Northern Ireland – Page 11 – Don't Stop Living

Thirsty Thursdays: The Windsor Bar Bangor, Northern Ireland (My Local Pub)☘️🔴✋

Posted on February 20, 2014December 10, 2024 by Jonny Blair

In life, at least where I come from we all have a “local”. “Down the loke”, “down the wins”, “see you in the local” are all phrases we use to describe that one pub or bar where we feel at home. We know the staff, we know the customers, it’s our local. Most of my mates have a “local”. Yes even me, despite being a global backpacker, I have an original local pub. It’s been my local for 17 years now – that’s half my life. Crazy. Even though for 11 of those years I haven’t lived in Bangor, The Windsor, is still and always will be “my local”. I call it the “wins” for short. Thirsty Thursdays this week takes you down the wins…the Windsor Bar in Bangor, Northern Ireland.

bangor windsor quay street — Quay Street, Bangor, Northern Ireland – home of the Windsor.

Where is the Windsor?

It’s on Quay Street in Bangor. It’s on the seafront. Pretty, picturesque and a genuine old school British seaside town is Bangor. No explanations for that description needed. Bangor is a staunchly middle class unionist town and is part of the United Kingdom. But don’t you worry – it’s Irish too, serving up Irish whiskey and beers in endless bars. Guinness, Harp and that awesome pub spirit ensure this gem of a pub gives you that authentic Northern Irish pub feel that anywhere should.

Address: Windsor Bars. 24 Quay St, Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland, BT20 5ED. Tel: 028 9147 3943

harp irish lager — An ice cold pint of Harp Irish Lager (yes, I’ve tried turning the photo round…)

My first memories of the Windsor

The very first time I went into the Windsor Bar was September 1997. It was a crazy time for me in life. I had just come back from a family trip to Orlando in Florida. My travel brain had been inspired. I was learning to drive for the first time. I was able to go out and party with my mates (thanks to what was known as “Fake IDs”) at weekends and during the week I earned a bit of money by doing a Media Course.

As crazy as that sounds now, but yes I got paid for being a student. It wasn’t much, but I was 17 and I lived with my family so the money from that was easily enough for me to go out and have a few beers on the weekend. As part of Tony Blair’s “New Deal” system, certain students on courses could earn a bit of cash. I studied Media Studies and Journalism at Belvoir Tech in Belfast, our capital city. I loved being a student at the time. I also had some part time stuff going on – my mate Michael and I sold football fanzines, I played football for the BB and I did college radio as much as I could.

windsor bars 1997 — An advert for the Windsor Bars when I used to go back in 1997.

It was a Saturday in late September 1997 that I first stepped foot in the Windsor. I loved the decor, I loved the atmosphere. I just loved it. It was like I was home immediately.

windsor upstairs bangor 1997 — Upstairs in the Windsor at the Richard Morrow Hypnotist show.

I’d head down with a few mates around 8pm on a Saturday night, by 10.30 pm we were always ready to head upstairs. In those days the Windsor was a really buzzing nightclub.

bangors windsor bar — The Windsor on Quay Street, a photo I took back in the day.

Oasis had just released the epic single “Stand By Me”, and the Windsor Dukebox had it on. I’d spend money putting my songs into the jukebox. Those were the days! Oddly I even remember the first ever song I heard in the Windsor during my first ever pint of Harp in here – it was Guiding Star by Cast. It contains the line “We got a glimpse of a forgotten dream and we want it to pass to you…”

windsor bars bangor — With Mark, Michael and Stuart down the Windsor at a 20 year school reunion in the Windsor, Bangor.

Over the next 3-4 years I was in the Windsor at least once a week, except when I was out of the country. I got to know the staff. There was even one ridiculous moment where I got a bit drunk and complained that they didn’t have Orange Hooch in stock and that Liam Gallagher drinks Orange Hooch. Next week I come in and they’ve ordered a crate of Orange Hooch, just for me. Totally crazy. Sadly not many other customers (zero I think) were into Orange Hooch but I drank the stuff myself. Yes, I admit, I did love Orange Hooch after a few pints of Harp or Guinness.

windsor bangor — Thirsty Thursdays down my local – The Windsor in Bangor, Northern Ireland.

By 2003 however I didn’t live in Bangor anymore and the Windsor kind of wasn’t my actual local anymore. I’d still pop in once every 2 years or so on visits back home. I ended up living in England and having some local pubs there, as I did in Australia, as I even did during my brief stay in Uruguay. These days, Table 18 in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong is the nearest thing I get to a “local”. But it’s not the same and it never will be.

windsor bars bangor northern ireland — I also went to the Windsor with some old school pals in 2011 – playing pool with Stuart and Michael.

The Windsor Bar Bangor, Northern Ireland is my local.

I make it my duty to pop in for a beer now EVERY time I’m back. I’ve even surprised myself with this one and have visited it now on each of my last three visits back home to Bangor. OK so that means I’ve only been in 3 times in the last 5 years, but still, I enjoyed it.

paul donegan windsor bars bangor — Behind the bar in the Windsor with Paul Donegan.

Host and owner Paul Donegan is a man who knows how to run a pub. He knows how to treat customers and you can guarantee if he’s working or running the bar anytime I’m back, he’ll be straight over with my pint of Harp.

I travel the world, but some things never change. In an odd way, I’d rather be down the Windsor having a pint of Harp as I type this from a coffee shop in Bangkok, Thailand. Yes really. I’m just a travelling Northern Irishman…

The Windsor in 2014

Last month I went down the Wins with my Dad and brother Marko for a night. It was great. The place hadn’t changed. Same chirpy staff. Same beers on draught (Harp, Guinness – take the hint Paul and keep those two 😉 ). And the pool table is back. At the back of the bar I even played pool with my Dad and bro. I hogged the Dukebox like old times and whacked on Oasis – Stand By Me. Yes, they still have that song. Amazing!

windsor bars bangor oasis music — Banging Oasis on the Windsor dukebox.

If you’re ever in Bangor, Northern Ireland, PLEASE PLEASE pop into the Windsor for a pint of beer. Time stops, life changes and you can really have fun.

When is the Windsor open?

It opens almost every day. There will be a few exceptions – possibly Christmas Day, 12th July, New Year’s Day and Easter Sunday. Check closer to the time when you’re in the town itself. Things can change.

windsor pub bangor — My Dad and Brother down the Windsor in Bangor in January 2014 on a rare trip back to my local.

Other locals I’ve had down the years on my journeys (either based on proximity to places I lived or stayed for a long period and visited at least 4 times):

– The Dolphin Pub, Holdenhurst Road, Springbourne, Bournemouth, England

– The Grange, Southbourne, Bournemouth, England

– Molly Malone’s Irish Pub, Devonport, Tasmania, Australia

– PJ Gallagher’s Irish Pub, Parramatta, Australia

– Table 18 Bar and Restaurant, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong

– Cafe Roma, Ma Wan, Hong Kong

– The Bear and Ragged Staff, Crayford, England

– The Greens Bar, Shepherd’s Bush, London, England

– O’Malley’s Bar and Restaurant, Sydney, Australia

– Bar Hispano, Montevideo, Uruguay

montevideo uruguay bar hispano — Bar Hispano, Montevideo, Uruguay.

So get down there or follow them on Facebook and on the Royal Hotel Website:

Windsor Bar on Facebook

The Windsor Bar, Royal Hotel website

A few videos I made from my recent trips back to the Windsor Bar Bangor. Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s I never really made videos, shame. The place hasn’t changed much though. Which is a good thing. Happy drinking my friends!

Top 10 Northern Irish Travel Blogs 2014

Posted on February 4, 2014February 8, 2017 by Jonny Blair

This is the second year I have compiled a Top 10 Northern Irish Travel Blogs list. Following on from last year’s best Northern Irish Travel Blogs, here are the best 10 out there this year in 2014! A few changes, some dropped out and some got added – it’s top of the pops style. In fact there are now 3 new entries and 3 have gone. The top 10 is now an even gender split too – so well done ladies – 5 guys and 5 girls in there. Congratulations to everyone that is included, I’ve enjoyed compiling it once again and catching up with all your stories. I’ll be doing the next one in January or February 2015.

wanderlust prize top bloggers — Last year, 3 of these top 10 Northern Irish bloggers were included in the County Down Spectator as they fought it out for the Wanderlust prize!

On my own travels, I bumped into Patrick Burke who is hitch hiking from Belfast to Beijing, so he’s straight into the mix with his “Finding Patrick Burke Blog”! I also met up with Allan Wilson of Live Less Ordinary in 2013! There is still no room for golfer Rory McIlroy however 😉 Also of note, the County Down Spectator in Bangor Northern Ireland featured three of these top 10 travel writers in a print article in January 2013 due to their battle to become Wanderlust Blog of the Year (just after the last list I made). Allan Wilson, from Bangor won it.

Here is how the Northern Irish travel blogs qualified for the Top 10 list:

– The writer of the blog has to come from Northern Ireland

– The writer of the blog has to be regularly updating their content (a few dropped out because of lack of updates)

– The writer of the blog has to be travelling around the world currently (or has extensively travelled the world and is still writing about it)

– The website has to be an actual ‘blog’ (i.e. no travel, flight, tour operator sites count, even if they are owned and run by a Northern Irish person abroad)

– Each Northern Irish travel blogger can only have one website on the list.

These are in alphabetical order as usual but by gender this time, perhaps next year, I’ll make it a top 15 or 20 and have an order based on readers/viewers, domain authority, page rank etc. For the meantime though – we’re not in competition with each other – we’re writing and travelling the world being Northern Irish. We’re all proud of each other’s blogs.

top 10 ni travel blogs 2014 — Top 10 Northern Irish Travel Blogs of 2014.

The Northern Irish Ladies

1. Eco Travel by Linda McCormick

linda mccormick eco traveller — Top 10 Northern Irish Travel Blogs Eco Traveller

A new entry for Linda even though she’s been in the industry for yonks! Linda is a founding member of the Professional Travel Bloggers Association and writes passionately about being green and eco friendly on her ventures. Linda comes from that enigma of a city. Is it Derry or is it Londonderry? :-p

2. Geriatric Traveller by Maura Ward

geriatric traveller maura ward — Top 10 Northern Irish Travel Blogs Geriatric Traveller

Maura Ward maintains her place with her worldly blog which tells you how to live a little, even though Maura’s not a teenager anymore. I found out that Maura managed to backpack her way to places like Uzbekistan and Kryzkstan in 2013! Now that’s dedication! Definitely one to watch and keep up with. I bet she still loves sitting with a cup of tea in Kilkeel staring at the Irish Sea though.

3. Helen Moat Travel Writer by Helen Moat

northern irish travel blogs top 10 — Top 10 Northern Irish Travel Blogs Helen Moat

If you remember back to last year’s list, Helen was one of four Ulster folk up for the Wanderlust Blog of the Year award! This year she travelled around once more – hiking up Adam’s Peak in Sri Lanka and won yet another travel writing competition. Helen’s writing is superb.

4. Life in a Rucksack by Abbi Morrison

life in a rucksack abbi — Top 10 Northern Irish Travel Blogs Life in a Rucksack

Abbi long ago gave up life in Coleraine to explore the world. This year she has worked full time in New Zealand, exploring her current residing country as much as she can as well as travelling to South Korea and Australia. Abbi mixes off the beaten track stuff with obvious tourist places with much aplomb. She’s not afraid to admit she sometimes packs too much into her rucksack life.

5. Web ‘n’ Words by Julie McNamee

julie mcnamee blog — Top 10 Northern Irish Travel Blogs Web n Words

Julie is a new entry and I’ve included her because her blog is an excellent resource for SEO writers, new bloggers and anyone into social media. Julie is also currently in London, so not based in the six counties. She doesn’t directly write about her travels on her main site, but you can bet your life she’s tried more cuisines than an Ulster Fry or a packet of dulse.

The Lads

6. Don’t Stop Living by Jonny Blair

best northern irish travel blogs — Top 10 Northern Irish Travel Blogs Dont Stop Living a Lifestyle of travel

You’re already reading my own travel blog, Don’t Stop Living so welcome. I’m Jonny Blair. Having left Bangor some 11 years ago I’m now on a conquest to travel the world and write about it. I cracked the 80 country mark in 2013 and also visited 10 Chinese Provinces, 15 new countries and some off the wall obscure spots like Jiangling, Sulaymaniyeh, Vank, Ramallah and Shahr-e Kord. There’s no bias involved in self inclusion either – my stats are up with the rest on the list as the other 9 NI bloggers will testify and I made it onto the BBC last year thanks to my travelling NI flag stories. Hope so anyway 😉

7. Finding Patrick Burke

patrick burkes blog — Top 10 Northern Irish Travel Blogs Finding Patrick Burke

Patrick’s blog has a cool story to it – he is hitch hiking all the way from Belfast to Beijing. Now that’s hardcore. I tracked him down to India at present and earlier randomly met up with him in Turkey and Iran (by chance). Check out the stats page on Patrick’s site which details who all has given him lifts and how many endless hours he has spent waiting for free rides.

8. Ikimasho by Justin Egli

justin egli ikimasho — Top 10 Northern Irish Travel Blogs Ikimasho

This year has seen Justin Egli’s site Ikimasho (Japanese for “Let’s go”) go from strength to strength. Endless posts filled with laughter, real life experience and quirky wit will have you reading, and reading, and reading! Justin is out in Tokyo most of the year but as you can tell he loves a bit of adventure. He spent Christmas with some Indonesian Gangsters and climbed an active volcano. Endless charm and wit. He’s originally from Bangor, too.

9. Live Less Ordinary by Allan Wilson

allan wilsons live less ordinary — Top 10 Northern Irish Travel Blogs Live Less Ordinary

Bangkok based Bangor man Allan Wilson won Wanderlust’s Blog of the year last time round! It’s easy to see why. His passion for writing is clear, his honest raw tales keeps you on the edge and his deliberately opaque sarcasm pisses off the moaners and keeps the lovers in love. I’m not even sure Allan knows that the title of his blog was also a hit for Downpatrick rock band Ash back in 1997 (A Life Less Ordinary). Allan knows his stuff about South East Asia so check his site out please!!

** ENTRANT DELETED DUE TO STALKING MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND SAYING THAT LYING IS DOING NOTHING WRONG **

So that’s it folks for 2014. Thanks to all those on the list who travelled, blogged and entertained us all in the last 12 months. If you know of any Northern Irish travel blogs (or travel related) that are not on the list and that fit the criteria, please drop me a line:

jonny at dontstopliving dot net

Until next year, keep er lit yousens. Mine’s a sausage soda. Keep flying the fleg!

Tuesday’s Travel Essentials: Dual Nationality, Holding Multiple Passports

Posted on December 17, 2013October 12, 2020 by Jonny Blair

Today on Tuesday’s Travel Essentials it’s time to take advantage of all the passports you can get. You’ll need them – trust me. When you go travelling, your passports fill up quickly with visas and stamps so it’s essential to have a back up – dual nationality and multiple passports is the best way to travel. But passports filling up fast isn’t the only reason to have multiple passports. Getting visas for countries is another reason. You will find some nationalities can get cheaper visas for some countries, some nationalities can get visas easier to and some nationalities are even denied access to certain countries. So have a back up. Do it and don’t hesitate. The trigger for this post was that recently two other Northern Irish friends of mine asked me if I ALSO have an Irish Passport. My reply to them should be, “I ALSO have a British Passport”.

For me getting dual nationality was easy. Apologies to those who don’t have dual nationality, or cannot currently get it – I know a visa for a country can be harder to obtain in those circumstances. Here’s why it was easy for me:

I’m from Northern Ireland.

I was born and bred in Northern Ireland. It’s a British owned country on the island of Ireland. Thanks to some clever agreements down the years, anyone born and bred in Northern Ireland has a right to be British or Irish. Or both. I have no qualms whatsoever in admitting I’m Irish and I’m British. It hasn’t always been like that for me by the way – but these days I’m very proud of both heritages. Being Northern Irish is the most ice cool thing on the planet. I love it.

Nationality Number One – I’m British. I grew up in the UK in the country of Northern Ireland. I paid British taxes. I watched British TV. I went to a school governed by the UK. English is my main language. I’m proud of my British heritage.

delaneys hong kong paddys day — I’m proud to be Irish: Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Delaneys, Hong Kong

Nationality Number Two – I’m Irish. I grew up on the island of Ireland. I support the Northern Ireland football team. I celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (and yes I know he’s Welsh). I drink Guinness. I love potatoes. I’m Irish. I’m Northern Irish. So I own an Irish passport. I’m proud of my Irish heritage.

The dual passport benefits – using my British one to enter Brazil a few years back.

So there you have it – I am able to get two passports, two nationalities and I feel equally proud of both. As I believe every Northern Irish person should.

irish visa iran — I used my Irish passport to get my Iran visa recently.

Here are the main advantages of having dual nationality and holding spontaneous passports for different countries:

– You have more pages in your passports therefore you won’t need to replace them as often ( I once got refused entry to Singapore for having no space in one of my passports – ludicrous decision but hey…)

– You can say you’re Irish or British and be correct with both (this is particularly helpful in countries like Iran and Argentina, where it’s better to say you’re Irish than British – less hassle).

– You can choose which passport to use based on the visa prices (a Chinese Visa is cheaper on an Irish passport than a British one).

– You can choose which passport to use based on the visa difficulty (An Iran Visa is easier to get on an Irish passport than a British one).

– You can choose which passport to use based on the visa qualifications (A Hong Kong Working Holiday Visa is ONLY available on an Irish passport and not a British one).

– If you do LOSE one of your passports, you have another one.

– If you ever get rejected for a visa for a country, don’t get upset – you can reapply using your other nationality, visa qualifications are hit and miss.

– You can visit Israel, Malaysia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Nagorno Karabakh etc. without worrying about being permitted into other countries (e.g. having an Israel stamp in your passport automatically disqualifies you from visiting places like Iran and Iraq, same goes for holding a Nagorno Karabakh visa and then trying to get into Azerbaijan)

– You can freely pick and choose which passport to use each time you travel

You can check out some of my other passport and visa related posts here.

– How to get a Hong Kong Working Holiday Visa

– Carrying Passport Photos

– Carrying Photocopies of Passports

– How to get an Iran Visa in Turkey

– How to get a Suriname Visa in Venezuela

– How to get a China Visa in Hong Kong

– How to get a Vietnam Visa in Hong Kong

– How to get a Myanmar Visa in Hong Kong

– How to get an Ethiopian Visa at Addis Ababa Airport

– How to get a Tanzanian Visa at Kilimanjaro Airport

– How to get an Australian Working Holiday Visa

– How to get a Second Australian Working Holiday Visa

So there’s a tip for you all – take advantage of your passport options and use them both. Believe me – you don’t want to be that British guy talking about the Falklands War to police officers at the Argentina border, just whip out your Irish one 😉

Safe travels.

My Top 5 Capital Cities From Around The World!!!

Posted on October 30, 2013December 12, 2015 by Jonny Blair

paraguay capital asuncion — Top 5 Capital Cities: Partying in Paraguay’s Asuncion!

I thought recently about all the capital cities I’ve been to and how they don’t always live up to expectations. I’ve been to capital cities in about 55 of the 80 countries I’ve backpacked through and thought it was a good moment to do a top 5. I write this post from one of them – Yerevan in Armenia. I’m a guy that prefers the off the beaten track capitals that have less tourists and more charm. For that reason there won’t be any places like London, Paris, Madrid, Beijing, Canberra or Caracas on my list. Here’s my top 5 capital cities from around the world. If you haven’t yet been, grab a bit of what you’re missing!

montevideo uruguay — Relaxing in Montevideo, Uruguay – one of my top 5 capital cities.

1. Yerevan, Armenia

This place has surprised me. A mix of old and new exists in untouristy Yerevan. Soviet influences still apply (though rarely), while 24 hour supermarkets, Japanese restaurants and Irish pubs all ensure that Armenia’s charming capital has a welcome place in the 21st Century, and more. It belongs here rather than being condemned to a life of grey buildings, communist war memorials and propaganda from a state it once belonged to, while striving for self governance.

I’ll be here for another week or so. Also watched the sunset from our hostel balcony (Penthouse – best hostel in Yerevan), tried the local food, got a view of the city and even got inside the national football stadium. The best thing is – it’s cheap and there are hardly any tourists!! Do your backpack a favour and take it to Yerevan.

sunset yerevan top capital armenia — Top 5 Capital Cities: Sunset in Yerevan, Armenia!

2. Asuncion, Paraguay

Anyone that has ever taken their backpack on the long road to Asuncion will know it was worth it. This places oozes the sort of laid back capital appeal that over-rated monsters like Buenos Aires lack. You won’t find a hereditry arrogance within Asuncion. Buildings which haven’t been commercialised, people sleeping rough in the city squares, bars that party all night and all you can eat buffets for $2. Can’t go wrong with unknown Asuncion. You’ll more than likely have the city to yourself!

jonny blair heroes square asuncion — Heroes Square in Paraguay’s Asuncion.

3. Belfast, Northern Ireland

No list of capital cities will be complete without including my own capital. I’m not even biased to stick Belfast in this list. Northern Ireland’s capital sits quiet and unknown while beng noisy and world renowned at the same time. Once you’ve worked that conundrum out – head round the sights – Shankill Road murals, City Hall, Odyssey Centre, The Crown Bar, Cavehill, Stormont, Cregagh Estate where George Best grew up, C.S. Lewis’s wardrobe (from the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe).

best capital cities — Belfast City Hall, Northern Ireland.

If you thought a history of political and cultural divides for a city are a bad thing then you need to head to Belfast. After touring Northern Ireland you can enjoy boat rides to the Isle of Man, Scotland and England to backpack further.

belfast northern ireland crown bar — Top 5 Capital Cities: The Crown Bar in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

4. Montevideo, Uruguay

I owe something to Montevideo – a second visit. My time studying Spanish there and liv ing with a local family was cut short as I was too eager to get backpacking again. I stayed with Perla in her house in the immense capital city. Fond memories of watching Penarol and Nacional, eating empanadas and getting my morning bus through gorgeous sunshine to Plaza Independencia. I love Montevideo and I will return.

montevideo uruguay top capital cities — Top 5 Capital Cities: Loving Plaza Independencia in Montevideo, Uruguay.

5. Warsaw, Poland

Perhaps alcohol fuelled, my love affair with Warsaw stretches back to 2005. Many nights were spent there in way too many bars. On my second visit to Warsaw my Polish mates showed me all the sights I missed first time round. Before spending every night in way too many bars. My Polish mates Rafal, Piotr and Artur are top blokes. I met up with Rafal recently in Tbilisi Georgia and he’d disown me if I leave off Warsaw so it makes th top 5 with aplomb.

You might be asking why I haven’t included the capitals of Taiwan, Bolivia and China as those are three countries I rave about. But the truth is I love all parts of Taiwan except Taipei, I love all of China except Shanghai and Beijing and with Bolivia, well I edged La Paz out and didn’t go to Sucre.

There might be some kind of follow up post to this at some point, there’s unfinished business here for sure.

Working Wednesdays: BBC Radio🎤📻Ulster Interview, Northern Ireland🔴✋️☘️

Posted on September 4, 2013October 29, 2024 by Jonny Blair

jonny blair on the air — Working Wednesdays: “Jonny Blair on the air” I was back on the airwaves last night, being interviewed for BBC Radio Ulster.

I’ve always loved media. There’s something about TV, newspapers, radio and the whole public sphere thing that I love. As a teenager I did some work experience in the BBC and Belfast Telegraph as well as studying a City and Guilds course in Journalism. At university I wrote for the magazine, starred in 2 TV shows (still can’t believe I haven’t written about that yet) and appeared on 2 radio stations. Simultaneously I was editing a football fanzine. The public sphere and being with people is very much something I always knew I’d be working in. However, as I left Ethiopia on a media trip and flew to Hong Kong a few weeks back a major surprise was in store.

I checked my e-mails and the BBC had got in touch with me. BBC Northern Ireland. You might remember I went rafting in Slovenia a few years back on a BBC documentary. Well, if I thought that was my Andy Warhol moment, I’d have to think again. Totally unrelated this time, a journalist had somehow heard of me or got word about my travels with my Northern Ireland flag (if you follow my blog, don’t worry you’ll have seen the photos). Perhaps they saw this website that I set up last year…

northern ireland flag travels backpacking — Working Wednesdays: My Travelling Northern Ireland flag website

I set up a website away from Don’t Stop Living, this website is for my photos of my Northern Ireland flag. It’s a site for photos only. Initially when I saw the e-mail I really believed it was a wind up. Mates wind me up all the time, but it really was a BBC journalist of course. I was kind of lucky with the timing of it, as I was in between an Africa tour and a visit to North Korea and I was catching up on some recent travel articles and work through my website. I was told that BBC Radio Ulster wanted to interview me based on my travels. Naturally I was pretty excited. I used to listen to Radio Ulster all the time as a child and youth. Particularly Mike Edgar’s Across the Line show and Sportsound every Saturday.

jonny blair radio ulster — Featured on the Excellent Evening Extra Show on BBC Radio Ulster.

And since I’ve been away from Northern Ireland for 10 years now, 7 continents in and over 70 countries with about 50 jobs on the way it’s a nice time to get the call. That coupled with the fact I take my Northern Ireland flag everywhere with me was the niche the BBC wanted and I was chuffed actually. Plus, I’m not shy of being Northern Irish or promoting my country to the world, I’ve written articles for a load of sites on Northern Ireland such as on Suitcase Stories, We Blog the World and Santa Fe Travelers. I’ve just included Bangor and Belfast on an itinerary guide too.

bohol island philippines — With my travelling Northern Ireland flag and a local tribe in Bohol Island, Philippines

So last night I went live on BBC Radio Ulster and I was interviewed by William Crawley on the excellent drive time show. Originally I was scheduled to be on the night before, but Belfast Poet Seamus Heaney died this week and that took centre stage of course! It was done as a call on Skype to my laptop from my mate Neil’s flat in Hong Kong. BBC Radio Ulster is on FM Radio throughout Northern Ireland and is available on the internet in most countries worldwide. I always use the webpages of BBC Northern Ireland to keep up to date with the news back home, to think I was now being broadcast was quite surreal, and yes I loved it. Why am I classing this as a “Working Wednesdays”? Quite simply because it acts as PR, as outreach, as another part of my travel blogging lifestyle, working can be a pleasure too you know as I’ve noticed during my working career.

nerve radio jonny blair on the air — A photo from my own stint DJ ing on Nerve Radio – Bournemouth – England 2005

Below is a rough transcript of the interview which is available to listen to for another seven days – Jonny Blair interview on BBC.

William in bold, myself in normal text.

“10 Years, more than 70 countries and one flag; Bangor man Jonny Blair is a full time traveller and he carries a reminder of home with him wherever he goes. I spoke to him earlier and started by asking him, where is he today?

William right now I’m actually in Hong Kong. I’m on the kind of west side of Hong Kong on a remote island before my next adventure on Friday.

Where are you off to on Friday?

I start off in Beijing so I’ll be flying into Beijing from Hong Kong and then a bit of an adventure I’m off to North Korea for the following week.

That could be a bit daunting, did you have any trouble getting into North Korea?

Basically at the moment I’ve been talking to a travel agent out there. They’re sorting out everything you know like the visas and all that so yeah it should be alright.

How long have you been travelling now, Jonny?

I actually left Bangor where I’m from I left there 10 years ago this month. The first few years I was a student, kind of a working student in the south of England and then I ended up going on a round the world trip and I got a wanderlust yeah a desire to see more of the world. I ended up moving to Australia, backpacked round South America, Asia and I’ve been to Africa a couple of times too and even Antarctica so it’s been quite a crazy trip.

How many countries have you been to so far?

My official count at the minute I think is 73.

Not to be too personal about all this Jonny but that sounds like it’s cost a fortune. How are you financing all of that?

Well to be honest I’ve had about 50 jobs along the way like. People think it must be an easy backpacking life but it hasn’t been like that. I mean I was working for a farm for about 5 months, you know 12 hours a day, 7 days a week yeah I did that for about 5 months just to save money, down in Tasmania in Australia. I’ve been working in a pub, as a teacher, as a host, kind of welcoming guests to events on Hong Kong Island and I’ve had a lot of travel opportunities come up recently. I’ve just started working on like an app. It’s like an app for the iPad and iPhone which will probably be out around Christmas time. It’s basically travel guides to cities and towns in the world. I’ve actually just done Belfast for them last week.

Well you sound like the man to do it – is this all still just wanderlust or do you have /have you set yourself a target of a certain number of countries you want to get to?

I am being a bit greedy but I would obviously would like to visit every country in the world.

What’s the country you’ve most enjoyed visiting so far?

Being a Northern Irishman like I do promote Northern Ireland a lot. I do tell people that you know you need to go and see the Giant’s Causeway and Bushmills so I won’t hesitate to tell anyone that my favourite country is Northern Ireland. I’ll always say that but in terms of places I’ve been…Bolivia – loved it, Uruguay. Taiwan and in the last two and a half years, I’ve done quite a bit of travelling in China.

And you’re travelling with the old Ulster Banner the old Northern Ireland flag with you?

I travel with my Northern Ireland flag which is the one with the crown on it and the red hand that you know a lot of people recognise it as our flag, some people don’t, but for me it’s the flag that you know like the football team and people like Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell have used the same flag so I’m quite proud of that and yeah I do take it everywhere with me.

It sounds like you should be made an ambassador for the Northern Ireland tourist board.

Well! Ha ha! Yeah – always big up Belfast!

Jonny Blair, and his flag.”

[end of interview]

It was nice to be on radio back home and my sister heard it and recorded it. Thanks to all at the BBC for the opportunity and hopefully I’ll be back someday. In the meantime, I’m off to Beijing then onwards to Pyongyang. Second time in North Korea for me, however this one is a proper trip rather than toptoeing in across the border at Panmunjom!

Safe travels.

Working Wednesdays: Writing for “Arconada…Armstrong!” as a Teenager in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Posted on July 31, 2013December 21, 2020 by Jonny Blair

I’ll talk about my first ever job on today’s Working Wednesdays, a job which was unpaid but I got free football fanzines out of it, and I was helping support my country’s international football team. Aged 15, I wrote articles for and helped sell the Northern Ireland football fanzine, Arconada…Armstrong!

Named after the ITV commentary from Gerry Armstrong’s famous winning goal in Northern Ireland’s ridiculous walloping of host nation Spain in the 1982 World Cup, this football fanzine was one of many that sprung up in parts of the UK during the late 1980s and 1990s. The commentator blurted out “and…Arconada…Armstrong!” as host nation clown faced goalkeeper spilt the ball in front of West Belfast grafter Gerry Armstrong who banged the ball into the back of the Spanish net. I personally reminisced this moment on my visit to Valencia in 2003.

jonny blair in bangor northern ireland — I loved football for an early age – this is me in Ward Park in Bangor, Northern Ireland

I had been attending Northern Ireland matches since 1990, mostly with my Dad and my childhood friends Michael and Gavin. After 5 years or so watching, and the odd letter to the local newspapers (Ireland’s Saturday Night and the Sunday Life), I decided to write to the fanzine Arconada…Armstrong! It’s editor, David Alcorn, also known as Dr. Wa was keen to have me as a regular contributor and I secured a regular slot as a writer. As a 15 year old, I must have written some garbage back in those days, but the enthusiasm probably drowned that out. I simply loved watching Northern Ireland. Indeed if you have followed my adventures on here, you will see that childhood traits don’t die out – I’m often spotted globetrotting with my Northern Ireland shirt on and flying the Northern Ireland flag. To me, and to many others, our wee country is simply known as “Norn Iron”, it’s the way we say Northern Ireland…

northern ireland belfast windsor park — Windsor Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland

My articles for Arconada…Armstrong were all hand written and all done by post, these days referred to as “snail mail”. There were no computers around, though my Dad had a computer from work so my later articles were typed up. I started writing for Arconada…Armstrong in 1995. My time doing it came to an end in 1996, at the Germany friendly I think. I submitted a few more articles, but the workload had taken its toll on the editor David Alcorn, and the fantastic fanzine was put to the sidelines and discontinued for now.

For about 2 or 3 issues, myself and Michael McClelland (my mate who also contributed to Arconada…Armstrong!) helped sell the fanzine on the bridge in the village in Belfast before the home matches. It was a passion. I was aged 15 – 16 and loved it. The photos on this post ARE of us selling fanzines in Belfast, but NOT Arconada…Armstrong! We don’t have any photos or physical memories from that era.

When Arconada…Armstrong! ended in 1996, Michael, Gavin and I set up our own Northern Ireland fanzine called “Here We Go…Again” which we launched in March 1997. It was all a blur looking back and we loved it. We spent hours and hours working on it, and we did make a bit of money back on it. But it never about that – it was all about the passion. And it still is.

Head to the Northern Ireland programme fair in Belfast in May of every year if you want to pick up some back issues of Arconada…Armstrong! including my articles. I won’t read them anymore – they’ll make me cringe.

But then again, that planted my passion for writing and putting my stories out there. From the streets of Belfast to the big wide world, I thank David Alcorn and Arconada…Armstrong! for the memories. If the fanzine ever gets a second relaunch (it came out again briefly in late 1997), I’d love to write for them again. I may even turn up at a home match and sell them.

With thanks to – David Alcorn, Luis Arconada, Gerry Armstrong, Michael McClelland, Joe Blair.

I pray every night and day that the glory days of Northern Irish football can return again someday. Happy working Wednesdays guys! Safe travels!

10 Places I LOVE Which Aren’t Even In The Lonely Planet!

Posted on July 6, 2013March 15, 2024 by Jonny Blair

I use the Lonely Planet Guide Booksquite a lot when I travel and I like them. Usually they are correct, mostly they are useful but sometimes they are horrendously wrong and ill-informed. As soon as they go to press they are out of date, as prices go up, bus timetables change, visa regulations change etc. However today I’m going to do a post about 10 places I really enjoyed which weren’t even mentioned in the Lonely Planet – (at least not in the editions I had or at the times I visited). This is the real “lonely planet” guide – places so far off the beaten track, even the Lonely Planet doesn’t know they exist! We start off in lonely Poatina…who on earth goes there?

1. Poatina, Tasmania, AUSTRALIA
I’ll never really know why life took me to the mountain village of Poatina in Tasmania but it did. I lived in my tent up in the mountains back in 2010. At the time I was working on broccoli farms nearby. I can understand why Poatina isn’t in the Lonely Planet, however it’s a cool village that I can say I’ve lived in. Alcohol isn’t allowed or sold anywhere (unusual for Australia), the village offers great views, has decent wildlife (saw deers, wallabies, Tasmanian devils and possums there) and virtually closes down after 5pm.

living in a tent in poatina — Relaxing by my tent in Poatina, Tasmania, Australia. Great mountain views!

There’s not even a shop open! The entrance sign to the village reads “the way life was meant to be”, I don’t quite buy this definition but it’s worth checking out. They even have postcards and a communal village barbecue.

poatina general store — The General Store in Poatina. It’s not in the Lonely Planet, but I loved it…

2. Shinying/Sinying/Xinying, TAIWAN
How Shinying has missed out in featuring in the Lonely Planet I’ll never know. It is a massive city and in fact houses some of the government offices for the entire Tainan County (even with former Taiwan capital Tainan in the same county). I visited Shinying in 2009 and used it as my base while bacpackng round the island. My best mate Neil Macey spent a year or so living there. The city has its own train and bus stations and is well connected to other places such as Chiayi, Tainan and Kaohsiung.

shinying taiwan — Backpacking in Shinying! Where? Some massive city in Taiwan…

Shinying itself has several decent temples, a swan lake, a sugar refinery, a top class night market and a few relaxing parks. It’s a big and busy city. From a personal perspective it has extra meaning for two reasons, the first is that Shinying reignited my spark for travel back in 2009 when I was at a low ebb. The second reason is that the cover photo for my blog Don’t Stop Living was taken there! The picture of me with that globe that you might have seen, well it was taken by my travel buddy Natalja while backpacking in Shinying. Well worth a visit.

swan lake taiwan sinying — At Swan Lake in Shinying, Taiwan. The Lonely Planet missed it out…

3. Santa Ana Alta, COLOMBIA

A paradise in the Colombian mountains, a two hour bus ride north east out of Bogota, Santa Ana Alta was my home for a few days. A great farming area with sparse fields, great views, countryside walks, wildlife, nature and away from the madness of the big city. Travel bliss. I stayed with my mate Julio on his farm here and loved it!

4. Danxiashan, Guangdong Province, CHINA
I could list over 20 Chinese towns and villages I’ve visited that the Lonely Planet doesn’t even cover. That’s kind of obvious though, as China is the world’s most populated country and you can’t quite cover it all. Of the places that aren’t in the Lonely Planet, I’d say the World Heritage Site at Danxiashan was the most remarkable. A National Park with rivers, mountains and odd rock formations that has endless outdoor activites, hikes and remoteness. Foreigners don’t really go here. In fact my reports on it on this blog are probably the most informative stories you can get on Danxiashan in English on the internet (happy to be proved wrong by the way!). Interestingly there are sexual parts rocks – A Vagina Rock and A Penis Rock !

sunset in danxiashan — Sunset in the Danxiashan Mountains of China. Just outstanding!

5. Jougla Point, ANTARCTICA
Hidden away shyly and completely overaud by the presence of Port Lockroy, Jougla Point sits un-noticed in Antarctica. I was delighted when I learned on our trip we would be visiting it. It’s part of Wiencke Island which sits along the Antarctic Peninsula. In terms of sightseeing, it offers great penguin and cormorant watching and a nice view over to the British Base of Port Lockroy.

6. The Samade Buddha, Kurenegala, SRI LANKA
I was shocked that the Lonely Planet didn’t include this one to be honest. It’s a fantastic Buddha which towers over the town of Kurenegala. OK so Kurenegala isn’t the most picturesque or touristy Sri Lankan town, but it’s still a nice place to go backpacking in. Head up to the Samade Buddha which so obviously overlooks the town and enjoy the views. Take your shoes off and go inside. A Buddha that is really worth seeing!

samade buddha kurunegela — The Samade Buddha overlooking Kurenegala in Sri Lanka – off the beaten track.

7. Juquitiba, BRAZIL
Juqitiba is a rural area consisting of rainforests, rivers and fields. And while local people live here and refer to it as Juquitiba, the Lonely Planet doesn’t seem to feature it. It’s a great place for outdoor activity. We went white water rafting there and loved it. It’s about 2 hours drive outside of Sao Paulo.

white water rafting in juquitiba brazil — White Water Rafting in Juquitiba in Brazil!

8. Osterweddingen, GERMANY
Life parties away in Osterweddingen in the former East Germany but nobody else notices. I was staying there with my old workmate Rene who grew up in this remote village. I got invited to a local dinner, where Rene’s Dad was hosting a party as part of a local council event. This was just an amazing few days to be honest. I was eating with the family and staying in their house. Commercialism has yet to really influence Osterweddingen, though nearby thriving Magdeberg is your best bet for a big city of Sightseeing. Osterweddingen doesn’t have a train station but can be reached by bus.

not in lonely planet osterweddingen — In 2007 I ended up in Osterweddingen in Germany. Where?

9. Blandford Forum, ENGLAND
This is a typical English country town, which has been made famous because of the massive army baracks there. While living in nearby Bournemouth, I had a mate who was working in the army camp there and visited the town a few times. The central streets are pretty, there’s a nice church, market stalls and it had England’s first ever 24 hour pub. The Railway Tavern in Blandford Forum was where I enjoyed my first ever legal pint at 4am, back in 2008.

blandford forum railway hotel — With my friend Gemma at the Railway Hotel in Blandford Forum, a few moons ago…

10. Comber, NORTHERN IRELAND
Comber is where my Mum is from. She was born there and she grew up there. It’s an excellent Northern Irish town which typifies a lot of the country’s appeal. Hard working people, a proud square and a good farming lifestyle make Comber a special place. This is also the birthplace of the man who designed the Titanic! Yes, Thomas Andrews was from Comber. The town is also famous for its very tasty potatoes. I love eating them with butter, you should try them out – Comber Potatoes.

jonny blair in comber county down — Relaxing in Comber with my Mum and Dad on a rare trip back to my home country of Northern Ireland. This place isn’t in the Lonely Planet!

I could actually go on for a bit longer on great places I have been that don’t feature in the Lonely Planet books, but 10 is a nice number for now. Perhaps I’ll do another post on it at sme point. If you really want to see the world and experience it as a lonely planet, then yes you need to head to places that “aren’t even in the lonely planet”. Safe travels one and all.
My videos:
Shinying:

Poatina:

Santa Ana Alta:

Juquitiba:

Blandford Forum:

Comber:

Working Wednesdays: Writing for “Happy Days” Football Magazine

Posted on June 19, 2013July 25, 2024 by Jonny Blair

I’ve loved writing for as long as I can remember. I’ve also loved football for as long as I can remember. Put the two of them together and it was obvious that I was going to do some football writing at some point. Or in my case, at many points and a LOT of football writing. I started fanzine writing when I was 10, myself and my childhood mate Michael McClelland created a photocopied Glentoran fanzine called “One Saturday Afternoon at the Oval”. We sold about 3 copies of it I think, At 5o pence each back then we would have made one pound fifty!! Of course it was nothing to do with money though. It was the writing.

here we go again northern ireland fanzines — Copies of Here We Go…Again – our Northern Ireland fanzine from the late 90s until 2004.

Then In the mid 1990s I then wrote articles for the Northern Ireland football fanzine “Arconada…Armstrong!” before Michael and I launched our own National Football fanzine for Northern Ireland in 1997. It was called Here We Go…Again. That lasted 7 years in the end and neither of us had time for it anymore. We still had the passion for the team of course, but we were by that stage geographically separated and too busy with work, travel etc. Our last issue of Here We Go…Again was in 2004.

Then in 2005 a new Northern Ireland fanzine called Happy Days launched, so I was back writing for it. At first, it was just an interview on my travels and watching Northern Ireland. Then it became a regular column, “Another Swig of Buckie”. I continued to contribute articles for Happy Days until 2011.

happy days fanzine — One of my many articles for Happy Days fanzine.

I still keep regular touch with the editor and the other contributors, but there hasn’t been a recent issue produced. I took a copy of Happy Days to Antarctica in 2010 and read it on the world’s coldest continent.

jonny blair happy days — One of my articles for Happy Days Northern Ireland fanzine: The World According to Jonny Blair

I’ll be sure to write more articles for Happy Days if it makes a relaunch. This is quite a sentimental post as I really enjoy writing for football magazines and fanzines. I have recently contributed an article to UFWC website and have a column in the matchday programme of the Glentoran Gazette.

While this week’s Working Wednesdays isn’t a paid job, that doesn’t really matter. It’s all about the passion my friends. If you love something and you feel you are good at it – don’t just sit there go and do something about it. On the strength of my football writing and nomadery, I have managed to write A chapter for a book as well as being interviewed for a football book.

Happy Days still exists on Facebook (link below) and all photos of the covers and pages of Happy Days that have been used on this post are my photos bu the magazines are copyright of Happy Days. This post is dedicated to the Happy Days team of Niall Rudd and Nial Coulter, as well as my childhood friend Michael McClelland, who I still see about once every two years.

Follow Happy Days on Facebook – Happy Days NI Fanzine