Peter John McGovern (28 October 1927 – 1 April 2006) was an English songwriter and activist.

Life and career

Pete McGovern was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

, England, on 28 October 1927. Both of his parents were

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

. His father, Thomas McGovern, was from

Collon Collon () is a village and townland in the south west corner of County Louth, Ireland, on the N2 national primary road. The village is home to the Cistercian Abbey of New Mellifont, and to Collon House, the ancestral home of the Foster family. ...

, County Louth,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and his mother, Annie Dillon, was from

Galbally, County Limerick Galbally () is a village in southeast County Limerick, Ireland, on the border with County Tipperary. It is located at the foot of the Galtee Mountains and at the western approach to the Glen of Aherlow. The Aherlow River, flowing down from the G ...

. Pete was born in Regent Street, off the dock road north of the city centre.Ancestry
Accessed October 2013Irish Genealogy
Accessed September 2016 McGovern attended St. Edward's School,

West Derby West Derby ( ) is an affluent suburb of Liverpool, England. It is located East of the city and is also a Liverpool City Council ward. At the 2011 Census, the population was 14,382. History West Derby Mentioned in the ''Domesday Book'', Wes ...

and Queen Elizabeth's School,

Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 189 ...

. He worked for many years on the railways and was an active trade unionist and campaigner.The Independent
Accessed October 2013 His main claim to fame is that he wrote "In My Liverpool Home", a song that has become an anthem or folk tune for the people of Liverpool. It was recorded by the folk group The Spinners. The original version of "In My Liverpool Home" was written by McGovern in the early 1960s, but many verses have been added since. The first line of the song is:

"''I was born in Liverpool, down by the docks''"Lyrics Playground
Accessed October 2013

Death

McGovern died in

Trawsfynydd Trawsfynydd (; Welsh for "across hemountain") is a linear village in Gwynedd, Wales, near Llyn Trawsfynydd reservoir, and adjacent to the A470 north of Bronaber and Dolgellau and 10 km (6 miles) south of Blaenau Ffestiniog. The total com ...

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...

, on 1 April 2006.

Family

McGovern's granddaughter,

Alison McGovern Alison McGovern (born 30 December 1980) is a British politician who has served as Shadow Minister for Employment since 2021. A member of the Labour Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Wirral South since 2010. Early life The gra ...

, was elected MP for

Wirral South Wirral South is a constituency in Merseyside, England represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Alison McGovern of the Labour Party since 2010. Constituency profile Wirral South covers the central part of the Wirral peninsu ...

in the 2010 general election.News BBC
accessed October 2013

References

External links

Lyrics Playground
1927 births 2006 deaths People from Bromborough English male singer-songwriters English singer-songwriters English activists Musicians from Liverpool English people of Irish descent 20th-century English singers 20th-century British male singers 20th-century English male writers {{singer-songwriter-stub