Maxie Swain

2 months ago | belfasttelegraph.co.uk | Maxie Swain

We’ve bottles here as rare as hen’s teeth: inside The Friend at Hand, the treasure trove of Irish whiskey that hosted a kingMuseum manager Jim Ingram brings us up close and personal with Willie Jack’s collectionJim Ingram, manager of The Friend At Hand (Luke Jervis/Belfast Telegraph)The Friend at Hand where the King and Queen sank a dram is an Aladdin’s Cave of Irish whiskey treasure.

Feb 23, 2025 | belfasttelegraph.co.uk | Maxie Swain

NI politician turned media personality discusses tracing roots of conflict in Ukraine back to Nato ‘betrayal’, why he doesn’t think science backs climate crisis narrative, and his heyday as a lotharioAlongside politician, pilot, biker, lesser-spotted wrestler and unlikely ladykiller, Lembit Opik is settling into a new phase of his life — that of contrarian. The Bangor-born, Belfast-raised former Liberal Democrat and one-time I’m a Celeb campmate is known for wearing his heart on his sleeve.

Feb 23, 2025 | belfasttelegraph.co.uk | Maxie Swain

Coleraine fan and social media star on challenges of the job, standing up to trolls and joys of motherhoodIn the tight-knit world of Irish League football, some might say Lori Watton is a mini celebrity. The online presenter is front and centre of much of the social media content pumped out by the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL), which clocked up some 27 million video views over the last season alone.

Aug 11, 2024 | belfasttelegraph.co.uk | Maxie Swain

Travel review: Journey into the heart of IrelandCo Laois is less than three hours down the road from Belfast, but it feels like a world away, writes Maxie SwainThe Heritage, hidden away in the beautiful rolling Co Laois countrysideWhat I knew about County Laois I could have written on the back of a stamp. That it rhymes with quiche would have been my best stab at a barely intelligible answer.

May 18, 2024 | belfasttelegraph.co.uk | Maxie Swain

Working 9-5? No chance, my heart was set on rock ‘n’ roll, says Eric BellThin Lizzy founder member takes walk down memory lane as new mural unveiled next to his childhood homeEric Bell founded Thin Lizzy in 1969Blues maestro Eric Bell admits he was never cut out for the rat race. “The 9-5 just really wasn’t for me,” he shrugged during a get-together of friends, family and fans last week in Willowfield Church Hall, where he reminisced about his idyllic upbringing on east Belfast’s Woodstock Road.