on Monday quickly reverberated around the globe.
Shortly after 6 pm, a 53-year-old man 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 hospital. Here, in Ireland, our strong ties with Liverpool meant it hit hard.
Scooters lie on the road near the scene of the incident on Water Street in Liverpool
Scooters lie on the road near the scene of the incident on Water Street in Liverpool (Image: AP)
The decades-long deep-rooted connections between Ireland and the English port city meant the pain and devastation were felt even more deeply here.
Figures show there are nearly 500,000 Irish Liverpool fans and it's estimated around 75 per cent 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.
Here, we take a deeper 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 Down while his great-grandmother, Elizabeth Gildea, hailed from Omagh in Tyrone.
Paul McCartney’s clan had connections with Monaghan. His maternal grandfather, named Owen Mohan, came from Tullynamallow.
Ringo Starr is considered the most English member of the band, but his roots go back to Mayo.
The Beatles
The Beatles all have Irish roots (Image: Roger Viollet via Getty Images)
George Harrison’s family, meanwhile, originally hailed from Wexford as it emerged that they were landowners before being stripped of their land by Oliver Cromwell during the plantations.
All the families eventually found their way to Liverpool. During the Beatles' infamous visit to the Irish capital in 1963, Lennon declared: “We’re all Irish!”
A more recent musical connection would be Nathan Carter. The 35-year-old Wagon Wheel singer was born in Liverpool to Northern Irish parents.
He moved across at 18 and is now based in Fermanagh.
Liverpool was also featured in songs by The Dubliners, including The Leavin' of Liverpool and Liverpool Lou.
Inspirational Figures
Trade Unionist leader James Larkin, who, along with James Connolly and William O’Brien, founded the Labour Party, was born in Toxteth in Liverpool in January 1874 to Irish emigrants.
Big Jim gained national and international acclaim for his part in organising the 1913 strike that sparked the Dublin lockout. The lock-out was an industrial dispute that began over pay and conditions and the right to unionise.
Actor Liam Cunningham in front of a James Larkin banner during a Raise the Roof rally in Dublin
Actor Liam Cunningham in front of a James Larkin banner during a Raise the Roof rally in Dublin (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
It involved around 20,000 workers and 300 employers and lasted from August 1913 to 18 January 1914. It is widely considered the most severe and significant industrial dispute in Irish history.
Another well-known Irish figure with connections to Liverpool was William Butler Yeats. A New York Times article recalls how, as a youngster, he would frequently travel across the Irish Sea to Liverpool on board his grandad’s boat.
Irish Emigration
Many Liverpudlians have Irish heritage. Most of this can be traced back to the famine, but some stretches even further back.
The Irish Famine began in 1845, at which point around 50,000 Irish settlers were already living in Liverpool.
The numbers grew exponentially in the subsequent years as conditions in Ireland continued to deteriorate.
A staggering 120,000 Irish arrived in Liverpool during the first three months of 1847. Eight months later, around 300,000 had landed.
Most had plans to continue on their journey to the USA, but a large portion, who were considered the poorest and weakest, remained in Liverpool.
It’s been estimated that over the course of 63 years, between 1850 and 1913, more than 4.5 million Irish men and women left Ireland for Liverpool.
The famine had a lasting impact on the demographics of Liverpool. It is believed that an estimated 75 per cent of the city's residents have some Irish ancestry.
The Titanic Connection
The company that built the Titanic, known as the White Star Line, had its headquarters on James Street in Liverpool.
The RMS Titanic
The RMS Titanic was registered in Liverpool
The infamous ship was constructed in Belfast and set sail from Southampton to the US, stopping in Cork.
She was registered in Liverpool and, as a result, bore the city’s name on her stern.
The ship left for New York on April 10, 1912. In total, 2,208 people were onboard when the ship struck an iceberg. More than 1,500 lost their lives.
Many of those onboard the ship, including passengers and staff, had ties to Liverpool.
The Vernacular
The Scouse accent and particular words and phrases are heavily influenced by the Irish who emigrated there.
One example of this is the “Ta-ra” which is regularly used by Liverpudlians. It is a shortened version of “take care” and is often used as a way to say goodbye.
The exact origins of the phrase are disputed, but one theory is that it emerged from the Irish phrase “tabhair aire” which means take care.
Another example of this is calling someone “a wool” when they are from outside of Liverpool. It is thought to come from Irish slang when referring to people from the countryside, “a woolyback”.
Other common slang phrases which are heard in both Ireland and Liverpool include words and phrases like “grand”, “melter”, “gaff”, “baltic” and “swelterin’” and “craic”.
Celebrities
The roots of the late Cilla Black go back to Ireland.
The British singer’s great-grandparents were all Irish while her maternal grandfather was born to Irish emigrants in Wales.
Cilla Black
Cilla Black (Image: PA)
Her Irishness also shaped her upbringing. She was raised as a Roman Catholic and lived in the Irish-Catholic stronghold of Scotland Road in Liverpool.
TV presenter Paul O'Grady, who passed away in 2023, also had strong Irish roots. During his life, he often said he'd love to move to Ireland - particularly to Roscommon.
Manchester United ace Wayne Rooney also has links to Ireland and it’s been reported he even considered playing for the Boys in Green.
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