ABSTRACT
Tony and Beryl Davis live on the Wirral, an area of Merseyside that lies across the River Mersey from Liverpool. When they talked about the role and significance of music in their individual and family lives, and about the musical life of the region more generally, they were keen to emphasize the influence of the sea and the port. Most of Liverpool's poor were immigrants and immigration had a significant impact on Liverpool's musical life. As early as 1800, large numbers of immigrants crowded into the older parts of Liverpool and its dockland areas. Irish immigrants have commonly expressed through music a longing for the people and country they have left behind and strong notions of home. These themes and sentiments are evident in some of the Irish-influenced folk songs that have been written about Liverpool, such as 'The Leaving of Liverpool' and 'In My Liverpool Home'.
