"Why the left love the Mccanns to bits"

Not Born Yesterday wrote:Regarding the McCann family history, I think it is definite that they moved to Glasgow from Ireland in 1967, the year before Gerry was born. Gerry's father was supposedly a pub manger in Donegal before then and there are reports that his mother still owns it but leases it to somebody else. It could all be a load of hokum to appeal to the good nature of Irish people (Madeleine is one of their own, don't you know?) and they did indeed respond to the appeal for funds very generously. A relative of mine in Dublin said that Philomena gave many interviews in the early days.

On another forum someone researched Irish birth records to see if the story that Gerry's father was born in the pub could be confirmed. Unsurprisingly, it couldn't - no record of his birth was found at all.

tigger wrote:

Not Born Yesterday wrote:Regarding the McCann family history, I think it is definite that they moved to Glasgow from Ireland in 1967, the year before Gerry was born. Gerry's father was supposedly a pub manger in Donegal before then and there are reports that his mother still owns it but leases it to somebody else. It could all be a load of hokum to appeal to the good nature of Irish people (Madeleine is one of their own, don't you know?) and they did indeed respond to the appeal for funds very generously. A relative of mine in Dublin said that Philomena gave many interviews in the early days.

On another forum someone researched Irish birth records to see if the story that Gerry's father was born in the pub could be confirmed. Unsurprisingly, it couldn't - no record of his birth was found at all.

It's often quoted in the press that they have strong ties with Donegal, family visits and so on. However Kate says in her book that the April 07 visit was their first!. Three photographs, both very doubtful imo and no friends and relatives in sight, just the usual cousins, John McCanns' children.

I would think the Irish connection would also go down well in the US - it's certainly mentioned a lot in the early press coverage. e.g. (not litt. quote) ' Gerry and Kate are both cradle catholics of Irish extraction...' Unfortunately the Pope doesn't seem to think they're a very good advertisement for the faith.