John McCormack was born in Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland on June 14, 1884. The family was at that time living in a small row house in "The Bawn," a neighborhood in Athlone, east of the Shannon River. The river divides Athlone into two parts, with the west side being County Roscommon. John was the fourth of eleven children born to Hannah and Andrew McCormack, and one of the five to survive childhood. Both his parents were born in Galashiels, Scotland. Andrew's father was Irish and had originally hailed from Sligo. Mrs. McCormack's family was Scottish Presbyterian. McCormack's father came to Athlone to work in the woolen mills, employment that eventually led to managing a division of the firm he worked for.