The Swimming Tapes Guide To Bangor, Northern Ireland

How would you describe Bangor to someone who's never been?

A nice seaside town on the east coast of Northern Ireland. Complete with a lovely marina and a TK Maxx.

Who are the best local musicians/bands/artists?

We've had a few sprout out of Bangor. Two Door Cinema Club, Gary Lightbody, Foy Vance... take your pick.

What's the best venue to watch live music?

If you're after some great local folk music then Fealtys is the one for you. As far as proper venues go, Bangor doesn't have a vast choice.

What's the best club?

They're all pretty grim really but if you're into fluorescent orange human beings and Justin Bieber then Café Ceol is probably for you.

Where's the best place to buy records?

We had a couple of cool record shops when we were growing up but they shut down in the early '00s, but recently a couple of new ones have opened up so will have to go and investigate.

Where's the best place/s to eat?

Sunflower for a sarnie, Jamaica Inn for a nice meal, or Piccolo's for a kebab.

Best place/s to drink?

There are loads of great pubs, Fealtys takes the prize for best Guinness in town or if you want something a bit more lively then either the Goat's Toe or Hop House are a good night out.

Who are the local heroes?

Them guitarist Billy Harrison was a local in a bar that one of our friends worked in. He was a character, always used to go on about how he wrote the riff for "Brown Eyed Girl".

Favourite urban legend/myth?

There was the standard 'someone found a fried mouse in their KFC burger' myth for a while but I'd say that popped up in most towns across UK. Also Bangor has been revealed as the 'sexiest town' in the UK by a magazine... which is 100% a myth.

What are the best sights to see and places to visit?

There's loads of nice coastal walks, Crawfordsburn Country Park is lovely or you could go and pedal a big plastic swan around a little pool at Pickie Fun Park.

How do you get around Bangor? Why?

Drive or walk... because the public transport is shite.

Favourite local slang word? What does it mean?

There are too many to pick from really, but it would probably be 'saunter' which means quite simply 'walk’.

Where is the best place to relax? To take a walk?

Always nice to take a walk along Ballyholme Promenade and then you can go have a wee chill on the beach and watch the sunset. How middle class, eh?

What's the worst thing about Bangor?

The people.

What's the best thing about Bangor?

The people.