and seafarers is what I understand it to
Out of curiosity, do you mean the term Mackem, or Mackem and tackem?
given the shipyards closed late 80s after a 10 year demise, and you’d never heard of it for your first 50 years ( I presume you’re not 85), who coined the term? A local historic reference to better, prouder days.. or not?
I never heard of the phrase until the nineties, and had always been told it was coined to be derogatory by insecure, imbecilic mags… even though their attempt to be derogatory made no sense… as is often the case.
It then became a badge of honour, and I’ve been told by this Sunderland lads that I know, born and bred.
I’m not. I was born/grew up in County Durham, with my Safc roots via my mother’s family who were a coal mining family from Jarrow - fanatical Sunderland Geordies.