LIVERPOOL By Sarah Ridgway
The maritime city of Liverpool sits on the river Mersey and is awash with history and culture. In 2008 the city was named the European Capital of Culture and its positive legacy put Liverpool on the map and over 67 million visits the city each year.
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iverpool is famous for its music and became a UNESCO Creative City of Music in 2015. A huge draw for tourists from all over the world is the chance to visit the birthplace of The Beatles, and their worldwide appeal brings £20 million to Liverpool each year The list of bands and musicians hailing from 48
the city is endless, but notable ones include Gerry and the Pacemakers, who covered Liverpool football club’s anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone, Grammy Award-winning Elvis Costello, Atomic Kitten, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Liverpool is home to two Premier League football teams, Liverpool FC and Everton FC, the former fans are known as Kops and the latter as Evertonians. Homegrown talent includes footballers Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, and Robbie Fowler. Liverpool was once an important maritime city and played a key naval role during World War due to its advanced dock facilities which made it a target in World War Two. Subsequently, the city was heavily
LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE
bombed and huge parts of the city centre were destroyed. By the 19th century it had grown to become one of the richest cities in the world, due to having one of the largest and most progressive ports. The port opened trading connections with all parts of the globe and was the first city to achieve this. By 1801 the city’s population had reached around 77,000 which grew tremendously by 1851 to 376,000. Many of the new population were Irish immigrants who moved to Liverpool due to the Irish potato famine. Today, an estimated three-quarter of Liverpool’s population has Irish roots and is often referred to as “the second capital of Ireland’’ by locals. The Irish influence is evident throughout the city and the city centre is full of Irish pubs playing traditional www.lancmag.com
