It was a sunny day in June when the face of Manchester was changed forever by the IRA bomb that tore the city centre apart.
A 90-minute warning about the lorry bomb, made with a phone call from the IRA, led to a massive evacuation effort of some 75,000 people.
Miraculously, no one died – but the attack deliberately targeted Manchester’s economy and, in today’s money, caused £1.3 billion-worth of damage.
Previously unseen footage given to The Manc and shared below shows just how widespread the impact was, with ceiling panels hanging down in the Arndale, road signs knocked askew, and windows shattered.
While the scars left on the city by the atrocity on Saturday 15 June 1996 may have been patched over, the memories are still just as vivid for those who were in the city centre that day.
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The aftermath of the IRA Bomb
One such eye-witness is a familiar face around Manchester, and landlord of one of our most legendary pubs.
This is Gerard Ford, better known as Ged, the man behind The Millstone pub in the Northern Quarter where the karaoke blasts from morning til night.
Back in the 1990s, Ged was in charge of The Blob Shop, a long-lost institution on High Street that specialised in ‘cheap wine, cheap beer, and plenty of blobs’ (a mix of Australian white wine, hot water and lemon. Ged sold 6,000 a week).
The old Yates Blob Shop on High Street, Manchester / Credit: deltrems@flickr
When he arrived to work that day, he could never have imagined that he’d be sitting in the rubble drinking beer with police officers just hours later.
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He told us: “I’ll never forget that day, because it was a beautiful day – it was all blue skies and everyone was in a great mood and all that, and then you heard all the things going on, sirens and things.
“And the police coming in saying to people ‘You’ve got to move out, you’ve got to move out of the pub’.
“Truthfully, a lot of people said ‘No. I’m staying here for a few pints. If I’m going to go, I’ll go with a pint in my hand’.”
Eventually, Ged’s punters were coaxed out of their local and down the road – to another pub.
His customers were safely drinking in The Merchants on Oldham Road (now The Crafty Pig), but Ged was still standing in The Blob Shop when the IRA’s 1,500kg bomb was detonated.
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“The phone happened to ring, and I was in the off-licence which is the window on High Street,” he said.
“I put the phone to my right ear, the bomb went off – the reason I’m saying that is because it blew my ear in, it blew my ear drum in.
“And it blew all the panels off the wall. All the windows came in, everything came in when the bomb went off. It was unbelievable.”
After being evacuated, one of Ged’s employees told him that she’d left her purse at the Blob Shop – including her house keys.
He continued: “I knew how to get down the back streets to the Blob Shop.
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“As I was crossing the road I heard the police shout ‘There’s a bloke!’ and they chased after me.”
Ged Ford in The Millstone / Credit: The Manc Group
Ged was quickly emptying the cash from the tills and fetching his friend’s purse when the police rushed through the open doors after him.
He says they were shouting ‘we’ve got him Serge, we’ve got him’.
“I put my hands up and said ‘I’m the manager, I’ve had to go and get this girl’s purse and I’ve just got to take all my cash downstairs and put it in the safe. I’ve got to do all these things.’
“I was [shaking with] adrenaline and so were the policemen, so I said to them ‘Well while we’re here, let’s have a pint!’
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“And I promise, and this is the God’s gospel truth, we all had three pints each, just like that.
“They were great policemen.
“So then obviously they got me out of the Blob Shop and they had to walk me down Church Street in the middle of the street with the policemen with me, to make sure I was safe.
“All the glass was still coming out of the windows, it was still falling in from all over the place.
“When I came out with the police it was still a lovely day, obviously it was blue skies.
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“All the alarms were going off, I remember all the alarms.
“Alarms for cars, alarms for all the offices. The sound of alarms all the time, it was very very eerie.
“I can’t describe it. Well, after three pints anyway! I just remember thinking ‘What the hell’s happened?'”
Ged’s Blob Shop pub was only closed for a matter of days – it was back open for business by the middle of the week after the attack.
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“People are very resilient, they want to go back to normal ways and that’s what they do.
“We opened the Blob Shop again and it thrived and it thrived.”
Featured Image – The Manc Group
Feature
The Bodorgan Inn – The amazing staycation with its very own pub inside
Daisy Jackson
The day starts with a leisurely breakfast around the breakfast bar. Then there’s a bit of a kick-about in the garden. A quick BBQ for lunch before heading to the pub, for an afternoon of Guinness, darts, pool, and a pub quiz. In the evening, it’s a three course dinner, followed by a film with popcorn and pick n mix in the cinema.
Oh, did I mention you’ve done all of this without actually leaving the house?
That perfect day could very easily be your reality (along with more than a dozen of your mates) at this unbelievable house in Wales.
The Bodorgan Inn is a former, historic public house that’s been carefully converted into a home that up to 24 guests can stay in – and they’ve kept part of the working pub inside.
That means that guests can pour themselves a pint, watch the football, have a game of darts, sit around the fireplace, and even use a urinal, all without setting foot outside the front door.
As well as its own pub, the Bodorgan Inn has 10 beautiful bedrooms – some enormous, traditional ones with bay windows looking across the countryside; others modern rooms with en-suites that wouldn’t look out of place in a boutique hotel.
The Bodorgan Inn has its own pubYou can have the bar stocked for your arrivalHost a pub quizPlay pool and dartsAnd generally enjoy your evening in your own private pubPlay at being the bartender
The house can comfortably fit 12 people in every single room at once (we tried it), whether you’re tucked around the kitchen table catching up over a cuppa or dressed up to the nines for dinner in the grand dining room.
You can also all easily fit into the pub, which is split across two rooms; the garden, which has ample outdoor seating; and the snug – the biggest snug I’ve ever seen – with a huge TV, PlayStation, fireplace and comfy couches.
In fact, the only place we couldn’t all fit at once was the hot tub on the terrace in the back garden.
It’s not just the physical space, either – it’s all the extra bits included in your stay, like having ample champagne flutes for everyone, loads of Guinness glasses, and more than enough mugs, plus two dishwashers and a glass wash to help with the clean-up.
Bedrooms in The Bodorgan Inn
It’s extremely hard to tear yourself away from this fabulous home, so we called in a private chef to cook dinner for the group, served up in our own stately dining room after we’d hosted a pub quiz.
And there was a little taste of home thanks to a giant tray of Buttercup’sbanana pudding, and batched cocktails from Stray.
But if you do want to head out, the Bodorgan Inn is in a lovely spot, surrounded by the countryside of Anglesey and a short drive into the village of Rhosneigr, where walks can take in the beautiful sand dunes.
The Bodorgan Inn with Birch StaysThe huge gardensThe nearby village of RhosneigrThe Manc team on the beach in Rhosneigr
Also, handily, the Bodorgan train station is directly opposite the house, whisking you along to Holyhead in one direction or to Bangor and along the North Wales coastline in the other.
Every inch of the Bodorgan Inn is stylish, luxurious, and comfortable, as well as being packed with fun touches and added extras.
If you book with Birch Stays, you can pop extra details onto your booking like having a keg of your beer or cider of choice in the pub, arranging a cocktail-making kit, bags of pick-n-mix for the snug, disposable cameras, and even Christmas decorations.
Movie night in the snugDinner with private chef Meals by ChrisBrought Stray bar with usAnd a Buttercup banana puddingTeam breakfastThe Bodorgan Inn is dog-friendly too (this is Tiger)
We loved the way the house is big and varied enough for groups to splinter off at times too – some watching sport in the pub, others having a glass of wine in the garden, some watching The Traitors in the lounge.
Whether it’s a Christmas do, a stag or hen party, a full family gathering or any other large group occasion, The Bodorgan Inn is well worth considering.
You can see more and book your stay with Birch Stays HERE.
Review | ‘Hopefully!’, you get lucky enough to see the spectacle that is Loyle Carner live
The Manc
The O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester has this week played host to Benjamin Gerard Coyle-Larner this week, a.k.a. Loyle Carner, as he serenaded adoring listeners with his captivating lyrics, spine-tingling bass and drumlines, as well as his ever-laid-back warmth and charisma.
His stage name is the only spoonerism you’ll ever find in this man’s craft, as every syllable is as intentional and well-placed as the last.
Accompanied by an incredibly talented band and golden production, the night lends itself to a thought-provoking performance that leaves you wanting more. Consider me listening to nothing but this setlist for the foreseeable.
As the rumble of eager, loyal/Loyle – take your pick – listeners awaited his arrival, you could sense what this artist and his poetic music mean to people.
We've seen @LoyleCarner twice this week. We might even go again tonight – yes, he really is that good. 🎤
Opening with ‘in my mind’, just like that, you saw the crowd suddenly holding each other’s hands whilst comfortably sitting in the palm of Carner’s.
Let’s not forget his brilliant band, either, who all got their time in the spotlight and wowed as a collective.
Carner and the crowd definitely gave them the recognition they deserved, with piano solos throwing a blanket of respectful silence and tentative listening over the whole audience.
Loyle’s well-loved and special lyrics were echoed throughout the venue from start to finish.
He insisted (and not for the first time) that there’s “something special about playing in Manchester” – and we couldn’t agree more.
Carner’s vulnerability onstage opens a glowing portal for his listeners to do so as well. He encourages feeling. And as an audience, this is extremely clear in the room. It was a sea of warm embraces, agreeing heads and ignited eyes.
Loyle Carner was just as good on night two at Victoria Warehouse as he was on the first. (Credit: Audio North)
As the setlist crept towards the end, the crowd were not ready to say goodbye as the customary chants of ‘one more song!’ bounced off the Victoria Warehouse walls.
We were then blessed with a solo Loyle, who shared a typically creative and reflective spoken-word Carner special with us.
Without any demand, the crowd fell sweetly silent and absorbed his every word. A poet, pure and simple.
The 31-year-old rapper and wordsmith plays one more night at the venue to round off his mini residency tonight (Tuesday, 25 November 2025); you can try and grab last-minute tickets HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
21st January 2022 
