It's A Long Way To Tipperary

---

The day started a long way from Tipperary or indeed, Stalybridge, the eventual destination. We skirted Sheffield on the M1 and climbed towards the Pennines. It is a bleak crossing in winter. When the snow falls, it is no place to be. The snow gates, swung wideopen today, bear testament. Autumn sunshine was the order of the day this morning. The traffic was light and those who see the road as a raceway surprisingly absent. We entered the proximity of east Manchester. Despite having spent 3 years as a resident of the city, it is an area almost totally unknown to me. I recall going to Belle Vue once - the dogs, not the speedway - but other than that it was strictly off limits to us as students. There was simply no reason to go there. We arrived in the much vaunted Northern Quarter in precisely 2 1/4 hours door to door. The parking areas were pretty full given the sparse traffic, but a space - albeit an expensive one - was secured.

The Northern Quarter was dreamed up as a name for the area in the 1990s, when the great and the good set about gentrifying this area of the city centre. Manchester City Centre in the 1980s when we were students was predominantly focused on Piccadilly Gardens and the area towards the Arndale Centre. I noted that the "Gardens" were pretty much none existence theses days. Green space was at a premium. The new tram system hub seemed to be the major occupant. The orange and white buses of Greater Manchester Transport are also a thing of the past these days. The Northern Quarter centred on Oldham Street was a mystery. It was just an area of run down factories. It was again simply an area, where had no reason to venture. In the 1840s, this was the centre of Manchester becoming the world leader in the textile industry. The numbers of mills and factories exploded in the industrial revolution and the area became synonymous with the wealth of the Victorian entrepreneurs and the poverty of those who toiled. The area featured in Engels, "The Condition of the Working Class in England", probably for all the wrong reasons.

The transformation of what we were seeing today was hard to equate with my perception from the 1980s. The place was buzzing. Development was everywhere. The vista was a mix of conversions and new build, residential blocks. What was once derelict had been transformed into a prosperous neighbourhood. The old factories had been converted into trendy, independent businesses. Bars, restaurants, bistros and independent retail. There was a specific reason we were visiting and a couple of specific shops I needed to visit. It was a vinyl hunt. Well not so much a hunt, but a collection mission. We headed into the Aladdin's Cave that is Vinyl Exchange. Two floors of goodies for the turntable. The Northern Quarter has probably the highest concentration of decent 2nd hand vinyl outside London. The beauty here is the concentration in just a couple of street. I picked up my choices. Vera often accompanies me to Sound It Out Records in North East and it was good go see that she was most welcome in these Manchester establishments. The guys in Vinyl Exchange made a right fuss of her and produced the most unexpected item from under the counter - a bag of treats. If she could talk, the instructions would have been "carry on looking Dad, I'm OK."

The dog friendly nature of most establishments in the immediate area was quite astonishing really. Dog bowls were commonplace outside most cafes. You expect the average country pub to welcome the muddy paws custom, but not necessarily the gritty, urban bistro. We called into one for a brunch. The quality was good. Vera waited patiently under the table - nose working the air - to see if any of the sausage would come her way. It did. The younger generation were "busy" working from home over their lunch or latte, tapping away at their laptops to justify some disproportionate salary. The card machine link was playing up when it was time to pay the bill, which highlighted one of the post COVID retail issues. Nobody has cash on them anymore. It is just a tap of the iPhone or the card. The problem solved itself, but not before many furrowed brows had developed on the staff.

Street art is everywhere in the Northern Quarter. Outside of Shoreditch in London, I reckon there is the highest concentration of any city in the UK. Alas, perhaps the most famous example is o more. The mural of Ian Curtis - the departed lead singer of the Factory Records band Joy Division - is no more. It was apparently painted over "by mistake" and replaced by an advert for a new album release by another band. Quite extraordinary really how such a "mistake" could happen. It hasn't been rectified to date either. I read another building is be considered for the new work. As with Shoreditch, there are street art tours and self guided maps. A number of other people with serious looking photographic equipment were busy on the same circuit. However time was short, I hadn't really done my advance homework and we just made do with a quick wander. The standout piece was on Little Lever Street - Enigma by the artist, Akse. We wandered back to retrieve the car before the expiry of our paid ticket.

We drove out of east Manchester through Ashton towards Stalybridge. Vera had a mission to lead the Marske United Canine Crew at Stalybridge Celtic later that evening. I say lead the Marske United Canine Crew - she would be a crew of one and indeed the only dog in the ground. Whilst the urban environment had been good for her mental stimulation and she is never one to turn down a treat, a serious walk was in order. We parked up near an old cotton mill in Stalybridge. The park next door was named after the owner, George Cheetham. The Cheetham family were formerly large employers in the town at the height of the cotton trade. The park sufficed for an extensive walk, although the local squirrel population made it somewhat challenging. This particular Norfolk Terrier is keen to do her bit to see off all non-native grey squirrels and give the reds a chance. We walked back towards the town centre, passing the Stalybridge New Labour Club. It was in fact the "New" club and advertising a concert by Frida in aid of the local foodbank. Abba making a comeback in Stalybridge? Possibly not! We crossed into the town centre by the Tesco. The geese were making themselves at home by the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. The Canal built to serve the needs of the textile factories takes 74 locks to wind its way from Ashton across the Pennines. We settled outside Florence & Amelia's, the top rated coffee spot according to TripAdvisor. Vera wasn't welcome inside, so there was something to learn from the Northern Quarter especially given the climate in the North West isn't always conducive to outdoor seating. The flat white and service was good though, so we gave them our custom. The weird looking creation before us was the Lock Gates Sundial, added by the Canal in 2008. The name says it all. It is both a statue of lock gates and a working sundial - one of the largest in the country apparently.

If you have got this far with the blog, you could be forgiven for wondering what Tipperary has got to do with Stalybridge. Good point. Let me explain. It's a long way to Tipperary. 320 miles to be precise. As far as I am aware, it was never a well travelled route. The link between the two places is the song - written about Tipperary, but composed in a pub in Stalybridge. The story goes that Jack Judge was bet 5 shillings that he couldn't write a song to be performed at the local music hall on the following evening. Jack took the bet and knocked out the tune about an Irish emigrant to London, returning to the homeland. Jack was of Irish stock - his Grandparents were from Tipperary. He himself hailed from the West Midlands. The rumour was he had never been across the water. Jack performed the song the following evening - 31st January 1912 - at the Grand Theatre in Stalybridge. The dong would go on to be the most famous marching tune of World War and became synonymous with the troops heading home on leave. A dispute subsequently followed about the authorship of the song between Judge and his friend, Harry Williams. In honour of the place where Judge "allegedly" composed the some, a plaque sits on the wall outside Judge's Bar on Corporation Street. A statue to commemorate Judge sits a few yards round the corner outside the old Market Hall on Trinity Street.

We headed down Trinity Street, passing the Stalybridge Library - a gift to the people of the town from the Cheetham family - the old Post Office and across the River Tame. The names of those who fell in the World Wars sre inscribed on the Memorial crossing the river. Blue plaques adorn the walls, including one to the First General Strike of 1842 which started locally. We headed down Market Street and circumnavigated the town centre to collect the car. It was then off to the Railway Station to a real Stalybridge institution - the old Buffet Bar on Platform 4. The trains come and go on the Station - not as the case might be judging by the cancellation announcements on the tannoy - but the buffet whisks you back to a other time. The buffet dates from 1885 and is one of the finest remaining examples of the age of refreshments on the Victorian steam railways. The venue is now a real ale pub of renowned. The word had spread to the North East, as a number of Marske fans down for the game were in situ. It eas time for some football.

The Bower Fold ground was in the leafy suburbs on the South East side of town. The car was parked up outside some fine Victorian villas. Stalybridge Celtic have been in residence since 1906 and having occupied the higher echelons of the Non League pyramid, the ground is well developed. Cover on all 4 sides, plenty of seats on both sides of the pitch and an extensive clubhouse. In fact, the difference between the set up at Marske United and the hosts was immense. In theory at least, this was a serious mis-match. A study of the car park showed no visitors coach. It finally rolled in at 6.40 with just over an hour to kick off. You laugh when you read about the Premier League teams flying 150 miles for an away fixture and the moaning. The Marske players will have mostly done a days work, before traveling down to Greater Manchester. Vera settled into the seats in the grandly named Lord Tom Pendry Stand on the far side for her view of the game. The home team dominated from the off, but failed to establish more than a 1 goal advantage at the break. In view of the journey, Marske could perhaps be excused the slow start. A couple of shrewd changes sparked a 2nd half comeback. Three quick goals turned the tables for Marske - the village team from the North East continued to surprise at this higher level. A late Stalybridge goal proved no more than a consolation, but made for a nervous ending.

Appendix 1

Pitching In Northern Premier League

Stalybridge Celtic FC 2 Marske United FC 3

Venue: Bower Fold, Mottram Road, Stalybridge Greater Manchester. SK15 2RT

Date: Saturday 11th October 2022 @ 1945 Hours

Attendance: 283

Scorers: 1-0 Baily-Jones 3 Mins (Stalybridge) 1-1 Boyes 54 Mins (Marske), 1-2 Boyes 64 Mins (Marske), 1-3 Simpson 65 Mins (Marske), 2-3 Miller 78 Mins (Stalybridge)

---

Photos

Northern Quarter, Manchester
Enigma by Akse

Northern Quarter, Manchester
Street Art

Northern Quarter, Manchester
Street Art

Stalybridge
Street Art

Stalybridge
Street Art

Northern Quarter, Manchester
Street Art

Stalybridge
Street Art

Northern Quarter, Manchester
Street Art

Comments

[Rainyb]

Thanks for sharing!