The Hyndford Street Sign

As well as performing two sold concerts at Cyprus Avenue in August, Van was also presented with the original Hyndford Street sign to mark his 70th birthday.

Belfast City Council had agreed to donate the street sign to Van, a Freeman of the City of Belfast, following a request from East Belfast MLA Sammy Douglas.

Explaining how the idea came about, Sammy Douglas said, “I had spoken to Maurice Kinkead from the Eastside Arts Festival early in 2015 about the idea of presenting Van with the original Hyndford St sign as a birthday gift.

“Officials in Belfast City Council who were very helpful in getting the sign removed and having a new one erected. I collected the sign from the City Hall and just about got it into my car, as it was quite long and extremely heavy. When I was in the process of presenting Van with the sign he jokingly remarked that I, ‘looked as though I was trying to play a guitar’!

“I was lucky enough to attend the Cyprus Avenue concert with my favourite moment being the performance of 'On Hyndford St'. It was a truly amazing song to end the show on what, was for many fans, a powerful and literally spiritual experience.

“For me, Van Morrison is not only an international, iconic musical legend, he is also a genius in his own right; whose songs have put Belfast on the map around the world.

“The week before the Cyprus Avenue show I met hundreds of Van's fans at events in East Belfast who had travelled from dozens of countries for the birthday party of a lifetime. It was clear to me, that for many of the fans I had spoken to, the Cyprus Avenue gig had become a pilgrimage to Belfast.”

Commenting on the sign, Van said, “This was a great gift to go with such a momentous occasion on both a personal and professional level.”