SalfordOnline.com is relaunching a dedicated History section under the watchful eye of Tony Flynn.
Tony is the epitome of SalfordOnline.com’s connection with the local community.
Starting as a volunteer he was appointed Local History Editor in 2009.
Despite having no formal training in writing or broadcast journalism, he has filmed and authored over 700 articles on everything from Buffalo Bill’s visit to Salford docks to the last hangings at New Bailey Prison.
Born to an Irish Catholic family in Bell Street, Hanky Park, he saw his childhood home demolished in the slum clearances of the 1960s.
While at SalfordOnline.com he has become the byword for Salford’s incredibly rich local history.
An early interest in cinema and music translated to five published books, and co-authoring four more.
He has been published in City Life, the Manchester Evening News, the NME and Marketing Manchester, along with scores of articles for CAMRA and Neil Richardson’s What’s Doing.
Elsewhere, he has featured in BBC Radio 4 documentary on the life of ‘Dirty Old Town’ songwriter Ewan McColl, been interviewed about MediaCityUK for a Germany’s largest radio station and successfully campaigned for a red plaque at Salford’s former Town Hall, the site of the infamous Bexley Square riots.
In addition, he has helped to uncover some of the rarest and most impressive family footage available on celluloid, from the Eccles Wakes marches of the 1940s to street scenes of Cross Lane in the early 1960s.
He said: “It’s been a joy to work with the scores of volunteers who come forward at SalfordOnline.com to research and rediscover this city’s most intriguing historical tales.
“Nostalgia and history are some of the most-read pieces on SalfordOnline.com and it’s incredible to think that with the power of the internet, the work we produce is read all over the world.
“What we see every day in Salford’s wonderful archives has the power to shock and amaze, and it’s a privilege to be able to shine a light on that which connects us to our rich past.”
Find out more about Salford’s history at http://salfordonline.com/category/history
