Nathan marks an important chapter in life with single

Music with Eddie Rowley

NATHAN Carter is set to release his autobiography this autumn, and what a life story he has to tell, even at the relatively young age of 28.

It’s a story that gets better and better for the Liverpool singer, whose great-grandparents, Jimmy and Winnie O’Neill, came from Newry, Co Down.

A new chapter is Nathan’s incredible honour of singing for Pope Francis in Croke Park on August 25.

“I’ve been so fortunate in my career, but nothing will compare to singing for the Pope in Ireland,” says Nathan. “When I told my grandparents, they broke down and cried.”

Nathan’s nan, Ann McCoy, is sure to figure prominently in his book. Ann, who can often be found working at her grandson’s merchandise stand when he plays shows around the country, set Nathan on the road to fame. She got him pub bookings around Liverpool and drove him to the gigs when he was a teenager.

Now Ann’s own mother, Winnie O’Neill, has been immortalised in a song written by Nathan and released as his latest single.

The song was inspired by the story of Winnie and her husband Jimmy who, as a young married couple, decided to emigrate to America in search of a new life.

Their journey took them to Liverpool where they were due to catch a ship to New York. Fate intervened when they were robbed of all their money and ended up stranded in Liverpool, going on to make it their home and raise 10 children there, with Nathan’s nan being one of them.

“We’re really proud of Winnie and Jimmy and how they turned things around, and it’s a story we love to tell people,” says Nathan ( above).

Nathan’s new single, ‘Winnie O’Neill’, is now available to download, or to request from your local radio station.