“I can’t belong here; alone inside of you…” – Ben Paulley, 2005 The era of music I grew up with was Britpop. I loved Oasis and that’s the sort of music that makes me tick. I love it. Guys with proper tunes, proper enthusiasm, guitars, melodies, catchy choruses etc. In 2005 I was working for…
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As a typical 80s kid, I enjoyed the privilege of buying my first ‘records’ on vinyl and cassette. That’s for those of you too young or ignorant to remember the time before CDs. Somehow my first cassette and first vinyl were both Kylie Minogue. Well I fancied her big time when I was 8. My…
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I had always loved the radio. I used to listen incessantly to Radio 5 live (909 medium wave) and Radio Ulster (1341 medium wave) mainly for the football. But I also enjoyed Mike Edgar’s show on Radio Ulster and plenty of music. It was only natural that when I was 17 and started a course…
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It was a song by Ultravox in case your music brain has deserted you. Vienna is one of those cities in Europe that everyone knows, its appeared in countless filims and has the privilege of capitaling Austria. I didn’t plan a holiday there or go there by chance. I went there to watch a football…
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Having been a massive enthusiast about the Northern Ireland international football team since the 1986 World Cup, I had slowly worked my way to the point where I wanted to do something with my knowledge and passion. Initially this meant just turning up at Windsor Park to watch Northern Ireland matches. I used to go…
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Totally unrelated and in no way meant to be to the tune of ‘Is this the way to Amarillo?’ My Dad actually wrote that wee song when we travelled to the Greek island of Rhodes in 1990. Life will take us here, there and everywhere. Every day and every time we meet someone new it…
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Back in 1997 when I first stumbled upon politics in a big way, I also started a course in Media Techniques and Competences at Belvoir Training Centre in the Belvoir Estate in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In many ways this first period of time away from the bland, middle class British-ness of Bangor was a wake…
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After a crazy year in 2007 where I was on 34 aeroplanes, 3 boats and numerous trains, buses, trams and cars the year ended with a not so lucky break! I have now visited 29 countries, but am left with a broken leg – well foot really – 3 metatarsals. I managed to break…
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In September 2003 I left my job in the butchery at Steenson’s to move to England and start my degree at Bournemouth University. The only problem was I hadn’t sorted out a job yet in England, and also hadn’t worked in England before (or actually lived there). The first day in my new house in…
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“We won’t forget our Belfast boy, who filled our lives with so much joy” George Best was the best football player ever. He was also the fifth Beatle. He was also a total hit with the ladies and basically the first superstar footballer. When I was a kid, my Da always used to talk about…
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