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Countries, Ireland, UK

Van up on Cyprus Avenue in Belfast at 80

31st August 202531st August 2025 funtime65

He’s been a grumpy old man all his life but today we celebrate Van up on Cyprus Avenue in Belfast at 80.

Few singers form the soundtrack of their city more than Ivan Morrison has for 60 years.

Perhaps The Beatles and Liverpool, The Proclaimers and Edinburgh or Simon and Garfunkel and New York.

As the BBC does on such occasions, it dug into its archives.

For a special concert from the Belfast boy for his 70th birthday in the street where he grew up.

Europa Birthday Van

It is a rare privilege to share a birthday with a superstar singer in concert.

But that was afforded we few, we lucky few, who were treated to cabaret dinner at the iconic Europa Hotel.

When Van exercised his jazz chops with Joey Defrancesco, as well as his Celtic Soul trademark.

As with everything with Van the Man there is always a mystery wrapped up in a riddle with his songs and his life.

Cyprus Avenue, of course, is more, much more, than just a street.

It’s a symbolic sliding doors moment in Van’s life as he sits in a car in his home town, planning his next move.

Which Belfastians, never short of a word, will be happy to explain to you on your Van Morrison tour of East Belfast.

In a Heartbeat

All courtesy of Irish Heartbeat Tours’ Van Morrison Walking Tour.

And follow in the footsteps of the Great Man in his childhood home on Hyndford Street.

The Hollow, made famous in Brown Eyed Girl. and, of course, Cyprus Avenue.

For its size of half a million people the great old port on the Lagan boasts world beaters in the world of the arts and entertainment.

Tours de force

And Irish Heartbeat Tour have you covered with a George Best House Tour and CS Lewis Garden Tour and Square Garden Tours.

Of course, you can go on your own 3.5km self-guided Van tour.

By visiting EastSide Visitor Centre.

Or by downloading the Van Morrison Trail Interactive Map to receive a map and access QR codes at various locations

Now we can’t guarantee that you’ll find Van up on Cyprus Avenue in Belfast at 80, although he does live back in now in Northern Ireland.

But we all of us whether we’ve been to Van’s town or not feel we know it from his Astral Weeks masterpiece.

Countries, Ireland, UK

Ship-shape but how to prolong your Belfast stay?

4th October 20244th October 2024 funtime65

And they’ve left, the 125 cruise passengers on an extended 40-day stay in Northern Ireland… ship-shape but how to prolong your Belfast stay?

The windows of the world have been on the passengers on the Villa Vie Odyssey these past two months

As they enjoyed an unscheduled stay on the Foyle.

Or a marketing tool for our friends at Visit Belfast as the perfect PR gift.

Room with a view: The Villa Vie bedrooms

To show the rest of us (and Belfastophiles like ourselves are already converts) how to spend 40 days here.

There was more than enough in our hosts’ presentation on their visit to the sumptuous The Dome in George Street, Edinburgh.

To keep us entertained for a couple of months.

As it goes I’m just back from Belfast where I’d made my way to the docks.

Where a ship even more renowned than the Villa Vie Odyssey is celebrated.

You know the cruise ship which sails around the world over 1301 days and 425 destinations.

Quarter Masters

The Titanic Quarter has transformed the Belfast tourist landscape.

With 3.6 million taking it in annually and 20,000 living, working, visiting and staying daily.

Standing at the boards on the slipway where Titanic was built it is truly an assault on the senses.

For all its scale we are reminded that the Villa Vie Odyssey and today’s cruise ships would dwarf the Titanic.

But in its appeal none will ever match the Titanic.

Which is why, of course, Belfast’s house guests became familiar visitors with the Titanic Quarter over their 40 days in town.

Now, while the Quarter is on the Villa Vie shipmates’ doorstep the rest of us access it along the Maritime Mile from the city.

Follow the Seahorse

The first thing that strikes visitors to Belfast city is its intimacy and that you double back on yourself.

We remember inside knowledge from past visits to use the Grand Central Hotel’s Seahorse on the side of the building as our compass.

It keeps even this accidental tourist straight and confident to explore further.

To the Cathedral Quarter, the Ulster Museum with its Game of Thrones tapestry when we visited.

The weavers at the Ulster Folk Museum and the Sandy Row we associate with Van Morrison.

For those who want to delve further into the city’s history and more recent the Glider bus is an easy way of getting around the city.

Black Taxi tips

The Belfast black taxis, of course, differ from those that proliferate in London.

The native and knowledgeable Belfastian drivers with their famous gallows wit take tourists around both sides of the divide.

From the 28 years of The Troubles.

And visit the imposing statue of Edward Carson, the defender of Ulster, at the expansive seat of government at Stormont.

A day in the life of a Belfastian

Put your hat on it: Van Morrison at the Europa

Today, Belfastians go about their lives unhurried and untroubled.

Starting their day with a ‘wee’ (huge) Ulster Fry breakfast.

And while it’s not obligatory to stop for lunch at the Italianate architecture Crown Liquor Saloon with the best Guinness in Belfast.

It is recommended to tarry a while in one of its booth snugs and get late back from lunch.

And maybe grab a cocktail at the Europa Hotel opposite on your way home from work and if you’re lucky enough and Van is doing one of his jazz cabaret acts then take that in.

Belfast, in truth, throbs to the sounds of traditional music, it is slated to hold the Fleadh next year.

Samhain folk

Crowning glory: Game of Thrones and Belfast

It was, of course, at the vanguard of many other genres over the years from its punk days to today’s multi-cultural sounds.

The city is readying itself now for the Irish festival Samhain, which the rest of the world sabotaged and calls Halloween.

It is safe to say that should you be lucky enough to be delayed for 40 days in Belfast then you will never run out of things to do.

And the locals will make you more than welcome.

So there will be no need to ask: Ship-shape but how to prolong your Belfast stay?

Countries, Music, UK

Gala days in the Scottish Borders

8th July 20238th July 2023 funtime65

Scottish life is a rich tapestry all right and you can enjoy the full fabric on Gala days in the Scottish Borders.

Galashiels, or Gala to the locals, sits in the Tweed valley which includes Selkirk,Hawick, Kelso and Berwick upon Tweed…

It’s apt that the tapestry which depicts the country’s millions of years of history up to 2013 should be housed in the Borders town.

Because of its place in the world of fabrics.

And more of that later.

All history in here: Scotland’s Tapestry

The Scottish tapestry was hand-stitched by 1,000 people from across the land.

And it is made up of 160 linen panels and 300 miles of wool.

Enough to stretch the entire length of Scotland.

Tapestries were, of course, our medieval predecessors’ Instagram.

The oul cloth

William the Conqueror’s victory over King Harold was famously depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.

And even in our modern digital age we have reverted to a love for the oul cloth.

With Belfast and the North of Ireland, a popular location site for Game of Thrones.

Chronicling that GoT world in its very own tapestry.

A rich thread runs through Gala from its inception in 1124.

And you’ll work out from that that there will be big events for its 900th anniversary next year.

When we visit to see an old university buddy, Al, a fellow Glaswegian but adopted Gala Braw Lad of a quarter of century, he is clearing up.

From a balcony party for said Braw Lads.

The Candy Man

Sweet stuff: Jock gets his Coulter’s Candy from Robert

The Braw Lads Gathering is a commemoration of the victory of local lads over the English back in 1337.

With the English ambushed while they ate local plums.

And to this day Soor Plums are given by the girls to their lads in the ceremony.

Now Soor Plooms as Scots of a certain age will know is a boiled sweet which brings us to Gala’s other claim to fame.

Adopted Gala weaver Robert Coltart manufactured an aniseed-flavoured confectionery in neighbouring town Melrose.

And he sold it around the Borders towns, marketing it to the local children in distinctive style which is marked in Gala’s Market Square.

Sing me a lullaby

The song was a jingle for the aniseed-flavoured confectionery that he manufactured in Melrose.

And sold around the markets of the Border towns.

Alas his candy has gone but his jingle has become legend, sung by mums and dads as lullabies to their kids a sample of which we bring you here.

Courtesy of Donovan, and then the Irish Rovers…

‘Ally bally, ally bally beee
Sittin on yer mammy’s knee
Greetin for a wee bawbee
tae buy some Coulter’s candy.’

With a bawbee an ancient coin and Coulter’s a variation on Robert’s surname.

Candy to go

The song has travelled wherever Scots have gone.

As I found out at the Barbados Celtic Festival in Bridgetown on my ambassadorial visit to Barbados.

When the teacher of the wee Bajans led her class in a recitation of Coulter’s Candy.

And if you’ve got more than a day visit in the Borders, and we’d encourage you to bide awhile, then check out Visit Scotland’s site for accommodation within your range.

Countries, Ireland, UK

Random Quacked Of Kindness Day

17th February 202217th February 2022 funtime65

Where these things come from Heaven knows but where we’re going with this is a shout out to my old pal Julie Hastings who has reimagined it as a Random Quacked of Kindness Day.

And yes, you can have that one Julie.

Hastings Hotels supremo Julie and me share a very important interest…

We’re both quackers about rubber ducks.

And she was good enough both to host me at the group’s flagship Belfast hotels the Grand Central and the Europa.

But also to send me on some from her collection (I’ll come to the many names for a group of ducks in a minute, and it’s not that) after I’d suggested names for her latest novelty ducks.

The Duckess of Cornwall

Lor’, love a duck: Duck and Duchess of Cornwall

When Camilla was visiting… and I came up with the Duckess of Cornwall!

Now Julie rarely misses an opportunity to get her rubber ducks in a row.

And so has been gifting them at the company’s head Offices today at their offices at the side of Stormont Hotel.

It’s a great quacked of kindness in what has been deigned by someone somewhere Random Act of Kindness Day.

There have, of course, been too many to count across my Travels from our holiday providers, our dream makers.

Five friends

Hit the road Zach: My pal Zach from Mississippi

There has been the wonderful gesture from Zach at Visit Mississippi.

He only had a courier bring the mobile phone I had left in a hotel 100kms back, to Jackson, on the MLK50 odyssey in the Deep South.

The hotelier who sent up two bottles of wine and a fruit basket to my room on my Greek odyssey.

After I had bust in on an aged couple post-coitus in the Intercontinental Athenaeum in Athens after I had been given the wrong door pass at reception.

The whole town of Monaghan in Ireland who rearranged their weekends to accommodate us.

When we turned up a week early (I give The Scary One one job to do, one job to do!).

Monaghan mates: And Sherry got us a table

Bertha at reception in Switzerland (it’s a recurring theme) who waived my carelessness in leaving the shower running.

In my rush to join my group and catch the train in Interlaken.

All of which meant water dripped from the ceiling into the breakfast room.

And Julie, of course, who I have never admitted to but it is true.

That I was caught short and was sick on the carpet of her beloved Grand Central Hotel.

After one of her famous hospitable nights watching Van Morrison at the Europa and then following it up with a nightcap (or three) in the Crown Bar.

What’s a group of ducks then?

Now I doubt whether I’ll ever reach the numbers in Julie’s rubber duck fleet, flock, company, diving, paddle, skein or wabbling.

And note to self, enough wabbling.

And on behalf of all of us, well done again Julie for your generosity on Random Quacked of Kindness Day.

Alas, every day cannot be so if you want to get your hands on one of the famous Hastings Ducks then you will have to book a room.

The duck will be free but the rest will be on the bill.

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My Sporting Weekend – ice hockey

23rd November 201923rd November 2019 funtime65

Every writer remembers their first paid commission – mine’s was for a piece for ice hockey magazine Powerplay.

For €30… which gives you some kind of idea how long ago that was.

I think it was an interview with a hockey player from the Balkans where it’s more popular than here in Ireland.

And the player had fled the war-torn region which I had the pleasure to visit this Autumn.

*On a wing and a prayer: With Wild Wing*

And saw that as it should be the passions were now being contained to the football pitch and the ice rink….

Ice hockey is the world’s fastest sport, and my reporting career in that sport was equally quick.

In fact you’ll find my part in the Bracknell Bees story merits but a footnote of a footnote.

Still I have kept up my interest in the sport of which renowned American scribe AJ Leibling wrote:

‘I went to a fight last night and an ice hockey match broke out.’

But it took until this year for me to pick up a stick in anger in Anaheim under the nose of their mascot Wild Wing…

On my Californian adventure https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/06/22/my-weekend-with-marilyn/ and https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/07/03/stair-wars-3/.

Best check out Visit California www.visitcalifornia.com.

While ice hockey has struggled to get a skatehold in the south of Ireland our friends in the North are all over it.

Belfast’s SSE Arena will be host to the Friendship Four 2019 American College tournament on 29-30 November.

It will be the fifth consecutive iteration of the contest, the only collegiate tourney outside the US.

Now American collegiate sport is another ball (or puck) game and its adherents are fanatic.

Aer Lingus www.aerlingus.com have held a biennial American Football match at the Aviva, home of Irish rugby.

Which I took the Scary One and Daddy’s Little Girl to a few years back.

And where I got talking to some fanatical Gridiron fans.

All-action. Photo by Markus Spiske temporausch.com on Pexels.com

It wasn’t for the Scary One who asked me during the third quarter if it was in the rules to throw the ball forward!

Princeton, Colgate, Northeastern and the University of New Hampshire will compete for this year’s Belpot Trophy.

And you can be one of the 20,000 spectators… visit www.friendshipfour.com.

For the kids. Photo by Anton Belitskiy on Pexels.com

You might even see The Son and Heir there who has been at the heart of my Belfast jaunts… Belfast Chilled.

An everyday adventure at the Grand Central Hotel with its seahorse symbol which anchors Belfast.

See https://www.grandcentralhotelbelfast.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvJWM5qiA5gIVR7TtCh2WZQTUEAAYASAAEgJ5CfD_BwE. And also https://visitbelfast.com.

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