I spent manys a day in Castlerock during the 1990s. Castlerock is an excellent little seaside town on Northern Ireland’s north coast. A number of reasons influenced the fact that I spent Summer and Easter days there. One was with my old school, Bangor Grammar who made a habit of holding summer camp at Guysmere Read more about Castlerock, Northern Ireland, The 1990s[…]
Twenty one years after a heroic night on the Spanish coast for a Northern Ireland football team, a white shirted and green shorted male walks through the (almost) Franco-resistant city of Valencia to investigate the demonic effect that a goal by Gerry Armstrong has had on a patriotically Spanish population. I walked through Valencia on Read more about Hunting Down The Ghost Of Luis Casanova: Valencia, Spain, 2003[…]
In June 2006, only 7 months after the South of England Northern Ireland Supporters Club was formed, I invited everyone down to Bournemouth and thought we could have a day out at the seaside – trip to the pier and beach and laugh at my co-workers who were slaving away while I had the day Read more about SOENISC Days: Bournemouth turns green for a day! (22nd June 2006)[…]
Northern Ireland’s support was pretty shit in the 1990s. That’s just the way things were. I attended at least one home match a year, and for the last 4 years of the decade, I didn’t miss one. I have fond memories of EVERY trip to Windsor Park to watch my beloved Norn Iron (win, lose Read more about The night the world champions came to town – Northern Ireland 0-1 France (August 1999)[…]
* This is a very old post, I cleared things up a bit better on the Great Exam Heist and the Aftermath on those articles. It was June 1997 and I said my farewells to a school I generally hated and a school that I still believe shouldn’t exist. Even as a strong British Read more about “I threw a brick through a window” – ending things appropriately in Bangor Grammar School[…]
It’s a great honour and a privilege to play sport and to take part. What is an even bigger honour is to tell people that you were the champion at that sport in your country. I was and we were. I am proud to say I was and really, I wouldn’t have had it any Read more about 10th Bangor Boy’s Brigade: Northern Ireland Champions 1997 – 1998[…]
I had been to Southampton a few times, sometimes to fly from the airport back to George Best Belfast City. Other times, as band manager of the waves, I had been to rehearsals and gigs there. It is a big city, and much less busy than London. It was only a matter of time before Read more about Hong Kong Army Alfred! Southampton FA Cup Final Day (May 2006)[…]
Back in 1998 in those glory days when simply watching Northern Ireland playing football or getting pished down the Wins (Bangor) or the Monico (Belfast) I happenned to help with an election campaign. It wasn’t by chance and it wasn’t because I wanted to. It was just because I had just turned 18 and life Read more about “Everybody Has To Lose Sometime” – The Jack Beattie Campaign June 1998[…]