“The tunnel of love might amuse you, Noah’s Ark might confuse you” – Richard Thompson. The idea of this trip overland/oversea/undersea was an amalgamation of factors. Firstly because recently I got so fed up with airlines. Every single trip I have done since 2021 has had at least one flight delay, cancellation or change. In…
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In 1995 Bangor FC deliberately lost their final game 2–0 away at rivals Ards in order to secure promotion to the new Premier League (NIPL, Northern Irish Premier League). If Bangor had DRAWN or WON that match, they would have been relegated to the second tier (Division One). It might seem bizarre, but that’s exactly…
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“Nobody knows the way it’s gonna be” – Noel Gallagher. Getting Oasis ticketsin 1997 for the Be Here Now tour was nuts and the proper way to see your favourite rock’n’roll band. Nothing was done online, nobody had the internet, nobody had any type of mobile phone at all, never mind a “smartphone”. Oasis massive…
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“The day we went to Bangor” – Fiddler’s Dram. Some people might glorify the fact that Notts County FC and Nottingham Forest FC in England are separated by a river – the Trent. Other people might glorify the fact that Dundee FC and Dundee United FC are separated by a road – Tannadice Street. And…
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“Where do you go? Buttoned in your favourite coat, stepping out to a different world. And you might be home late.”- Ocean Colour Scene. Aged 17 I flicked through the CDs in His Master’s Voice record shop in Belfast city, the Northern Irish passion-drenched capital. Imagine the thrill of it all. Life was amazing. I…
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“Damn my education, I can’t find the words to say with all the things caught in my mind” – Noel Gallagher. It is a line taken from the Oasis song “Don’t Go Away” which was released the same year I left Bangor Grammar School, 1997. I wrote very recently how it just passed the 25…
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“Where were you while we were in 1Y?” Here yousens! Did youse bring a tennis ball? Baggsy not nets. That’s rare so it is. It’s hard for me to believe that the above photo is 25 years old this week. It was taken on my first day at Bangor Grammar School, in August 1991 and…
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“Michael O’Neill’s Green and White army” – Northern Ireland football fans. Now that June 2016 has arrived, it feels crazy that this month, I am finally living out a childhood dream. Since my early days growing up in Bangor, Northern Ireland I only had one dream in life. To watch the Northern Ireland international football…
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Another vintage working Wednesday today comes from my hometown of Bangor and another odd job I ended up doing just for an extra bit of cash at the time. It was in 2001 and I had a car, so I was able to take on extra jobs like deliveries. Before the internet and mobile phone…
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“We all go back to where, we belong” – Michael Stipe. I reflect on these things way too often. But I can’t help it. I’m a sentimental person. I cling to memories, and good ones. I’m haunted by the bad memories so I lock them in a dungeon and slam the door, hoping they never…
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