The Knowhere Guide

Local Heroes in Bangor, Down*

Bangor, Down Famous Residents

Cringing Cult of Celebrity (Famous residents and ex-residents.)

• Lucan Toh lived in Bangor, he was Northern Ireland's 4th most eligible bachelor 1998, now living in Edinburgh or London.
• Eddie did go to Ballyholme, and he calls in to see the kids and teachers any time he is in town.
• Barry McGuigan's dear old ma lived in princetown road in bangor, so he may have done too. definitely visited from time to time
• Clarke Gable was billeted here during the war. He lived at a house on Victoria Road. General Eisenhower stayed for a v short time in 1944 to wish the troops well before the D-Day bombardment.
• G'Day from WA. I note the suggestion that Eddie Izzard lived at 3 Ashford Drive in the 1960s. Actually, I think my grandparents, Jule and May McGimpsey, lived there, as I seem to recall spending pre-teen summer holidays running around their house. However, it could have been No.2 because having encountered middle age these things are becoming a tad hazy. My grandparents' house was on the corner with garden surrounding it. On the Donaghadee Road side lived a lady whose name escapes me, but she was the sister of the now deceased actor Stephen Boyd, who appeared in............
• B-movie actor Gareth Myles is from Bangor. He went to the Grammar School and spends a lot of time around Bangor when not in USA making shitty movies.
• god has no-one ever seen a VERY drunken alex Higgins roaming around the flagship.ive even heard he's meant to make a comeback, now that wud be entertainment.
• James Doonan's house was on the site of Easons in Main Street beside the church. It used to be a chemists , the name of which escapes me.
• You are missing the most famous ex-pat of them all. I am referring to James 'beam me up scotty' doonan from star trek, who warped out of the family home down main street in the thirties. I think it has long since been torn down (Shame!) to make way for the new Boots or something.
• Oooh nice Mr Brown is in the news again ... http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=310669
• christine bleakly
• Lucan Toh- Bangors only and most famous south east asian imigrant-now been relocated ( like July ang Jerry to Scotland)
• Lowdens guitars were originally based in Bangor. I met the man himself in his premises on the first floor of a building at the bottom of High Street above a charity shop. I believe Eddie Izzard lived in Ashley Drive and did attend Ballyholme Primary for at least a year.
• Bet you Irvine was glad he went to Jaguar, Racing for position against Minardi must make you proud
• Garth McGimpsey, one of the most successful amateur golfers in the world and Walker Cup captain! Also Gerry & Julie have long since moved to Scotland...
• Would you want people to know that you came from bangor if you were famous,except for bateman of course.
• Eddie Irvine hes pretty famous. well he lived there and still does but you cant see his house cause of the security.
• Its Colin Bateman, not Colm, and he wrote that thing on the telly recently with James Nesbitt in it (police drama), Nice one
• The Mooses Head that hung over Wolseys dance floor back in the good old days. Caught it many a time with someones fag hanging out its mouth.
• mike smith did attend ballyholme primary he was a couple classes below me stephen cull went 2 bangor sec the same time as me he raced motor bikes
• Dr Disturbance, The young genius
• Are we all ready to welcome Uncle Lindsay Bropwn back to Bangor? The young boys have missed his prayers, but not his wandering hands the filthy flab bucket
• Neil Finn
• Eddie Irvine hails from Bangor. Colm Bateman the writer comes from here too.
• Stephen Jones not of babybird but from ronan keatings terrible band King Om weird old guy who played with beatles and stone in recent years self proclaimed king of the solar system
• People keep calling Lindsay Brown 'Pogo'. It's actually 'Pogle' - as in the children's TV series "Pogle of Pogle's wood". The resemblance is quite good.
• Eddie Izzard lived in Ashford Drive (maybe No3?) for a few years in the early 60's. I dont' know if he was ever old enough to go to Ballyholme PS, but that's where his older brother went. They left to go to Wales apparently, and before Ashford Drive I think they came from England.
• Micheal Stone- -uh huh!!!!
• Paddy Chunk, Paddy Bennett and Paddy Dak, or more commonly known as 'Rock Santa'.
• Uncle Lindsay, someone once asked me when he was convicted and sentenced, what did he get? thirty happy years in the Grammar sounds about right
• Eddie 'the Swerve' Irvine, compulsive gambler Keith Gillespie, Van Morrison, Foy Vance the future king of North Down! Also, Pogo the childmolesting former Grammar teacher, now counting the days inside Maghaberry.
• Eddie Irvine; Keith Gillespie; ummmmmmmmm ; Van Morrison?
• STEPHEN MATCHETT - he's a dead ringer for shaggy out of scooby doo!!! the nose like a ski slope and the curtains (come on stephen they went out in the eighties)LOL C&I
• Pogo Brown(convicted child sex abuser), used to teach in BGS, glad I didn't go!
• Eddie Irvine used to race his car down my street, that was before he became 'famous'.
• Just to correct a previously made point: the Lowden guitar factory is not in Bangor. It is actually in Newtownards and if anyone would like to challenge me on that point I would be very happy to take them on.
• Pogo Ricky 'RUC' the Taxi-driver
• Colin Batemen...... weekly rant in the Bangor Spectator, now a famous writer Divorcing Jack etc etc etc
• Kenneth Branagh didn't go to Bangor Grammar - he left Northern Ireland when he was about 10.
• I went to Ballyholme PS and am the same age as Eddie Izzard. Sorry, he didn't go there, but top luvvy Kenneth Branagh went to the Grammar for a few terms!
• Mike Smith, ex-Radio 1 type, for a few months.
• Apparently Eddie Izzard went to my fascistic primary school, Ballyholme PS. I'm told that it's no quite so fascist now, not since they banned caning in public schools, but I can imagine that a junior tranny might just have had a weeny wee bit of trouble back then! Dunno how long he was there, but can't have been too long. I'm thinking of writing to the headmaster and insisting on a picture of the good Eddie in the foyer to welcome all the good folks of Bangor on parents' evenings. But I'd probably get caned for it. So maybe not . . .
• Gerry and Julie. David Feherty (golfer). Mark Robson (TV sport) Eddie Irvine (Formula 1- from Conlig, just outside Bangor). Van Morrison ( Used to live in Crawfordsburn )
• Van Morrison has a house on Ballyholme Esplanande. Eddie Irvine's from here, he owns LA Cabs and Paul's chip-shop (honest!) as well as a second-hand car dealers called Edmund Irvine Motors. The world-famous Lowden guitar factory is in Bangor also... Chances are if you own a Morphy-Richards kettle, it was made in Bangor - what do you mean it doesn't work?! Bangor Grammar School - host to a sex-abuse case involving the ex Senior Vice-Principal "Uncle" Lindsay Brown who was jailed this year on eleven counts of indecent assault on young boys (who were pupils)...this story even got in the News of the World - they say everyone has their 15 minutes of fame... Paul and Jeanne Rankin (celebrity chefs) used to live here but moved a couple of miles away...
• Keith Gillespie (gambling footballer)

Buskers, Street Entertainers

• ASSYLUM SEEKERS SELIING THE BIB ISSUE_ USUALLY IMPRESSES ME!!
• Love the buskers on bank holidays, but please keep the old farts that missed out on any talent, of the streets instead of trying to busk
• Coulter is the local mad-man if u see him u should give him at least a tenner!
• we need buskers to brighten up the place
• that guy on main street with the bagpipes annoys the hell outta me!
• the paladium
• Stevie the bag pipe player, WHY???
• Holly the busking "i need school money" girl
• General Steeky Spides and 12-16 year old millies hanging around the flagship are always a good laughing target, very entertaining indeed, until one of them comes up to you, says "you fockin' lafin at me" then hits you on the side of your head with a brick!
• shut up about BGS - MALE CHAUVINIST PIGS
• who is that singing christian in the wheelchair during the bank holiday busking comp, if there is a god, strike him down! PLEASE
• Jerry and Julie are entertainment enough.
• Stephen Matchett - when in bangor on friday and saturday nites come and watch him get a kickin he just stands and lets them or gets knocked out in the 1st dig!!!! (sorry matchett it had 2 b said)
• Entertainers, 'Gerry and Julie' the local alcos, can however be a bit hostile at times. I'll always remember the time Gerry got put away for taking a dump in the doorway of some shop. When he got out he was next seen with about 100 blue offy bags around his feet.
• aDAM THE TRAMP,STANDING WITH HIS FREE CLOTHES AND A MCDONALDSCUP IN HIS HAND BEGGING FOR MONEY
• There is a Margaret Thatcher lookalike currently playing outside BGS, it may be the dinner lady
• All those lovley Glenlola Girls walking home every day is entertainment enough for me.
• Stand at the other side of the street of wolseys and laugh at all the 15-16 year olds trying to get in ........very entertaining indeed. Also listen to the beautiful high pitced sounds of the local scooter owners such as Andrew 'Rufus'Mcilwain as he skids off his motorized hampster.

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Credits

Last updated: 2008-07-03