Date 3rd July 2026

Only thirteen days to go until I hit the big 6-0, and I have to admit I’m getting quite excited about my upcoming trip to Belfast and spending time with the people I love and cherish most in the world.

At the same time, I’m feeling a little apprehensive. Reaching such a milestone age has got me thinking a lot about the future, and the need to start looking after myself better and making some long-overdue lifestyle changes weighs heavily on my mind.

I also need to get my finger out and start pursuing some of the projects I’ve had on ice for the past few years, including:

Finishing my follow-up book

I’ve already mapped out the chapters and started writing several of them, but if I’m being honest, my head hasn’t been in the best place over the last few years. I need to shake off the blues, regain my focus, and get back to it. Time is moving on, and I don’t want to leave this unfinished.

Getting back to work on my screenplay

The screenplay is loosely based on my book – think Philomena meets Trainspotting and Quadrophenia, if you get my drift. Music will play a huge part in the story, and the soundtrack I’ve mapped out is absolutely epic.

A well-known UK screenwriter has expressed an interest in the project, but unfortunately he’s tied up with other commitments at the moment. While I’d love to have him involved, I can’t afford to sit around waiting forever.

A few years ago, I pitched the idea to Northern Ireland Screen, and they loved the concept. They asked for some rewrites, but at the time I wasn’t in a great place mentally, and the project ended up getting kicked into the long grass. Looking back, that’s one of the things I’d really like to put right.

Improving my health

On the health front, I need to stop smoking. I’ve tried countless times over the years without success, but I know it’s something I have to tackle.

I also need to cut down on my alcohol intake. To be fair, these days I mainly drink at weekends and on special occasions, but with my 60th birthday celebrations just around the corner, I’m going to park that challenge until after my Belfast trip. Then it’ll be time to give it the attention it deserves.

Having said all that, it is Friday night, and as I write this I’m enjoying a few gins and beers. I’ll try not to get too carried away… famous last words!

Laters x

Birthday wishes are lovely… but birthday drinks are even better! 😉🍸

So go on, hit the button below and help me raise a glass to another trip around the sun. Bombay Gin is always a winner 😜🎉🥂

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One foot in the Grave – countdown to my 60th Birthday has begun

Date 27^th 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 ?

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.

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 was number one on the day I was born which might explain why i love them so much. The Beatles Paperback Writer and many other choons I love also dominated the charts at the time

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.

See below for more Pop Culture Echoes stories

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Hit the button below and surprise me 👍

• 
  Update: One foot in the Grave – countdown to my 60th Birthday has begun
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