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.
