Generally, I do not post links to articles outright for a post, but today I will as two articles that I saw today stood out for me.
On the website MentalFloss.com the article “When Muhammad Ali Tried to Reunite The Beatles” was brought to my attention this afternoon. Of course, as is well known, the four boys met Muhammad Ali on their first trip to the U.S. in Miami Beach and the famous photo was taken of the four of them standing in a straight line and Ali landing a straight punch to the four of them.
Actually, Muhammad Ali and The Beatles have common ethnic heritage. Three of the four Beatles have great-grandparents from Ireland. On his father’s side, all of John Lennon’s great-grandparents were from Ireland, mainly County Derry and Dublin. George Harrison had great-grandparents from Ireland, from Dublin and County Wicklow. Paul McCartney’s great-grandfather James McCartney was from Ireland, as well as his maternal grandfather, Owen Mohin from County Monaghan. Muhammad Ali also had a great-grandfather who was an Irish immigrant, Abraham Grady, from the town of Ennis in County Clare. This October 30, 2024 article on Irish Central, “The Story of Muhammad Ali’s Irish Roots“, details how Abraham Grady immigrated to Kentucky and married a freed slave. The couple’s great-grandson was Cassius Clay, who later would change his name to Muhammad Ali.
The second article is in today’s Guardian, and is making the rounds both in the tabloids and throughout the world. The title is “Julian Lennon – “I’m not part of the Beatles’ inner circle – I never have been.” A very introspective and enlightening article.