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Gary Moore another shining star who rose from east Belfast

By Lindy McDowell
Thursday, 10 February 2011

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The sad news of the death of guitar legend Gary Moore is a reminder once again of an intriguing fact about Belfast - the sheer scale of brilliance that has emerged from the east of the city.

George Best, Danny Blanchflower, Van Morrison, CS Lewis, Eric Bell, James Ellis ...

East Belfast (and its public representatives) always seem oddly modest about its achievements and history.

Yet those often mean streets (of those mentioned above only Lewis came from a middle class background) have produced truly world class genius.

Throw in the fact that this was the place where they built the Titanic and you have, surely, the basis for a fairly impressive local museum. (I know they're working on a Titanic one - I'm thinking of something a bit wider.)

Other cities would give their municipal eye-teeth to be able to boast of such an array of diverse and spectacular genius in one small geographical area.

But the east (and its public representatives) don't often bang the big drum about it.

Why is that? Isn't it time the east awakes to tourism potential?