Greetings on this Throwback Thursday, as I listen to some John Coltrane “Giant Steps”, big shoes were filled reflecting on ‘”The Morning After” like Curtis Hairston, an unprecedented day of a dolly mixture bag proportions of Euro football. I watched the enthralling 3-3 draw Portugal V Hungary game, only to be climaxed by the Republic Of Ireland’s massive pint of Guinness proportion defeat over the  slightly ‘Rocky’ Italian Stallions. More “Braveheart” as celts than Mel Gibson, I knew even though he missed a sitter moments earlier that when Wes Hoolahan wrapped his left foot around the ball in the 85th minute, that the inch eye private eye delivery, was somehow going to end up once touched by an incoming Irishman into the Italian goal. The disbelief on Robbie Brady’s face was enough to make all the Irish smiling eyes turn to tears of euphoria. By the way how d’you like me now as a football commentator ? John Motson or Jonathan Pearce I certainly am not but it is TBT!!

This is the start of my 6 degrees of separation post today. One of the other thing’s I’m passionate about other than my spiritual wife music, is growing up in Perivale Middlesex, that place in west London that’s at the end of the Central Line, that sounds like it’s way out in the countryside. Yesterday providentially I guess an old photo came up from a reunion 2 years back where I ‘”Reunited” like Peaches & Herb with some school chums I hadn’t seen in 40 years, since Perivale Middle School circa 1976. Our school had 4 house teams and when it came to sports in my era my house team were pretty much dominant during my 1973-1976 duration. There was St David’s who were yellow and affiliated to Wales naturally, St George’s (red) affiliated to Inguurrrlund(England), St Andrews(blue) for Scotland and last but certainly not least, St Patricks the lucky green shamrocks flying the flag for Ireland. I was proudly in St Patricks and we had some of the best footballers including from memory ‘Runny” Stephen Hawkins. Phil Holmes(wicked goalkeeper) Kenton Kerr and Richard Shelly (whatever happened to him?). So I was always a ‘Proud Paddy’ which unbeknown to me had a more significant association with the green celtic pastures of Ireland.

My surname is Facey and I was advised at some point in my life that it was of celtic origin either Scottish of Irish. I grew up initially in my first 8 years in London NW10 which was quite heavily populated with an Irish community and my child minder Liz Hills in Harlesden was Irish whose sadly no longer here. I always remember her telling me to eat the crust of my bread as it would make my hair curly (bless you Liz it already was). On Monday I spent the day speaking with someone from the British Institute Library who is documenting my history as a black Briton growing up in Blighty, and some of what is in this is mentioned, again another providential old school ‘Connect 4’ in this conundrum. Well this morning I googled the origin of the Facey name and it actually initially originates from Normandy France, around the Battle Of Hastings 1066 historical period. It then finds it’s way to Ireland via Northampton when some of the Facey’s moved there. Clearly through slavery and via colonisation in Jamaica, my family name derives via France and Ireland and is not remotely like anything African, which brings us back to The Euro’s because that’s where this post started. I knew I’d get there in the end :o)

Any way well done to the Republic Of Ireland who almost brought on one of my ex Spurs native Irish football hero’s Robbie Keane, just before his name sake scored. I must say that the passion of Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane is very admirable. The worrying thing is that this makes someone like a fellow music Aquarian born in the Irish Republic, the retro 1970’s cardigan wearing crooner Val Doonican seem somewhat very cool like Fonzie right now. I guess thats what happens when you have a direct connection to you native land unlike some born outside the Diaspora’s who are still trying to connect spiritually to their place of origin. So happy St Paddy’s day to all around the world and those from my ole manor school chums of  Perivale Middle School..and yes I might be wearing green today lol !!