Thunder and Lightning

In "Thunder and Lightning," Colin Bateman recounts his upbringing in the tranquil seaside town of Bangor, Northern Ireland, amid the chaos of the Troubles just ten miles away. Aspiring to be a journalist inspired by iconic works, he began his career at a local paper as a seventeen-year-old punk rocker, only to find himself pursued by the peculiar Kilcooley Strollers dance troupe. This memoir explores the juxtaposition of his relatively soft suburban life against the backdrop of political turmoil, revealing a community where even terrorist incidents were seen as potential opportunities.