11th, 12th…13th!

Squeezing past shopping trolleys in Connswater on Friday you’d think there was an impending nuclear disaster, so keen were people to get everything in before the 12th holidays. Yet given the decisions by many Belfast traders to remain open this holiday, Tesco’s will only be shut for one day (Monday)!
The 11th July bonfires and 12 [...]

Biking it in Belfast

We’ve been living in East Belfast for almost four years now. It’s been fantastic to be walking (and cycling) distance from so many sights and sounds round the city. Even commuting to work is a real pleasure, especially in weather like today’s (as I sit out the front of the house typing this on a [...]

NI job cuts – where’s the vision?

Local leaders have been responding to today’s devastating announcement of almost 1000 jobs going at Bombardier. The First Minister’s reaction is disappointing and less than inspiring considering the majority of jobs will be lost within his constituency:
“All we as an executive can do is prepare those who have lost their jobs for new employment, to get [...]

How influential is the 12th man?

Northern Ireland pulled off another victory last night to keep in with a shout of making the 2010 World Cup finals. The atmosphere at Windsor for internationals has been phenomenal. When the team is attacking the Kop you can almost feel the crowd trying to suck the ball into the net. I’ve had some truly [...]

What a sporting weekend!

I’m pretty much a casual rugby fan but it was hard not to get swept up in the hype of Saturday’s game. Last few times NI have played Wales their fans have been really annoying so I was hoping Ireland would roll over their Welsh counterparts. I don’t know why but I dislike Welsh teams [...]

A word of advice..

Not to be taken too seriously of course!

Four Zavvi stores to go in NI

According to the BBC  four Zavvi stores, including the Castle Court flagship, are to close.
What a short-lived, inglorious reign Zavvi has had on the high street. When it took over from Virgin, the decision to relegate CDs to one quarter of the floor space reflected the sad decline in physical music sales. Yet go into anyone of [...]

Gaza Peace Demonstration Belfast

Attended the protest march from the Art College to City Hall earlier today. Around 1500 people turned out for the event. Predictably, it was a wide and varied group of people. Thankfully the smaller protests planned by the likes of the Ireland-Palestine solidarity movement were cancelled and subsumed into this larger event arranged by the [...]

It’s cold outside…

…the dog told me so!

Ards v Portadown

Went to an Ards match today for the first time in ages, with my Glenavon-supporting (and therefore Portadown-hating!) mate Stevie.
Shamrock is a decent ground in which to watch a game of football, and it was a nice change to actually be part of a decent crowd at a championship game. We went down 2-0 but [...]