He’s a proud Liverpool man, with a well-documented Irish ancestry. What many people don’t know, however, is that if it wasn’t for a chance sequence of events, Nathan Carter could well have been born and raised in America.
The family story is the subject of his latest single, ‘Winnie O`Neill’ which the singer has penned in tribute to his late great-grandparents.
It’s a fascinating tale of love, hope, heartbreak and survival, and it’s one Nathan says he’s proud to share in song: “Many years ago, my great-grandparents, Jimmy & Winnie O`Neill were a young, newly married couple living in Co Down. Like so many people at that time, they saved hard to set-off for a better life in America.
The first leg of their epic journey took them to Liverpool, where they were then due to board a boat for New York. However, their plans were cut devastatingly short when their money was stolen and they were unable to travel any further. As a result, Winnie and Jimmy had no choice but to settle in Liverpool.
It’s a city they fell in love with and thankfully, made their life-long home, raising a family of ten children, one of whom was my grandmother, Anne O’Neill. Now affectionately known to us as ‘Nan’. She married a young man called John McCoy, my grandfather. Their daughter Noreen married Ian Carter – and they are my mum and dad!
The story of how my family came to live in Liverpool has always fascinated me and I often wondered how things could have been so different for all us, had they made it to America. I’m a proud Liverpool man, so I’m thankful they decided to stick around and make it work!
As a family, we’re really proud of Winnie and Jimmy for how they turned things around and it’s a story we love to tell people. I’m delighted to be able to share this story in song and hope that people enjoy it as much as we do!”
‘Winnie O`Neill’ is now available to download on iTunes.
