John Pike 
I find myself saddened today about something I have been waiting eight years to happen. I’ve been a big fan of Chris Rea since he first appeared in the seventies. My wife and I went to see Chris at the Waterfront in 2017 and a few days later, in Oxford, he collapsed on stage and I reckoned then that there would be no more comebacks for the man who had beaten peritonitis, pancreatic cancer and a stroke. The Waterfront concert …
Late sixties Belfast. It was the best of times. The worst of times was just round the corner. Waiting for us like a mugger in a darkened alley. It is surprising to think back to those days, pre – troubles. Such a different time. The troubles never really started, in my opinion, until July 1969, and even then 1969 recorded only 16 deaths. I remember this period well, I travelled daily to school in Belfast and socialised occasionally in Belfast …
There has been much in the news recently about the proposed new integrated Irish language school in East Belfast: Scoil na Seolta. There has been talk about opposition to it in East Belfast and most recently it was raised in the LCC meeting with Education Minister Paul Givan. And it has thrown up a storm of angry comment on social media. I too wondered about the merits of building such a school in East Belfast. Is there really such opposition …
“Give Peace a chance” John Lennon sang many years ago, Country Joe McDonald’s cry was “Whoopee we’re all gonna die”, and CSNY told us all about the four dead students in Ohio. Then in 1971 Marvin Gaye made his classic album inspired by the Vietnam war and the suffering of ordinary black Americans at that time. Where have all the great protest songs gone? Specifically, is there no one there who can crystallise the revulsion and despair people feel about …
I’ve always been mad, I know I’ve been mad. I’ve been mad for f**king years. Well, not my words, but it could explain why I’ve been listening to a particular album for fifty years. Not any old album. But the best ever in my opinion. The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd. A brooding, magnificent psychedelic concept album which first saw the light of day in 1973. Words like psychedelic, concept and progressive probably turn a lot of …
And so it goes on. An emotional Lord Arbuthnot, tireless champion of the sub postmasters, struggling for words on hearing the latest revelations about the Post Office scandal, incredulous that Post Office managers have seemingly lost all sense of morality in pursuit of these people. The Post Office is but one example of how, in recent times, people in positions of power and authority have conducted themselves with a seeming lack of morality. We have always lived in a dangerous …
I have discovered that I share something in common with Eamonn McCann, Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody and local writer Glenn Patterson. That something is a Northern Irish identity. While writing this article I have come to realise how differently people from this part of Ireland (the North, NI, as you wish) view their identity. You often hear people saying “Look you’re Irish. You live on the island of Ireland.” I do not deny my Irishness but this view is simplistic. …
The day, the date, the unfolding news, seared on many memories. A shameful and seismic moment in our history. For younger people looking at these events, it might be interesting to know how this event was viewed by the Protestant community, and why. By the end of January 1972 there had been about 200 deaths and numerous explosions, so the NI public were getting used to death on a large scale. The average Protestant, I believe, did not really understand …
In Palace Barracks Memorial Gardens there lies a memorial stone inscribed as follows: In Memory of Miss Gladys Blackburne “The Chuff Chart Lady” OP Banner She would walk into any army camp or police station Distributing her gifts and prayers She was respected with affection For her kindness and bravery This stone is dedicated to her memory By Veterans, Friends and Colleagues “Blessed in the sight of the lord Is the death of his saints” Psalm 116 v15 Who was …
“My editor at The Times had safely received the whole report and duly printed it all except for one paragraph which recorded how Gavin (Hewitt) and I came across a tribesman outside Jalalabad standing on a box and sodomising a camel. This was a bit too much for Times readers he felt.” Such is the life of a foreign correspondent. Robert Fisk reported from the Middle East for 40 years during which time he earned a reputation as one of …
Stuck away in my garage are piles of vinyl LPs, singles and cassette tapes. The evidence of a lifelong interest in pop music. Some interesting stuff survives: Telstar by the Tornados with more crackles on it than what was originally put there in the studio. Sgt Pepper, mono LP. Worth a few quid if it wasn’t for all those scratches on it. I’ve always loved pop music but it’s not just the music, it’s everything that goes with it. The …
