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. This story also appears in my book, Backpacking Centurion Volume 1 – Don’t Look Back In Bangor! It was June 1997 and I said my farewells to a school 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[…]
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[…]
Following the first two meetings of the South of England Northern Ireland Supporters Club in Weymouth and Torquay, the third meeting fell to Bristol, where it was thought we would attract more members to the club. We chose the date of the Bristol City v. Nottingham Forest match, so we could meet Sammy Clingan, of Read more about SOE NISC Bristol Meeting – Walkabout, Nerys’ Welsh Tits and Sammy Clingan[…]
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[…]