In Lebeqs Tavern, a Bristol pub that declares itself the “Home of Football”, a slice of Donegal spirit lives proudly above the bar – a Finn Harps share certificate and Harps scarf that have sparked plenty of conversation and even more support.
That’s thanks to Bekki Barker and Tanya Griffin, who first discovered the Harps connection back in 2016 when a young man they helped raise, Ethan Boyle, signed for the club.
“We first heard of Finn Harps when our lad Ethan joined back in 2016 for two years when they were in the Premier under the amazing Ollie Horgan,” Bekki recalls.
It didn’t take long for the club to make an impression. “We fell in love with the club straight away – the incredible supporters, a real diehard bunch and of course the fact that ‘our soup is better than your soup!’. It was that support for the club when we first went to Ireland to watch a game at Saint Pat’s… what did it for us was being made so welcome.”
That warmth has lasted long beyond Ethan’s time at the club. Bekki and Tanya have continued to follow Harps with passion, even travelling to watch games twice more in Ireland after his departure. Though they’ve yet to tick Finn Park off their list, it remains firmly in their sights.
“My goal is to come to Ballybofey to watch a game at Finn Park,” says Bekki. In the meantime- “My certificate is up here behind the bar with the scarf. All customers have no choice in loving Finn Harps too – they even know the song!”
It’s a little corner of Harps heartland in Bristol – one more testament to how far the Harps family stretches.
