IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Bank Lane, BANGOR, BT20 5EG

Albert Street, looking towards High Street.

A view down Crosby Street towards the seafront. Another street soon to change - the building on the left is up for sale as a potential development site.

Mural by Holly Pereira https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ8u-y6hdxj/ on a gable wall at Holborn Avenue, Bangor.

Mural by Holly Pereira https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ8u-y6hdxj/ on a gable wall at Holborn Avenue, Bangor.

Fealty's, also known as the Ormeau Arms, is one of the best preserved bars in Bangor. It is on the corner of High Street and Albert Street. This picture was taken on the evening of 29th April 2007, the day before smoking became illegal in enclosed public spaces in N Ireland. See also Image

Window on the side of Fealty’s Bar (The Ormeau Arms - see Image), on the corner of High Street and Albert Street. This image has acquired a bit a cult status, now even appearing on local postcards. Guinness, with all their fancy multi-million pound advertising and “Quality Team”, have tried to standardise every pub poured pint. The official way to pull a perfect pint is “……best served at 6°C (that’s 42.8°F), with the legendary two-part pour. First, tilt the glass to 45 degrees and carefully pour until three quarters full. Then place the glass on the bar counter and leave to settle. Once the surge has settled, fill the glass to the brim. It takes about 119.5 seconds to pour the perfect pint. But don’t fret. It’s worth the wait.” Sadly, the quality still varies enormously from pub to pub and “how’s the Guinness here?” remains a popular question in many establishments. Not so in Fealty’s……. Here the black stuff is a bit special. I don’t know how they do it, but every pint pulled here is pure perfection and like nothing else around. 119.5 seconds? Pah! Expect anything from 5-10 minutes regardless of how busy the bar is. The “legendary two-part pour” seems to have been elongated into three or four. And never a frothy yellow head - here you get pure cream which will still be there when you drain the last drop. Pure bliss. The smoking ban has hit them hard. I hope it keeps going but nowadays is usually quiet on a weekday evening and only comes alive at the weekend. It remains the only pub in Bangor with a regular traditional session in the back room, every Friday and Saturday night, with everyone welcomed and encouraged to join in. The front bar, small and cosy, is always lively and strangers are treated like old friends. Try it at least once – if only for the Guinness.....

An elevated view of 'Fealty's' pub in Bangor Image; to the right is another pub 'Donegan's' Image and to the right of it a third pub 'Jenny Watts' Image can just be glimpsed.

Looking towards High Street. After looking increasingly dilapidated, many of the houses here have been renovated and restored.

The last* electrical shop in central Bangor, still trading but due to close at the end of March 2013 when the owner retires. In Albert Street, this is either known as 'Contact' or 'McDonnell Electrical'. (*At the time of writing, a plumbing/electrical supply shop on the Belfast Road is still trading.)

This image was taken from Crosby Street.