This is the ground staff at Croke Park getting the pitch ready for football again after a concert. What amazed me was that they used ordinary garden lawn mowers to get the stripe effect on the pitch.

This is Neil McCombe rugby player at Harlequins in Belfast who plays for the provincial side Ulster. He is pictured with Ulster Herald journalist Ronan McSherry. Neil is a big man. 6′ 7″ tall which makes him a great asset in the line out. Neil was lending his support to the 32-32-32 penalty kick challenge in aid of the Simon Community for the homeless which starts next week. We are asking all GAA and other sports clubs to donate €32/£32 to Simon via our website www.32-32-32.com. People can also donate what they like via the same website.

This is Peter Canavan. In sporting circles and certainly within Gaelic games I would only have to use this mans first name and everyone would know who I meant. He is one of the most decorated players in the history of Gaelic football, winning two All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals, six GAA All Stars Awards (more than any other Ulster player, and joint third overall) four provincial titles, and two National Leagues and several under-age and club championship medals. He represented Ireland in the International Rules Series on several occasions from 1998 until 2000. He is considered one of the great players of the last twenty years and in 2009, he was named in the list of the 125 Most Influential People In GAA History.

I was recording a video message from him in support of the 32-32-32 penalty kick challenge in aid of the Simon community which takes place next week.

I was in Belfast today and between appointments spent a while in the City Cemetery which is bordered by the Falls and Whiterock Road. I used to spend many lunch times wandering around this historical and fascinating place. This is the grave of James Stewart who died on January 6th 1942. His people were weavers who came from the Lissue area of Lisburn who moved to Belfast in 1861 and they lived in Marine Street in the docks area were James was born on July 11th 1866. They then moved to Lincoln St off the Falls road. After marriage he and his family lived inLeopold Street off the Shankill Road until his death.  He was a life long cricket fan and was a member of Woodvale Cricket Club. He was also a socialist and his left wing politics and his love of cricket are reflected on his headstone with the batsman and wicket keeper carved on the top left hand side of the stone and the words “Organise our strength at the point of production” which is a quote from the second international. His son Charles was a republican who fought in the Irish War of Independence with the 2nd Battalion Belfast Brigade of the IRA and during the Civil War with the East Mayo Roscommon anti treaty forces. Charles was captured in the North and spent some time in Crumlin Road Jail as well as time on the prison ship The Argenta and in Derry Jail before being released in 1924. Charles Stewart is buried in Milltown Cemetery which is on the opposite side of the Falls Road from the City Cemetery.

This is Tiernan Bradley four times Irish boxing champion and European bronze medalist. Tiernan is a member of the Sacred Heart Club in Omagh and will be  traveling to Kansas USA to take part in the World Championship at the end of July. Tiernan was recording a message of support for the 32-32-32 penalty kick challenge in aid of the Simon Community. 32 penalties in 32 counties and asking every GAA club in Ireland to donate €32 or £32 to The Simon Community. CLICK HERE for more details

This is Dermot Devlin from Greencastle. Dermot was recording a message of support for the 32-32-32 penalty kick challenge in aid of the homeless charity The Simon Community which will take place from the 24th to 28th July. CLICK HERE for details.  He is a passionate Gael and is a member of Greencastle GFC the first Tyrone team to win an all Ireland club title and also the first Tyrone team to win an all Ireland ladies club title. Join Dermot in his support of 32-32-32 challenge.  32 penalties in 32 counties asking all GAA clubs in Ireland to donate €32 or £32 to The Simon Community.

This is Philomena Begley a legend in the music scene in Ireland for many many years. I had to video a message  from Philomena in support of the 32-32-32 penalty shoot challenge which I will be taking part in later on this month to raise money and awareness of the work of The Simon Community CLICK HERE  for details.

Philomena is celebrating 50 years in show business this year. Her first gig was with the “Old Cross Ceili Band” in May 1962 at Ardboe Hall. One of my favourite song writers, Shane MacGowan from “The Pouges” mentioned her in his famous song “A Pair of Brown Eyes” which is when I realised Philomena was seriously cool!  She is an incredibly friendly woman who has very graciously giving her support to 32-32-32 Thank You Phil

A Pair of Brown Eyes

Shane MacGowan (1985)

I looked at him he looked at me

All I could do was hate him

While Ray and Philomena sang

Of my elusive dream

I saw the streams, the rolling hills

Where his brown eyes were waiting

And I thought about a pair of brown eyes

That waited once for me

So drunk to hell I left the place

Sometimes crawling sometimes walking

A hungry sound came across the breeze

So I gave the walls a talking

And I heard the sounds of long ago

From the old canal

And the birds were whistling in the trees

Where the wind was gently laughing

This is a prize winning racing pigeon owned and trained by Kevin Caroaln. Kevin is a founding member of the Coalisland & District HPS, County Tyrone, and has won many major races over the years. CLICK HERE to read more about Kevin’s success.

This is the Ulster Bank in Stewartstown Co Tyrone. Luckily I don’t bank here or anywhere  else with Ulster Bank. They are into the third week of a crisis caused, they say, by a computer failure. Thousands of their customers are unable to access their money.  The Banks behaviour over the past number of years has been nothing short of criminal but then they don’t live by the same rules as the rest of us.

This is my brother Thomas or Tommy as he is known outside the family. He is celebrating his 50th today July 9th. Tommy was a very accomplished boxer winning many Irish Titles and represented Ireland many times including the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He was also the first Irish boxer to win a medal at the world championships in 1982. He was also a member of the Clonoe O’Rahilly GFC who won the Tyrone Senior championship in 1991.