So my dad was born near Portadown NI in a little place called Corcullentragh Beg – try saying that when you’ve had a few drinks ( or fitting it onto an official form😊
Yes its begun again – its been happening every four years since 1930.
World Cup Fever is alive and well – lots of history to be seen here.
The Socceroos have one more game to win to qualify for a place in the competition
Kicking that round ball is sort of a passion for some of the males in my family – my Dad and my brother were/are former players and great fans, one of my Irish cousins had a chequered career as NI international playing for Manchester United/Swindon Town in the 1970’s, after training with Sheffield United followed by a sports degree (Culver Stockton) a nephew (bro’s son) is now associated with a Sports Academy here in Melbourne plus our eldest son is a huge fan of Ipswich (TFC). He was over 11 when we migrated to Australia from England so by then the soccer/football bug was well and truly entrenched into his mindset.
The Golfer isn’t as fanatical these days as he has been. I clearly remember 1966 – we were living in Singapore at the time – and their TV broadcasts were mainly in Chinese but we just ‘had’ to hire one so he could watch as many of that years world cup games as possible!!
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My sister Bobby is the keeper of all Mum and Dad’s bits and pieces – and recently unearthed an old photo of Dad (bottom right) during his soccer (football) playing days in Belfast. After getting some online help we discovered that Windsor Star (a Linfield youth team) were second division champions April 1938 – hence the shield and whopping great silver cup! Dad would have turned 20 in June that year and joined the RAF in the August – staying on in service after the war ended, never returning to live in Belfast, just as a visitor.
I think my dislike of the game started when I was quite young – Dad did ‘the pools’ each week, putting a cross in some of the boxes and paying his money to the man who came round door to door on a Thursday.
(A football pool, often collectively referred to as “the pools”, is a betting pool based on predicting the outcome of top-level association football matches set to take place in the coming week) source
Come 5pm on a Saturday afternoon during the season the radio would go on and BBC Sports Report would start and then the Classified Football Results would be broadcast.
I can still remember hearing the man who read out those results going on and on – from League Division One all the way through the minor leagues and Scottish leagues as well. Weird and wonderful team names, places you’d never heard of but if they had a football team of note the score from their game for that week got a mention.
To make sure he heard all the results and was able to mark them off correctly in the chart printed in the paper and then check his pools to see if we were going to become millionaires Dad needed complete silence in the room – Ha Ha – not going to happen when Catherine is around lol
I even loathed the music that was played at the beginning and each Saturday when I heard it I promised myself I would not speak but failed miserably each time and boy, did my Dad have a temper. As Bobby said recently, his ”shut ya bake” and the sheer volume it was yelled at, snapped us to attention and silence followed by the scurrying of feet out of the room
Football is a winter sport and winter in England can be cold and back in the 1950’s we only had a coal fire in the living room of our house – bedrooms were not heated and I was sent to that freezing bedroom more times than I like to remember 😟
Its only recently when some friends were talking about associating music with feelings that I thought about trying to locate that music on the Internet. It seems that the cause of all my worries is a march called ‘Out of the Blue’ composed by Hubert Bath.
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Early Monday morning, cup of tea in hand and I’m testing myself by playing this version – listening to it has me wondering how a lively march like that could bring back such bad feelings.
I have no idea – but even hearing it again now makes me feel sick inside.
Excuse me – I must leave the room
Do any of you have such reactions to musical tunes…or is it just me?
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Corinne is back with Monday Musings – come see what she is talking about this week
Still Waters 
Hari Om
We were never a soccer family – rugby was our game. I do recall that music and the endless numbers reading, though, as several of my childhood pals’ families were most definitely into it – and Ipswich was our local team! For me, it just brings up recall of utter boredom. Interestingly, the one tune that can turn my stomach is an Irish one; it was dad’s favourite party piece after all his Scottish tunes. Danny Boy. Even writing those words makes me gag. Why do I loathe it so much? As a musical family, we all had to take turns and back up the others, and this tune was played until it literally made me sick! I’d be happy to never ever hear it again!!! YAM xx
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Over here the game is football, and I leave it to the men to spend Sunday’s in front of the TV. Basketball is a close second time waster.
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This is more like it!!! LOL Now I can go back and actually read your post. Gracious, how great it is to see you in my inbox! Hugs with happiness. Tehachap
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Oh goodness, does this ever bring back bad memories! My father would sit in the living room in his undershorts and put a pillow on his lap (in deference to young females in the room). If he fell asleep (which he did quite often), and we got too loud and woke him up, there’d be hell to pay and EVERYONE would be sent to bed. Didn’t matter what time, off we went. And we couldn’t have friends over because it wasn’t allowed.
And yeah, he had a bad temper too.
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My parents were not sports fans at all.
So if I wanted any sport on the telly I’d had to wait until they were out.
But at my grandparents house my grandfather was into the wrestling and we all knew to just keep away
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Oh yes, I’d forgotten all about those football results. We had the same ritual when I grew up with a father who’d been offered a contract with Notts County just after the war but turned it down for a university place.
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I remember that tune! Dad wasn’t a big football fan and never did the pools. But we would hear the results waiting for Dr Who. And they did go on. Thrilled you have a connection to the local football team here, Swindon. We lived in Oxford when my two youngest picked their football teams, Swindon is a rude word to Oxford supporters. World cup fever hasn’t begun here yet, but no doubt it will come the Autumn. I can’t think if a piece of music which effects me adversely, but being shouted at as a child stays forever.
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I have always thought it was sad that i grew up with no tv, no radio, no music, no games none of what you heard. now I think it might have been a blessing and I did not know it. I did hear it in some of my relatives homes but not much.. no songs bring back memories except a few of the 50’s rock and roll make me think of certain things, all happy.
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My grandkids are soccer players. Rylan is a Goalie and Julia is a Forward. They play in tournaments in Hawaii as well as the Mainland. Sorry you had such a bad experience with your father. Gigi Hawaii
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I certainly do react to various pieces of music, Cathy. You’re not alone in that department…good reactions, and bad…good memories, bad memories…happy, and sad memories.
I’m not a soccer fan. Never have been. I’m not much of a football fan…of any code.
My paternal grandparents came from Armagh, County Armagh, Northern Island. They came to Australia shortly after marrying, settling in Rockhampton, and there they began having their family, which included my brother’s and my father.
Take care…keep warm. 🙂
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It’s good to find you here after aeons, Cathy.
Not a big foot ball fan but those were very endearing tales from the past gone by. And the music is balm to my soul. Thank you.
https://natashamusing.com/2022/06/bee-positive-bee-the-change-part-ii-monday-musings-monday-blogs/
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My dad was obsessed with watching golf. He played it too. I could never understand. I thought the only thing more boring than playing golf would be watching golf. Now my daughter is joined(not officially married) to a golfer. I can’t seem to escape it. As for music–mine is the wicked witch tune from The Wizard of Oz. Everyone torments me now and then by humming it.
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It was cricket with our family and I was quite into watching and keeping track, until I just got fed up of the commercialization that has become a such a part of sport.
Thank you for the link, Cathy. Much appreciated.
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