My wife and I travel to Dublin, Ireland every year to visit with family. Because of its proximity, it’s been our jump off point to places of interest in the UK and Europe. Last August, we were extremely pleased when our granddaughter and grandson offered to accompany us to Liverpool just across the Irish Sea, a 60-minute flight via Ryanair. This was our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tour the birthplace of the Beatles music.
Having been born in early fifties, my generation and The Beatles were inextricably linked, with the band’s music serving as the soundtrack to a generation that embraced social and cultural change in the 1960s and 70s. I was a six grader at Labo Central when I first heard “I Saw Her Standing There” broadcast from the Daet radio stations. My youthful ears would never forget Paul McCartney’s energetic count-in “One, Two, Three, Fah!”
Growing up in the sixties turned into a blessing when it came to music. The Beatles were at the forefront of a revolution. They fitted perfectly into the broadening of minds and a new generation that challenged the establishment. We loved being out there and bringing change to society. It was the baby boomer generation.
I thought this month of October would be timely to write about our Liverpool experience for Dateline Ibalon. John Lennon’s birthday was October 9, 1940. He would have been 85 years old this year. On October 4, 1963, the Beatles made their debut on the British TV show Ready, Steady, Go! They mimed three songs to an audience of shrieking teenage girls, “Twist and Shout,” “She Loves You,” and “I’ll Get You”.
The “Love Me Do” 63rd anniversary falls on October 5, 2025, during which the single was released in the UK, backed by the song “P.S. I Love You”. The release marked the beginning of The Beatles’ career, which forever changed music and popular culture.
Here’s the narrative of our guided tour of Liverpool, tracing the early footsteps of the Beatles and the city’s layered cultural history.
The rain was pouring when we landed at Liverpool’s John Lennon International Airport. Clutching our umbrellas and raincoats, we made it to the city centre on an express bus. As we got off at St. John Shopping Centre, we noticed how Asian the place looked, with Seoul Plaza, a Korean supermarket right in the middle. Restaurant signs in Japanese and Chinese abound. Walking toward Thomas Street, we caught a glimpse of Jollibee on Whitechapel Street.
We freshened up at our hotel and had fish and chips in a Mathew Street pub before heading out to the legendary Cavern Club, the birthplace of the Beatles era. We descended 32 steps (others count 33) to the subterranean club, formerly a fruit warehouse and previously used as a wine cellar and WWII air raid shelter. The evening was early, and we immediately felt its damp, steamy atmosphere. The vaulted brick archways and labyrinth of the brick lined corridors made it perfect for live performances. Lighting was moody and atmospheric, enhancing the intimate underground vibe.
The original club was said to have closed in 1973 and demolished to make way for the underground Liverpool railway ventilation system, which did not materialize. In 1984, a replica was built on the original site using salvaged bricks. The Cavern Club now sits at an angle to the old site and partly covers the original footprint with the stage not far from the previous location.
The walls of the Cavern Club are adorned with vintage posters, Beatles photographs, and signed guitars from artists who have played there, including Oasis, Adele, and Arctic Monkeys. There is a dedicated area showcasing Beatles artifacts, including replicas of their instruments and images from their early gigs. The stage is now equipped with modern sound systems while preserving the retro aesthetic.
An audience gathered around one of the small stages where a solo busker performed. After a round of British ale, we decided to call it quits early, so we missed the live performance by a tribute band scheduled on the main stage for the evening. Our old bones needed a rest to be ready for the tour booked the next day and the return flight to Dublin later in the evening.
Our Liverpudlian tour guide picked us up from our hotel bright and early in the morning. Thankfully, the rain that fell overnight was gone.
We began our tour at the Beatles Statue, the four larger-than-life bronze figures that stride toward the River Mersey in Pier Head. In view behind them loomed the Royal Liver Building, Cunard Building, and Port of Liverpool Building—described by the locals as the Three Graces, symbols of a city built on maritime trade and migration.
Liverpool’s heartbeat has long been shaped by the sea. In the 19th century, waves of Irish immigrants fleeing famine arrived here, transforming the city’s language, labor, and faith. The Beatles themselves were born into this legacy: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, but the exception perhaps of Ringo Starr, all had Irish ancestry, woven into the working-class tapestry of Liverpool’s neighborhoods.
John Lennon famously declared, “We’re all Irish!” upon landing at Dublin Airport in 1963. George Harrison’s film company featured references to Ireland, despite his music not overtly drawing from his heritage. Paul McCartney wrote the song “Give Ireland Back to the Irish” in 1971, reflecting his feelings about his heritage.
The maritime connection between Liverpool and the US has a rich and complex history, marked by centuries of trade, emigration, and transatlantic travel. During its peak, the Port of Liverpool was one of the world’s most important trading hubs, connecting Europe to the US. In the 19th century, cotton was Liverpool’s most important cargo. Raw cotton, grown in the American South, was imported through Liverpool to supply mills in northern England.
Major shipping lines with strong ties to Liverpool emerged in the mid-19th century, including the Cunard Line and the White Star Line. The White Star Line’s head office was in Liverpool, and its famous vessels like the Titanic bore “Liverpool” on their sterns. Later in history, American sailors brought jazz, blues, and rock ’n’ roll records into Liverpool’s docks. These sounds seeped into the city’s youth clubs and dance halls, igniting the musical revolution. Ringo’s father and Paul’s father both worked as sailors.
Liverpool has a notable Filipino community, recognized as one of the significant Filipino populations in the UK. This presence is marked by cultural events like the Liverpool Barrio Fiesta, which celebrates Filipino heritage through food, music, and community gatherings. The community also has a strong presence among university students, with a dedicated Filipino Society at the University of Liverpool.
The healthcare system in the UK, the city of Liverpool included, relies heavily on thousands of Filipino health workers, who fill critical gaps as nurses and caseworkers. In 2020, government data shows some 22,043 Filipinos were employed by the National Health Service in England alone, the third largest nationality after Britons and Indians.
Our first couple of stops along memory lane were Ringo Starr’s modest homes in the Dingle district — at 9 Madryn Street where he was born in 1940 and at 10 Admiral Grove, his home for most of his formative years. His family moved here in 1944 when he was around four years old to reduce housing costs. Nearby, a vibrant mural of Ringo celebrates his journey from drummer in Rory Storm and the Hurricanes to The Beatles. The humble neighborhood still hums with pride, its walls whispering tales of skiffle and smoky pubs.
Next, we headed to 20 Forthlin Road, now preserved by UK’s National Trust. This was the McCartney family house since 1955, where Paul and John composed and rehearsed their earliest songs, including “She Loves You”, “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Love Me Do”. The home was featured in an edition of Carpool Karaoke, which aired on June 22, 2018, episode of James Corden’s The Late Late Show. Corden visited there with Paul, who said it was his first visit to the home since he moved away in his late teens.
A short drive took us to John Lennon’s childhood home on Menlove Avenue, also a National Trust property. The house belonged to his aunt Mimi and her husband George Smith. John moved there in July 1946 at the age of five after his mother, who was living with her boyfriend, was persuaded that it would be better for his Aunt Mimi and George to take care of him. He remained there until he was 22 years old. Tragically, it was near this house where John’s mother Julia was hit by a car and killed on the evening of July 15, 1958.
Yoko Ono bought the house in March 2002 and donated it to the National Trust to save it from demolition and property speculators. The house was then restored to its 1950s appearance.
Just down the road from this house lies Strawberry Field. John wrote “Strawberry Fields Forever” based on his childhood experiences playing in the grounds of the Strawberry Field, once a Salvation Army children’s home. The verse “No one I think is in my tree” reflects his feelings of being different and introspective during his childhood. Strawberry Field was not normally open to the public, but it was irresistible to John and his playmates. The line “nothing to get hung about” was inspired by John’s retort to his Aunt Mimi’s order not to play there. “They can’t hang you for it,” he figured there was no harm done so no one really cared.
We then drove through Penny Lane from the leafy park on the one end to the busier crossing at the other. A real street vivid in Paul’s mind (“Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes”) that became a lyrical legend in song, it is situated in the Mossley Hill suburb of Liverpool, not far from where John, Paul and George lived. The roundabout mentioned in the song was where the double-decker buses turned. The young George auditioned for John on the bus top-deck where he played a popular American rock riff to show off his guitar skills.
Under the blue suburban skies, we had our pictures taken at the barber shop (now a beauty salon) and the corner where a bank once stood (now a medical office). Indeed, there is a shelter at the roundabout and, about a block or two, the fire station still stands with its bright red doors. Each site is a living stanza in that famed Beatles song where memory and melody intertwine.
In St. Peter’s Church yard on Church Road, we paused at the gravestone that bears the name of Eleanor Rigby. Though the name’s use in the song may be coincidental, the site has become a shrine to solitude and storytelling. John Lennon first met Paul McCartney in the church hall of St Peter’s when Lennon was playing with his group, The Quarrymen. It is said that John and Paul would hang out at the church yard, strumming guitars and chatting with friends, the gravestones offering quiet company and poetic inspiration.
Our final stop was 12 Arnold Grove, George Harrison’s birthplace and early childhood home. Located in Wavertree, Liverpool, it is a small, terraced house in a cul-de-sac, with a small alley to the rear. He lived on the property for seven years. The family moved out to 25 Upton Green in the Speke district in 1950. It is said that the garden, the alleyways, the silence at Upton Green all fed George’s introspective soul.
England’s weather is famously fickle. As an island nation, it experiences frequent changes in weather conditions. Our tour guide rushed us back to Liverpool’s John Lennon International Airport, just in time before the afternoon rain started to fall. Thus, I was not able to take a good photo of the giant Yellow Submarine outside the airport terminal.
Closing Note
As the giant photos of the Beatles gaze back at us weary travelers from Bicol in the departure lounge, our thoughts race back to their childhood homes and descend to the cellars in Liverpool where their music began. Now our eyes have seen them all and our hearts are filled with their songs.
“There are places I remember, all my life, though some have changed…” — In My Life
As the light fades over the Mersey, one can feel the vibes of Liverpool. The air hums a chorus and harmony. The streets feel familiar even if you’ve never walked them before.
“Here comes the sun, and I say, it’s all right…” — Here Comes the Sun
This summary about the Beatles and Liverpool is based on information compiled from reliable publications. The header is a stylized photo of the Beatles Statue in Pier Head. (credit: Britain All Over)
About the author
One of the content curators and co-founders of Dateline Ibalon, JOSE VICTOR (Jojo) S. DE JESUS was born in Cebu City. He grew up in Labo, Camarines Norte where he completed his elementary education. He attended Ateneo de Naga High School and graduated from Ateneo de Manila University with a bachelor’s degree in management engineering. He held key management positions in Philippine and Northeast USA companies.