Steven Birrell
banner
stevenbirrell.bsky.social
Steven Birrell
@stevenbirrell.bsky.social
I like running. I try not to let the outcome of sporting events over influence my general happiness…supporter of the Fife Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks and Dunfermline Athletic. Old dog that hasn’t given up on new tricks yet - I will skate backwards!
What’s that? You’d love a long read of Blairhall Colliery Junior Football Club’s Fife County League championship winning season of 1936/37? Grab a selection box and a drink, maybe even a bit more cheese and have a read…

open.substack.com/pub/stevenbi...
Burst Baws, Bangers and Blairhall: The Season of the Colliery Kings
The long read you are about to embark upon (and it is a long one, so grab a drink and a box of Quality Street) was originally going to be a few paragraphs of Jimmy Birrell’s story.
open.substack.com
December 28, 2024 at 6:22 PM
I fear I’m not living up to my Bluesky bio tonight. Fife Flyers certainly making it a challenging start to the holidays. But looking forward to being back in Belfast on Sunday, a place that always feels like home.
December 20, 2024 at 7:47 PM
So if you want to read 5000 words on Blairhall Colliery Junior Football Club’s Fife County League championship winning season of 1936/37 you are going to have to hold on a wee bit longer. If that’s your thing though, you’re gonna love it! 😂
December 13, 2024 at 5:50 PM
Realising that after today, I’ll spend a lot of the next few weeks watching hockey with my son and darts with my daughter. If that is all I take from the festive season, it’s more than enough.
December 13, 2024 at 2:20 PM
I mean, you can probably argue that Bobby Bell should have been given the afternoon off at the very, very least.
December 12, 2024 at 1:22 PM
My new hobby involves silently screaming at the handwriting of former registrars. Tonight’s scream belongs to you, William Reid. About the only words I can make out on this page!! 🤬😂
December 5, 2024 at 9:57 PM
You can’t convince me to go out running at night in December for love nor money thus far. But tell me to lose hours of my life reading about Blairhall Colliery’s Fife County League winning season of 1936/37 and I’ll bite your hand off. I’m down this rabbit hole til Spring I reckon!
December 3, 2024 at 7:51 PM
My favourite local Strava map and our last run around Black Rock of the year. Yes it was low tide, well low ish, and there were chips at the finish as always. Legs are heavy this morning but the heid and heart are a bit lighter after runs/wades like these.
November 29, 2024 at 10:41 AM
If you are celebrating this today, Happy #Thanksgiving. Five years ago I got on the train to Highland Park and spent the day with a lovely family. Everyone had baked a pie it seemed so of course I had to try at least a slice of each one. Didn’t eat again til Friday dinner time!
November 28, 2024 at 1:28 PM
You seem like a friendly lot, so sharing my wee winter project on here. I’ll keep my substack updated, you’re welcome to subscribe (for free, don’t donate!). It’s taken me down some amazing rabbit holes.
My gran’s cat (Ginger, how apt) used to ‘go fishing’ on the tank behind me (often successful)
November 26, 2024 at 2:46 PM
2024 is a year that I could see far enough. I’ve made a plan for the winter so any spare time is spent hibernating in the gym, working on a writing project I’ve started (and loving) and giving the podcast one more big (and maybe final) push. Wee projects that are good for the heid and heart.
November 21, 2024 at 12:48 PM
I’m spending the winter months writing up the story of my grandad’s brief, but quite eventful, football career. As part of the research, I’m down the rabbit hole of our family tree and I now totally get why people enjoy this so much. I’m back to the 1700s on one side…send help! 😂
November 18, 2024 at 11:10 AM