There is a hero in this story; his name is Ken McIlwrath. Belfast was not a very inviting place in the 1970’s.   The city centre was closed off and fortified. Getting to the shops meant passing through a heavy duty turnstile, and submitting yourself to a search by armed security staff who in turn were watched over by soldiers. Those who were old enough at the time will remember the automatic reaction of entering a shop and raising your arms for the search; a reaction that could be a bit embarrassing when travelling outside our small province!   The city’s night life had either moved out of town entirely, or to Great Victoria Street, an area then known as the ‘Golden Mile’. The bar trade in Northern Ireland was largely run by the duopoly of Bass and Guinness back then. Bars were supplied by one or other except for the black stuff which made it into all bars, with occasional pretenders introduced to northern drinkers by Bass such as Beamish or Murphy’s.   There was ...