ERIC BOGLE: SCOTSMAN WHO MADE WILLIE McBRIDE AN ICON OF THE GREAT WAR….

Brian Ogle

……….DID THIS HEADSTONE PROVIDE INSPIRATION FOR ‘GREEN FIELDS OF FRANCE’?

Willie McBride headstone in Authuille CWG cemetery near the Ulster Tower

ONE of the best known and most popular ballads about the Great War is Eric Bogle’s No Man’s Land, re-christened The Green Fields of France by Irish group The Fureys, but alternatively more popularly identified by many in this part of the world as The Ballad of Willie McBride.

Continue reading “ERIC BOGLE: SCOTSMAN WHO MADE WILLIE McBRIDE AN ICON OF THE GREAT WAR….” →

THE DAY EVERY YEAR MY THOUGHTS ARE IN CANDADA FARM IN FLANDERS FIELDS

Brian Ogle

BRIAN OGLE REFLECTS ON HIS MANY VISITS TO THE BATTLEFIELDS OF YPRES AND THE SOMME

One of my first visits to Canada Farm cemetery at Elverdinge outside Ypres

ON Remembrance Day I will as always be following BBC TV’s coverage of events at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, but my thoughts for at least some of the time will be hundreds of miles away at Canada Farm cemetery at Elverdinge, a few miles outside Ypres in West Flanders.

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A THIRD OF THE HEIGHT OF EVEREST IN ONE DAY…..IN THE MOURNES!

Brian Ogle

……. YOUTH HOSTEL ASSOCIATION’S MOURNE WALL WALK WAS TOO DEMANDING – AND FAR TOO POPULAR!

BY BRIAN OGLE

AFTER my short piece the other day about running the first Belfast City Marathon with virtually no training or preparation, and at the risk of appearing the athletic equivalent of an anti-Vaxer – an anti-Trainer, I recall completing the Mourne Wall Walk with not only no preparation, no proper weather-proof clothes, no suitable footwear and apart from a couple of Mars bars, no sustenance for the 22-mile journey, rather expedition.

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IRISH HOTEL GROUP OPENS FIRST HOTEL IN SCOTLAND – FOUR STAR 300-BED MALDRON

Brian Ogle
Senior management of Dalata Group and the Maldron Hotel Glasgow City with some members of staff

DALATA Hotel Group Plc, the largest hotel group in Ireland, with a growing presence in the United Kingdom, yesterday officially opened the Group’s first hotel in Scotland, creating 80 jobs locally.

Continue reading “IRISH HOTEL GROUP OPENS FIRST HOTEL IN SCOTLAND – FOUR STAR 300-BED MALDRON” →

CHECK OUT CHOCOA – A COFFEE AND CHOCOLATE GEM IN THE CENTRE OF BALLYMENA!

Brian Ogle
Find Chocoa slap bang in the centre of Ballymena – it’s an absolute gem

CAME across an absolute gem of a bistro the other day… a chocolatier and coffee shop run by Laura-Lee and Stuart Elliott in the centre of Ballymena, right opposite The Tower Centre.

Apparently inspired by the pair’s love of, you’ve guessed it, Chocolate and Coffee, ‘Chocoa’ teams up with the “best Chocolatiers, Coffee Roasters and Master Tea Blenders”, local bakers and the freshest locally sourced produce to produce fare which not only looks stunning but tastes just as good as it appears in the display unit.

Mouthwatering – check out that gateau

The food is cooked fresh in house and the result is an unbelievable array of luxury desserts. – the ‘sweets’ are definitely something else – seasonal savouries, and of course, attractive handcrafted chocolates… A bonus is that the staff are some of the most polite and friendliest you will ever encounter.

And If you’re a tea, rather than a coffee aficionado like me, Chocoa’s Breakfast Tea is as near perfect as it could be, served in glass cups with a see-through pot warming over a hot tea candle.

The best Breakfast Tea around – Chocoa Ballymena

Every so often you come across somewhere that’s a bit special and stands out from the rest, Chocoa is special….. try it for yourself!