Belfast goes back to its musical roots

CULTURE:BELFAST CITY COUNCIL is turning to the city's rich musical heritage in the hope of attracting more tourism and making Belfast the musial Mecca of the North. After all, if Dublin can do it, why can't Belfast?

Although lacking a band of the stature of U2, Belfast can lay claim to some of pop music’s most respected artists, including Van Morrison, David Holmes, Duke Special and a goodly portion of Snow Patrol.

The Belfast Music Coach Tour will bring visitors through the streets and sights that inspired many of Morrison’s classic songs, stopping at venues that have hosted gigs by Led Zeppelin, the Clash and U2, and saluting the city’s famous sons and daughters, including Gary Moore, Ruby Murray and Stiff Little Fingers.

The tour finishes at Belfast’s Oh Yeah music centre to visit the Belfast Music Exhibition, which tells the story of Belfast’s music, aided by rock’n’roll memorabilia, including platinum discs, badges, lyric sheets and backstage passes.

The centre was named after an Ash song and set up as a resource for the city’s young musicians.

In recent months the New York Times and GQ have run features on Belfast’s music scene, and a survey by the VisitBritain website found that 21 per cent of tourists, when choosing a destination, are positively influenced by a city’s music and culture.

The official launch happens on Monday with a concert at Ulster Hall featuring some of the North’s best musical talent. The coach tour gets up and running next Friday, with the music exhibition due to open on April 2nd.

www.belfastmusic.org. The tour will run fortnightly from March 13th and weekly from May 1st. Tickets are £8 (€9) from Belfast Welcome Centre, 47 Donegall Place, 048- 90246609, www.gotobelfast.com. The tour departs Ulster Hall, Bedford Street, at 4pm and ends at Oh Yeah, Gordon Street at 6pm. 048-90246609