Calvin and Knox

Recently Rev Dr Trevor Morrow, a former moderator of the Presbyterian Church, said, 'John Calvin remains a towering figure of influence in the church.'  [News Letter 11 September 2010]  Not only was he a powerful influence in the church but he was also a powerful influence in Ulster.

It was through the theology of John Calvin and the preaching of John Knox that the Church of Scotland was established as a Presbyterian and Protestant Church and the Presbyterian Church in Ulster is the eldest daughter of the 'mither kirk' in Scotland.

The Ulster-Scots settlers of the 17th century introduced Presbyterianism into Ulster.  They brought Scottish Presbyterian ministers with them and within a few years the Sixmilewater Revival embedded Presbyterianism in east Ulster.  The arrival of a Scottish Covenanter army in Ulster in 1642, to defend the Ulster-Scots settlers, led to the creation of the first Presbytery in Ulster and thereafter Presbyterianism was a powerful influence in the shaping of modern Ulster.

Food for body and soul

This morning I enjoyed a hearty 'men's breakfast' at the Templeton Hotel at Templepatrick.  The speaker was Roy Walker, former manager of Crusaders and now manager of Ballymena United.  He is a very able speaker and communicator and he spoke to us about his Christian faith and the challenge of the gospel.  He also reflected on the way in which the faith of a Christian should influence every part of his life if he is truly a 'follower of Christ'.

Earlier this week I was interviewed by a university student for his dissertation, something which happens on a regular basis with many politicians.  He is considering the relationship between faith and politics and during the conversation I recalled a little outline that I read some years ago about the biblical phrase 'man of God'.  The writer, Guy King, said that a 'man of God' is one who believes on Him, belongs to Him, and behaves like Him.  That is a very simple summary of what a Christian should be.

New republican band

A flute band has been established in Glasgow to honour an IRA terrorist who was killed when a bomb she was handling exploded prematurely.

The Volunteer Patricia Black Memorial flute Band was formed in February in Glasgow and its website states that it is 'politically aligned to Irish socialist republican party Eirigi'.

Patricia Black grew up in the Lenadoon area of Belfast and joined the Belfast Brigade of the Irish Republican Army at the age of 17.  Eventually she moved to London as part of an IRA Active Service Unit.  She died, along with fellow Volunteer Frankie Ryan, on 15 November 1991, when an explosive device she was carrying detonated prematurely near London. A British Army military band had been playing in a theatre on St Peter's Street in St Albans and the two IRA terrorists had planned to target the members of the band.

The new republican flute band makes its first appearance in Northern Ireland tomorrow night (18 September) at the Donegal Celtic Social Club on the Suffolk Road in West Belfast.  There will be some speeches, a performance by the band and then a disco. 

 

At a time when so much excellent work is being done to tackle issues such as sectarianism in football it is disappointing that such a prominent football club has allowed its clubrooms to be used for such an event by a 'dissident republican' band. I recognise that Northern Ireland is a society in transition but it shows just how far we still have to go.

Red Hand of Ulster

There will be many Red Hands on show in Dublin this weekend with the arrival of Tyrone GAA supporters but the Red Hand is indeed a wonderful 'cross community' symbol in Northern Ireland. 

Today the Irish News carried a short item from its issue of 17 September 1941.

Brooke extols Red Hand of Ulster

Sir Basil Brooke, the Northern Minister of Commerce, broadcasting in the BBC feature 'Ulster Gazette', said those of his listeners who had been to Ulster would remember how they liked shaking hands.

'Well we still shake hands,' he continued.  'We in Ulster have a hand as the emblem of the province, a hand that in the 14th century appeared on the scene of the O'Neills, the ancient Kings of Ulster.  It is a strong right hand - a hand that looks as if it could tackle a job - it is the Red Hand of Ulster.'

Belfast Music Week

I picked up a programme for Belfast Music Week and there is certainly an extensive programme of events, in a wide range of venues, running from 12 to 19 September.   Much of the programme is Irish traditional music but there is also some country music, soul, jazz and classical music.

However I was disappointed to see that there is nothing in the programme at all to reflect the music of marching bands.  It is Belfast Music Week and there are plenty of marching bands in Belfast.  Is their music not part of the musical diversity of the city?

We have some excellent bands and that will be reflected in the forthcoming Festival of Marching Bands in the Ulster Hall., which is supported and sponsored by the NewsLetter.  If flute bands, accordion bands and pipe bands can fill the Ulster Hall, in this case for two nights, and if they can also fill the Waterfront Hall, why were they left out of Belfast Music Week?

Another popular genre that has been omitted is gospel music.  We have plenty of churches in the city centre that could provide a venue and plenty of really good gospel singers and musicians.  And so my second question is why was gospel music left out of Belfast Music Week?

It seems from the programme that Belfast Music Week has been funded by Belfast City Council and the European Regional Development Fund and coordinated by the Council.

Perhaps one of the organisers can provide some answers and perhaps they can do something to compensate for these disappointing omissions.  If we are to build a shared and better future that accommodates our cultural diversity then we cannot afford to settle for cultural exclusion, where some cultural communities and some cultural traditions are locked outside the door.

James Galway

Tonight Belfast City Council held a reception in the Ulster Hall to honour the great Belfast flautist Sir James Galway. 

It was a very enjoyable event and there were contributions from the Lord Mayor, the chair of the development committee, and David Byers.  Sir James recalled his childhood days in Belfast and his introduction to music.

He also entertained us with a few tunes, including 'I'll tell me ma' and he certainly got our feet tapping.

World Police and Fire Games

Today I joined with the Justice Minister, David Ford, Cllr Pat Convery, Lord Mayor of Belfast, senior representatives from the PSNI, Fire Service and Prison Service, and Dame Mary Peters, to launch the 2013 World Police and Fire Games.  Dame Mary has kindly taken on the role of patron for the WPFG.

Later week, at the Executive, we got approval for a budget for the WPFG and so we can now move forward to the next satge.  So far the organisation of the games has been undertaken by an informal stakeholder group but it is proposed to set up a limited company to carry the project forward.

The games were in Vanouver last year, they will be in New York in 2011 and then they come to Belfast and Northern Ireland in 2013.  There will be around 10,000 competitors in the games and another 10,000 to 15,000 people will accompany them.  That will be a major boost for the tourist industry and not just during the games, because many of them will stay on beyond the games for a holiday.