October 9-11 marked the return of Durham Book Festival, celebrating 2026 as the year of reading. Facilitated by New Writing North and hosted at Gala Durham, the festival stretched across the weekend to celebrate thinkers, writers and performers of all forms and genres.
And what better way to celebrate Northern talent than with local historian Dan Jackson speaking on the history of NUFC and surrounding football clubs, culture and communities?
Dan Jackson is a local author based in the North East. His work The Northumbrians was named Sunday Times Book of the year in 2019. On Sunday, October 11, Dan joined an eager and proud crowd to discuss his latest release Howay the Lads’.
Howay the Lads details the history of NUFC and North Eastern culture all the way from Victorian Tyneside and Newcastle’s mining roots through to the modern-day acclaim and fame of our beloved team.
Dan was joined on stage by chair, Andy Sixsmith, Premier League and BBC Sport reporter, for a discussion laced with sharp wit and unwavering passion.
Throughout the conversation, Jackson emphasised that during his time writing Howay the lads, he wanted to do what few other written histories of NUFC had managed to achieve. That is, he aimed not only to illustrate what the roots of NUFC were and what the club’s impact has been, but to present why the team has been so central to, and likewise impacted by, northern people and communities.
Taking attendees all the way back to the beginning, Jackson walked us through the Scottish influence and talent that helped to shape NUFC into a worthy, determined band of players.
He credits the North’s mining roots for cementing professional football as a realistic career for young, local lads back in the days of Jackie Milburn. Boys in the north were raised on the physically challenging mining graft and were no strangers to teamworking down in the pits. He claimed that our miners’ heritage was seemingly training young men to be the perfect players from the very start.
Amidst Dan’s accessible presentation of Newcastle history and admiration of footballer and all-round artistic legend Colin Veitch there was too a welcome surprise, that even despite discussions of the Tyne and Wear rivalries, Jackson was not shy to credit Sunderland for their contributions to football history in the North.
Considering a wider scope than just sporting legacy, he was deliberate in noting that football clubs act as one of the few remaining third spaces for northern people - perhaps explaining how our support, interest and passion towards football has remained so fierce throughout the years. It’s no secret that us folks up north are die-hard fans or, as Dan likes to put it “Geordie daft”.
Overall, the morning was laced with the same pride evident throughout the pages of Howay the Lads.
Watching him on stage, Dan’s unwavering appreciation of his favourite team transcended his writing to deliver a most engaging conversation. It’s clear that Dan’s portrayal of Newcastle history comes not through obligation or slight curiosity, but straight from the heart.