Date 27th June 2026
OMG… in just a few weeks’ time I’ll be turning 60, and if I’m honest, I’m amazed I’ve (almost) reached this numerical milestone. How the hell did that happen ?
days
hours minutes seconds
until
Until my 60th birthday
There were many times in my life when 60 didn’t just feel far away—it felt impossible.
If you’ve read my book, you’ll know my early life was full of chaos and heartbreak. Through my crazy teens and early adulthood, I abused my mind, body and soul with hedonistic excess, fuelled by copious amounts of alcohol , illegal drugs and a fatalistic attitude to life—one where I rarely, if ever, considered the consequences of my actions or the danger I was placing myself in.
Looking back now, I can see that I was probably trying to self‑medicate. Numbing the trauma of my early family life. Trying to escape the everyday brutal reality of growing up in the lawless paramilitary ghettos of West Belfast during the early Troubles.
But here’s the strange thing.
At the time, it all felt normal.
Don’t get me wrong—there was madness and despair in abundance, life lived permanently on edge, the constant undercurrent of violence—but it was the only world we knew. My childhood, like that of my peers, didn’t feel extraordinary to us. It was just life. We didn’t have anything to compare it to, no alternative version of normal.
Despite the odds being stacked against me somehow, I survived. And now, decades later, I’m still here—on the brink of 60—trying to make sense of it all.
How long have I been alive ?
Days:
- 60 × 365.25 = 21,915 days
Minutes:
- 21,915 × 24 × 60 = 31,557,600 minutes
Seconds:
- 31,557,600 × 60 = 1,893,456,000 seconds
21,915 days
- That’s about 3,130 weeks
- Or roughly 720 months
31.5 million minutes
- If you spent 1 minute doing something repeatedly, you’d need over 60 years nonstop to reach this!
- Listening to a 3-minute song nonstop → about 10.5 million songs
1.89 billion seconds
- Counting 1 number per second, it would take you the full 60 years to reach it
- Equivalent to about 21,915 full 24-hour days
Up to this point in my life, I’ve never really thought about my mortality—age was just another number to me, and I drifted through the years without counting them as they passed.
But this birthday… this one feels different.
For the first time in my life, it’s really been playing on my mind. For the first time, I find myself wondering how long I’ve got left—and what my legacy will be.
If I’m lucky, I suppose I could have another 15 or 20 years ahead of me. But when I think about how I’ve treated my body over the years—the smoking, the drinking, the drugs , the stress—I can’t help but wonder if I’ll make it much beyond 80.
It’s one of those pivotal moments in life—new pages along your journey where you stop and take stock. Moments like the birth of your children, getting married, and the loss of loved ones who are no longer with us.
I find myself looking back at what I’ve achieved, weighing it all up, and at the same time looking forward… wondering what the future might still hold and how long I have left.
But putting all those negative thoughts aside, I am looking forward to my birthday party in Belfast—having all those I love and cherish most in the world gathered to celebrate my coming of age.
We are all getting older, and time keeps slipping into the future , whether we like it or not. And to be honest, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted a big celebration. The thought of Jean not being there weighs heavily on my mind.
Her passing left a hole in my heart and soul that can never truly be filled, no matter how much time passes.
.
And yet, I know—deep down—that she wouldn’t want me to shrink away from life or let the sadness and grief overshadow everything else. She’d want me to celebrate, to laugh, to bring people together the way she always did. She’d want me to mark the occasion, not fear it.
And that’s exactly what I intend to do—celebrate not just my life, but the life I’ve shared with my children , siblings and wider family, and the unconditional love that has carried us through everything and still binds us together today.
FFS , Ive gone and depressed myself talking about Jean , and I wanted to end on a positive note. I’m away to have a beer and shake of the blues.
UK Number Ones in 1966
The Kinks Sunny Afternoon & The Beatles Paperback Writer were number one on the day I was born
| Artist | Song Title | Weeks at Number One | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Jones | Green Grass Of Home | 7 | 29-11-1966 |
| The Beach Boys | Good Vibrations | 2 | 15-11-1966 |
| The Four Tops | Reach Out Ill Be There | 3 | 25-10-1966 |
| Jim Reeves | Distant Drums | 5 | 20-09-1966 |
| The Small Faces | All Or Nothing | 1 | 13-09-1966 |
| The Beatles | Yellow Submarine | 4 | 16-08-1966 |
| The Troggs | With A Girl Like You | 2 | 02-08-1966 |
| Chris Farlowe | Out Of Time | 1 | 26-07-1966 |
| Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames | Get Away | 1 | 19-07-1966 |
| The Kinks | Sunny Afternoon | 2 | 05-07-1966 |
| The Beatles | Paperback Writer | 2 | 21-06-1966 |
| Frank Sinatra | Strangers In The Night | 3 | 31-05-1966 |
| The Rolling Stones | Paint It Black | 1 | 24-05-1966 |
| Manfred Mann | Pretty Flamingo | 3 | 03-05-1966 |
| Dusty Springfield | You Dont Have To Say You Love Me | 1 | 26-04-1966 |
| The Spencer Davis Group | Somebody Help Me | 2 | 12-04-1966 |
| The Walker Brothers | The Sun Aint Gonna Shine Anymore | 4 | 15-03-1966 |
| Nancy Sinatra | These Boots Are Made For Walkin | 4 | 15-02-1966 |
| The Overlanders | Michelle | 3 | 25-01-1966 |
| The Spencer Davis Group | Keep On Running | 1 | 18-01-1966 |
Come back soon as I will be updating this post with more details on my hopes and dreams for the future and upcoming trip to Belfast and my birthday celebrations.
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