randallstephenhall ramdallstephenhall 
RSH. Watch Your Step.
By Randall Stephen Hall.
Including a You Tube Link
To Stephen Stiofan performing 6 songs
plus chat, at Acoustic Haven, off Castle Street, Belfast 26.8.25 See link below . . .
I was taking part in a great podcast called Acoustic Haven, up a flight of stairs to the upper room of Ink Haven, a tattoo parlour, just off Castle Street, Belfast. Marquis Street, not far from Madden’s Bar And the old magical Executive Hairdresser’s.
My brother Granville used to take me there on the 61 Cavehill Road Bus, down into the excitement of Belfast in the 1960s. Pre Troubles. Whaat we called “town”, and then on to Smithfield Market for a sniff at the goods.
Harry Hall’s Book Shop (no relation), was one of my brother’s regular haunts, where he would buy American import DC Comics.
Full of super heroes like Batman, Superman and the full gamut of heroes from the Justice League of America.
Where is the justice these days? with a President more akin to Lex Luthor with a blonde wig than a hero. A punk con man lookin’ to swindle us of our faith in human kindness and our love for each other.
We’d go past a few of the pet stores full of parrots, budgies, hamsters and mice. Then on to the Army Surplus, with a boyish fascination for war, bravery and the ultimate sacrifice. Padraig Pearse would have loved it . . .
So, for me Castle Streer is a potential portal
into my past but also inti our collective past when Belfast was just a river crossing to emerge as a place full of ambition and hatred. Run by adventurers, who would be bent on grabbing as much as possible for themselves.
400 years on it’s just me and Ann, climbing the stairs to Acoustic Haven. Granville is long gone with Smithfield along with all my birth family. I am the youngest and last of my circle. Last of the Mohicans. Still up for some music and craic.
A warm welcome greeted us on arrival at Ink Haven with Darren and Davey. So, 6 songs later we were packing uo and getting ready to go when I fell all the way down the stairs.
There was a pause as I picked myself up.
Shaken up but basically OK. Nothing broken, still breathing. All good.
There’s something magical about this area between Castle Street and the market including St. Mary’s Catholic Church funded by Presbyterians. For me it’s full of childhood memories and disappointments.
An early fascination with model making and Classcc Horrir Cinema and comics drew me across the river Feirste towards a full time life in art but also a life asking questions about where we find ourselves today and where we were then.
I’ll watch myself next time. I fell for local culture a long time ago. I didn’t think there would be a next time.
Thanks for listening,
Stephen Stiofan
Randall Stephen Hall
Live at Acoustic Haven, Belfast
Introduced by Ludwig O’Neill with Audio Video Production by Darren Livingstone.
Intimate, Songs and Stories. 6 tracks, plus craic. A wee taste of our local culture and history. RSH.
https://youtu.be/tHAQhOocUsE?
Thanks for listening.
www.randallstephenhallsongs.
A northern Irish artist.
AKA. Dangerous Banana.
By Randall Stephen Hall.
Including a You Tube Link
To Stephen Stiofan performing 6 songs
plus chat, at Acoustic Haven, off Castle Street, Belfast 26.8.25 See link below . . .
I was taking part in a great podcast called Acoustic Haven, up a flight of stairs to the upper room of Ink Haven, a tattoo parlour, just off Castle Street, Belfast. Marquis Street, not far from Madden’s Bar And the old magical Executive Hairdresser’s.
My brother Granville used to take me there on the 61 Cavehill Road Bus, down into the excitement of Belfast in the 1960s. Pre Troubles. Whaat we called “town”, and then on to Smithfield Market for a sniff at the goods.
Harry Hall’s Book Shop (no relation), was one of my brother’s regular haunts, where he would buy American import DC Comics.
Full of super heroes like Batman, Superman and the full gamut of heroes from the Justice League of America.
Where is the justice these days? with a President more akin to Lex Luthor with a blonde wig than a hero. A punk con man lookin’ to swindle us of our faith in human kindness and our love for each other.
We’d go past a few of the pet stores full of parrots, budgies, hamsters and mice. Then on to the Army Surplus, with a boyish fascination for war, bravery and the ultimate sacrifice. Padraig Pearse would have loved it . . .
So, for me Castle Streer is a potential portal
into my past but also inti our collective past when Belfast was just a river crossing to emerge as a place full of ambition and hatred. Run by adventurers, who would be bent on grabbing as much as possible for themselves.
400 years on it’s just me and Ann, climbing the stairs to Acoustic Haven. Granville is long gone with Smithfield along with all my birth family. I am the youngest and last of my circle. Last of the Mohicans. Still up for some music and craic.
A warm welcome greeted us on arrival at Ink Haven with Darren and Davey. So, 6 songs later we were packing uo and getting ready to go when I fell all the way down the stairs.
There was a pause as I picked myself up.
Shaken up but basically OK. Nothing broken, still breathing. All good.
There’s something magical about this area between Castle Street and the market including St. Mary’s Catholic Church funded by Presbyterians. For me it’s full of childhood memories and disappointments.
An early fascination with model making and Classcc Horrir Cinema and comics drew me across the river Feirste towards a full time life in art but also a life asking questions about where we find ourselves today and where we were then.
I’ll watch myself next time. I fell for local culture a long time ago. I didn’t think there would be a next time.
Thanks for listening,
Stephen Stiofan
Randall Stephen Hall
Live at Acoustic Haven, Belfast
Introduced by Ludwig O’Neill with Audio Video Production by Darren Livingstone.
Intimate, Songs and Stories. 6 tracks, plus craic. A wee taste of our local culture and history. RSH.
https://youtu.be/tHAQhOocUsE?
Thanks for listening.
www.randallstephenhallsongs.
A northern Irish artist.
AKA. Dangerous Banana.
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