Welcome to Our Voices, an oral history podcast by The Common Room in association with Dr Andy Clark, a research associate with Newcasle's Oral Hisotry collective. John tells Andy about his family’s migration from Ireland to Seaham Harbour in the 1880s, and his family history in the northern coalfields. John outlines his early experiences in the collieries, to working for British Coal Research and becoming an engineer. John shares his memories of the 1984 Miner’s Strike, marching, marriage, marras and receiving two chickens from trade unionists at Christmas that year. Also, John describes an almost fatal mining injury and the dangers of working underground.