The Tuesday chat with John Kelly
John
Kelly grew up in Ashfield near Dromore and is a regular contributor to
the columns of the Leader. John recently penned a book - ‘Footprints on
the Sands of Time’ charting the History of Railway Street Presbyterian
Church and hopes to launch another - ‘Lisburn’s Churches’ - featuring a
brief history and photographs of all 132 churches and places of worship
in the Lisburn City Council area.
All proceeds from the book will be in aid of the Lisburn Mayor’s charity ‘Diabetes UK’.
NAME – John Kelly
AGE – Just turned the big 60 and waiting on delivery of my ‘bus pass’
JOB – Retired engineer. Worked in Human Resources and more recently in education and aero-structures. Main occupation now is writing.
NICKNAME – As a folk singer/musician in the late 1960s I was known as Johnny, which suited the goatee bearded folk image. As a training officer I got the name ‘Bog on John’ due to my determination in getting a job done quickly.
WHICH THREE WORDS BEST DESCRIBE YOU – meticulous, aging, humpy – but perhaps the following three words are more correct - fussy old git.
IF YOU COULD BE SOMEONE FAMOUS FOR A DAY, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY – Bob Dylan. To sing and play to a packed theatre of fans like the folk legend did in the 1960s
WHAT IS THE LAST FILM YOU SAW AT THE CINEMA – Not a regular cinema-goer – last visit to the cinema was a group outing to see ‘The Passion of Christ’.
WHAT
WAS YOUR WORST FASHION DISASTER – The mid 1960s tartan
trousers, which my mother made for me in the days when I was a
self-confessed ‘MOD’ and in the words of the Kinks, a ‘dedicated
follower of fashion’.
WHAT IS YOUR WORST HABIT – I’m “perfect in every way” (like Mary Poppins) but my wife and daughters could supply an endless list.
WHAT IS YOUR MOBILE RINGTONE – A conventional ringtone. I hate mobile phones, especially when used in confined public places and on public transport
IF YOU WERE TRAPPED ON A DESERT ISLAND WHICH THREE THINGS
WOULD YOU TAKE TO PASS THE TIME – Pencil, paper, mandolin – or water, food, clothes.
WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE TRAPPED WITH – A good-looking lady would be the obvious choice, but I would reluctantly opt for a good doctor.
IF YOU HAD ONE MILLION POUNDS WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH IT – Buy a house for each member of my family.
ANY HOLIDAY NIGHTMARES – Being pick-pocketed on a crowed bus on my way to the Vatican in Rome.
My favourite things…..
FAVOURITE DRINK – Coffee.
FAVOURITE BISCUIT – Gypsy Creams (no longer available)
FAVOURITE HOLIDAY DESTINATION – Dubai, where I recently spent two weeks with my nephew and family who live there.
FAVOURITE NIGHT OUT – Favourite night out was
attending the star-studded opening night of the ‘Sound of Music’ at the
London Palladium, meeting Connie Fisher and the gorgeous finalists from
the TV programme ‘How do you solve a problem like Maria?’
On a more regular basis - enjoying the fun and entertainment of my
talented musical friends Bakerloo Junction.
 |
 |
| John’s best night out was to see Connie Fisher in the ‘Sound of Music’. His favourite holiday destination is Dubai. | |
FAVOURITE JOKE –
Paddy the English man, Paddy the Scots man and Paddy the Irish man were
marooned on a desert island. On finding a magic lamp, a genie appeared
and granted them one wish each. Paddy the English man said he would love
to be back home in England – whoosh – back he went to England. Paddy the
Scots man said he would love to be back home in Scotland – whoosh – back
he went to Scotland. Paddy the Irish man said I miss those two guys, I
wish they were back here – whoosh – both Paddy the English man and Paddy
the Scots man were immediately returned to the desert island.
FAVOURITE CAR – E type jag
John has substituted two pictures from his own collection here to replace the ‘Connie Fisher’ and ‘Dubai’ pictures printed in the Dromore Leader:
07/02/2009
