Danny Byrne Circular Report …. with title imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi
Arriving in Belfast for the Ireland vs Zimbabwe Test Match ……….
If I ventured in the slipstream
Between the viaducts of your dream
Where immobile steel rims crack
And the ditch in the back roads stop
Could you find me?
Would you kiss-a my eyes?
To lay me down
In silence easy
To be born again ………………………………………………… Astral Weeks – Van Morrison
I first listened this album in the 1970’s and it has always been one of my favourites of all time. Morrison had moved to Boston by the time he wrote the songs and many of them were reflections of his experience growing up in Belfast. In 1991 he released a song called “On Hyndford Street” further reminiscing on his teenage years and influences. He lived at Number 125 and pondered on – it’s always being now. This morning, I walked through the streets of East Belfast to see these places for myself and yes, the apples still hang over from the gardens on Cyprus Avenue. Hyndford Street is only a few hundred metres from Cyprus Avenue along Beerbridge Road, but the two streets are worlds apart. The small, terraced houses on and around Hyndford Street with their Union Jacks and Northern Ireland flags bear no resemblance to the leafy opulence of Cyprus Avenue with all the detached houses and beautiful gardens.
Well, I’m caught one more time
Up on Cyprus Avenue
I’m caught one more time
Up on Cyprus Avenue
And I’m conquered in a car seat
Not a thing that I can do ………………………………. Cyprus Avenue – Van Morrison
This area within East Belfast is approximately halfway between the City Centre and the Irish cricket ground in Stormont. Having purchased a day ticket for the Translink buses, I jumped back on the G1 “Glider” and got off at Summerhill Avenue as advised at the Visitor Information Centre. I found the ground easily enough – just a field beside a Pavilion, a bowling green and a few tennis courts. I clambered through the woods to get close to boundary and the groundsman pointed the way to where the entrance will be located tomorrow. Paul Stirling was having a net in the middle of the field while most of the other grounds staff were moving the covers around as if to get in some practice for when the match is under play.
There were a few small marquee tents with one supporting a sign that read “Bar”. There were no seats anywhere, no temporary stands and absolutely no shelter. Half a dozen portable toilets were stationed in one small area behind a fence. Perhaps as with the Indians and the West Indies, the Irish are just leaving everything to the last minute and by tomorrow there will be a fully functioning comfortable cricket stadium miraculously in place before Andy Balbirnie walks out for the toss at 10.30 am. Then again, this could be as good as it gets. Bring your own chair, a raincoat and a large umbrella and hope for the best.
Stormont will be the 123rd different ground to host a men’s Test Match and it will become the 83rd on my individual list of new grounds to watch the longer version of the international game. There are no indications from either side as to which players will make the final eleven, but it’s early days yet and the captains will need to make appropriate allowances for the playing conditions. The grass close to the boundary fence was certainly wet this morning and the chances are that the outfield will see even more rain as the day goes on. The forecast is not very promising for the first three days, but perhaps that’s normal for Belfast. The grounds staff I spoke with earlier would not be surprised if it rained forever, but we always live in hope.
At least I know the route to the ground in advance. The G1 leaves every 7 minutes from Donegall Square North. Get on the bus going in the opposite direction and you will end up on the Falls Road, which is exactly what I did next, but on purpose. As in the case of the two streets mentioned earlier, the contrast between the two sides of the city couldn’t be any starker. The bus started announcing the names of the bus stops in Gaeltacht as well as English as soon as it headed west from the City Centre. There were no more Union Jacks. The flags were either Irish tricolours, Palestinian or LGBT in recognition of this being Pride week in Belfast. There were murals on many houses on street corners celebrating the lives of Irish republican freedom fighters, hunger strikers as well as several Palestinian heroes. One of the many murals was being carefully repainted to preserve the legacy of Partick O’Connell or Don Patricio as he was widely known as – the Belfast Celtic and Sheffield Wednesday footballer credited with saving Barcelona from extinction during the Spanish Civil War as the manager of the Catalan club at the time.
Down on Cyprus Avenue
With a childlike vision slipping into view
The click and clacking of the high-heeled shoe
Ford and Fitzroy, and Madame Joy (George) ………… Madame George – Van Morrison
Please find below an excellent tribute to Andy Clark from Andrew Miller ……………….. https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/andy-clark-fanzine-tour-de-force-remembered-during-trent-bridge-test-1443635
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ALSO NOTE
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/the-troubles-of-northern-ireland-history
- https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0616/1147804-troubles-northern-ireland-colman-doyle-photo-woman-ira-belfast-1973/
- https://cricketique.live/2019/08/19/daniel-byrnes-reflections-awaiting-the-galle-test-encounter/
