welcome, stick with it, and paying through the nose for beer will become a thing of the past, plus it'll be better than most things you can buy :thumb:
I'm originally from Ballymena (hey!) myself, and though I left 20 years ago I'm still back regularly.
I've only been brewing since May last year, so still on the steep learning curve but loving it, and I've made some lovely beer already.
I've found loads of helpful information on this forum..indeed, I'm off to ask my next stupid question now !