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Van Morrison bade farewell to his old friend with a song as the funeral of "inspirational" historian and politician Dr Ian Adamson was held in Co Down.
He sang the Ulster unionist intellectual's favourite song, Into the Mystic, in front of a hushed congregation at Conlig Presbyterian Church.
President Michael D Higgins was present and Dr Adamson’s coffin was carried by ex-Formula One racing star Eddie Irvine, whose first race Dr Adamson had bankrolled.
The politician, medical doctor and historian, who died aged 74, served as lord mayor of Belfast in 1996-7, high sheriff in 2011 and was a Northern Assembly member for the constituency of East Belfast from 1998 to 2003.
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He was the author of a series of books exploring the origins of Ulster identity and saw the region as the “interface” between Ireland and Scotland.
Mr Irvine’s sister, Sonia, said: “Ian will be deeply missed by our family, who flew from different parts of the world to show our love and respect for a truly inspirational man.”
Close friend Wesley Hutchinson said Dr Adamson supported exploration of the shared history of St Columbanus, an Irish Catholic monk who studied a few miles from Dr Adamson’s Conlig birthplace and spread Christianity throughout Europe during the Middle Ages. He added: “He was able to see a link between an Irish monk and young unemployed loyalists on the Shankill in the 1980s.
“He was able to use the one to instruct the other, to offer an alternative model to sectarianism and violence that blighted everyday life for so many. He offered an alternative model to the sectarianism and violence that blighted everyday life for so many.”
He added: “He effected a sea change in loyalist opinion in extending their imaginative co-ordinates in time and space.”
Dr Adamson helped establish the Somme Heritage Centre, which commemorates the sacrifices made in the trenches by many from Northern Ireland.
He was known for his passion for culture and languages, founding the Ulster-Scots Language Society in 1992 and speaking several other languages, including Irish.
Mr Hutchinson described him as a "cultural activist" who challenged stereotypes. He wrote a series of books – The Cruthin from 1974 being the best known – as part of a body of literature exploring the pre-history of Ulster, what Mr Hutchinson termed an "alternative narrative" of its origins and forming a common identity with the Gaelic past.
He said: “He managed to turn material that might otherwise have seemed obscure into something relevant to the everyday lives of people.”
Dr Adamson advised DUP founder and former Stormont first minister Ian Paisley on historical and cultural matters during his latter years. Several unionist and Sinn Féin politicians were present at the funeral thanksgiving service on Monday.
Mr Hutchinson added: “Ian’s work is based on the premise that the past is not a trap, it should be used to open up opportunities for dialogue in and on the future.”
Dr Adamson’s coffin was carried from the church and taken for cremation. – PA