Other than my family, the two things I miss most about not still living in Northern Ireland are Coleraine Football Club and my local bar, The Railway Arms.
There are quite a few pubs around where we live here in Pudsey, but most of them are as rough as Posh Spice first thing in the morning (I would imagine). And this is a great shame because Yorkshire is rightly famous for its hostelries. It's just unfortunate that our house happens to be next to all the crap ones.
But back to The Railway Arms. This wonderful establishment, beside Coleraine train station (hence the name), was opened several decades ago by well-known local couple Hugh and Margaret Johnston and is now run by their wonderful daughter Clare (who kicked my arse in last year's London Marathon).
We held Jamie's christening do in their new function room and it simply could not have gone better. But there was one thing or, more accurately, one person missing that day - head barman, Seamus Fisher, who sadly had to be elsewhere.
I've known Seamus for many years and used to have the privilege of living next door to his parents-in-law, who were both extremely kind to me.
Even if I haven't been home for a few months, as soon as I enter The Railway Arms, Seamus shouts over to me and treats me like all the other regulars - and it's great. No fuss, no frills but always a good chat and a perfect pint of Guinness, followed by another, and another etc etc. And if any friends or, on occasion, some of Vanessa's family are with me, he never passes without stopping for a chat with them too.
Indeed, a few years ago, I arranged for a group of workmates from Yorkshire to visit Coleraine and, to my mind, no trip there would be complete without a stop-off in The Railway Arms. So I took them in, Seamus sorted us out with a table, got the drinks in and came over to say hello to each of his guests.
It was with all of this in mind that I was absolutely thrilled a couple of mornings ago to open a recent edition of The Coleraine Chronicle and discover that Seamus, pictured above, had been named as the Licensed & Catering News Awards Bar Person of the Year.
How good is that?!
Commenting in the paper, Seamus said was was "overwhelmed" by the award but, typically, shared the credit with the rest of the team at The Railway Arms.
I am absolutely delighted for him, a true gentleman in every sense. And I look forward to going in on Christmas Eve to say well done and to buy him a congratulatory pint - which I'll ask him to pour himself, obviously.
No doubt my father will be with me too.
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