At the Stormont

We said our farewells to my family in Cavan, the farm

and the beautiful horses (much nicer than the pigs)

and headed for our BnB for the next two nights. We were staying at Pinecroft Country House

in Millisle, on the Ard Peninsula, a really lovely part of County Down. Right next door is the Ballycopeland Windmill, the only working windmill in Ireland.

After unpacking our car we drove to Belfast to meet another cousin who had contacted us, wanting to meet us.

The Reverend Fred Greenfield was the host of a concert we were invited to by Michelle McIlveen, a local MP. I'm not sure how we got such an important invite, my newfound cousin, Sylvia, organised it. She thought we might enjoy visiting Stormont Estate.

The concert was held in The Great Hall at Stormont (Parliament Buildings, Belfast), a most beautiful setting.

The hall has a beautiful ceiling.

It's also great that the concert was held here because nothing else has been happening in parliament in Northern Ireland for over two years. Now, how can a country function without parliament sitting you ask, good question! Most in the North are asking the same thing. Anyway, back to The Reverend.

He is a retired Free Presbyterian minister with a loud voice, a piano accordion, nine singing grandchildren, a large repertoire of jokes and a passion for all things to do with salvation. I thought we had seen the Reverend Ian Paisley reincarnated! (Look him up if you are curious).

Our concert began with The Kingdom Heirs, not the main act! Followed by The Reverend leading us in a medley of hymns, piano accordion front and centre, followed by the singing grandchildren and The Rev, followed by some jokes, the MP, the Air Ambulance's spokesperson, more hymns and then....The Bellbrae Boys from Monaghan, senior singers of country gospel. I was ready for the whole thing to end right then but it didn't!

I think Sylvia was feeling awkward with her newfound cousins by interval, asking if we were tired. We lied! And resisted the urge to buy a CD.. and continued to endure more of The Rev and The Bellbrae Boys. The Rev preached a short, sharp salvation message and took up an offering and the event was finished off with another singer singing the final hymn, now he could sing beautifully. I was wishing he'd done the whole concert, and then we were released...

Michelle, the MP, took us on a personal guided tour of part of the building, including the old Senate room.

That's Sylvia with us in the old Senate which isn't used anymore for governing but many committees meet here. The inquiry into the controversy which is stopping the parliament from functioning met in this room. Michelle had lots of interesting stories about the building, the ceiling, a fire and the chandeliers. This one was a gift to King George V from Kaiser Wilhelm 11 and had been hung in Windsor castle until the beginning of WW1. It was considered inappropriate to stay in the royal residence, considering the war, so was given to Stormont.

An enjoyable tour of an impressive building.

Dinner was shared in one of the local haunts with Tom and Sylvia. Tom is another joke machine! There seems to be something familiar about Irish men and jokes.