 The family had left Scotland in part because work for his father's engineering skills was in short supply and in part because of the tensions in the extended family caused by his parents' "mixed marriage", his father being Catholic and his mother Presbyterian.Byrne recounted these events when he appeared on "Desert Island Discs" on BBC Radio 4 on 18 March 2018.Before high school, Byrne already knew how to play the guitar, accordion, and violin.