I had visited Toronto in 2001 and even stepped foot inside The Rogers Centre, home of the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Team (who won the North American title loads of times in the 1990s), but didn’t on that visit see a match. On my second visit to Canada, and Toronto, I decided to get a Read more about Toronto Blue Jays🇨🇦 Versus Cleveland Indians🇺🇸: A Night At The Baseball⚾[…]
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)[…]
Selling our self-produced ‘Here We Go…Again‘ fanzine (for the Northern Ireland national team) next to Marty Lowry for years had meant we chatted about all sorts of random things, including Marty telling me about Shaun with an H. This man was Shaun Schofield, who had been attending every single Northern Ireland home and away match Read more about Book Review: There’s Always One by Shaun Schofield[…]
“Hey you, up in the sky, learning to fly. Tell me how high will you go before you start falling” – Noel Gallagher. It was never an ambition to do a Sky Dive. It was too scary for me. Imagine jumping out of a plane from thousands of feet up in the air and relying Read more about “That’s me, Up In The Sky”: Sky Diving🪂Over Lake Taupo, New Zealand🇳🇿[…]
Back in 1991, while in P7, final year at Kilmaine Primary School we often had football matches at lunch and break time. To this day, only one match from that period sticks in memory and what a cracker it was. The primary school used to let us eat lunch in the classroom and in warmer Read more about Kilmaine Lunchtime Premier League 1991 – P7R 3-3 P7T[…]
While in Los Angeles, USA on my round the world trip in 2007, I met a young Irish lady from Donegal, Emma McDaid. We enjoyed a very short evening of drinks and chat in the Venice Beach Cotel Hostel the night before my 14 hour flight to New Zealand. As it happened, Emma had just Read more about Zorbing in Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand[…]
The second meeting of the South of England Northern Ireland Supporters Club was held in Torquay on the first Saturday on 2006. The reason for the meeting was that myself, Tim Beattie and Owen Millar wanted to get the club up and running fairly quickly and plan the year ahead. Owen suggested Torquay, because he Read more about Come on You Yellows!! Torquay United 0-0 Birmingham City[…]
I had lived in Bournemouth for the best part of five years before I actually went to watch Bournemouth Football Club! That is probably because Bournemouth Football Club are not quite as high profile as their Boscombe rivals, AFC Bournemouth. They are two completely different teams, Bournemouth Football Club were formed in 1875 and are Read more about Up the Poppies, In All Remembrance Services! :Bournemouth FC 3-1 Alton Town FC[…]
As detailed in other blog posts, during 2005 I helped set up and became chairman of the South of England Northern Ireland Supporters Club. The idea really was just to set up an amazing wee club in the south of England for Northern Ireland football fans, or anyone who enjoys a good day out really. Read more about Is this the way to Weymouth, Dorset??[…]