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East Belfast has produced an extraordinary number of poets, novelists, playwrights and musicians from world famous names like creator of Narnia, CS Lewis and singer Van Morrison to award-winning playwrights such as Marie Jones and Stewart Parker and actors James Ellis and Dan Gordon. Great novelists from the past, such as Forrest Reid and present, like Glenn Patterson, have links to East Belfast, while Northern Ireland’s greatest cultural icon, soccer legend Georgie Best grew up here.
Van Morrison
One of the most influential singer songwriters in the history of contemporary music, Van Morrison was born on August 31st 1945 at 125 Hyndford Street off the Beersbridge Road. He was educated at Elmgrove Primary School and Orangefield Secondary School. Many of the landmarks of his East Belfast childhood would find their way into his songs, including ‘Cyprus Avenue’, ‘Hyndford Street’ and ‘Orangefield’. Known as ‘Van the Man’, he achieved early success with the Northern Irish band Them, for whom he wrote their 1964 hit ‘Gloria’.
It was after embarking on a solo career that Morrison achieved his greatest fame. With a distinctive voice that is equally powerful singing blues, rock, R&B or jazz, he produced a series of critically acclaimed and bestselling albums, with songs such as ‘Brown Eyed Girl’, ‘Moondance’, ‘Domino’ and ‘Warm Love’ becoming standards. Perha
ps his most memorable live performance was at Belfast City Hall in November 1995, at a vital time in the peace process, before US President Bill Clinton and 60,000 people. His song, ‘Days Like This’, became the official anthem for the Northern Irish peace movement.
George Best
Belfast people have a saying, “Maradona good; Pelé better; George Best.” Pelé himself believed ‘The Belfast Boy’ was the greatest footballer ever to play the game. Born on May 22nd 1946, Best grew up on the Cregagh Estate in East Belfast, where he played for the local boy’s club. Educated at Lisnasharragh Secondary School, he was discovered by the local Manchester United scout who sent a telegram to Manchester United manager Matt Busby, "I've found you a genius".
Having arrived at United at the age of fifteen, Best made his debut two years later and went on to help Manchester United win two League championships and scored in their 1968 European Cup triumph against Benfica. He amassed 115 goals in 290 games during his career, including six in one memorable FA Cup tie. One of the most exciting wingers in the history of the game, he also played many times for Northern Ireland. After a long battle with liver disease he died on November 25th 2005 and his grave at Roselawn Cemetery in East Belfast is a shrine for thousands of visitors each year. Belfast City airport has been renamed the George Best City Airport in his honour and a large mural of him overlooks the Cregagh playing fields.
 CS Lewis
“The sound of a steamer’s horn at night still conjures up my whole boyhood”, said CS Lewis of his treasured East Belfast childhood. Clive Staples Lewis (Jack to friends and family) was the author of the world famous children’s books ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ and one of the most important Christian writers of the 20th century. He was born at Ballyhackamore House, 47 Dundela Avenue, on November 29th 1898 and baptised at St Mark’s Church of Ireland Dundela by his grandfather, the Rev Thomas Hamilton. Most of his childhood was spent at the family home ‘Little Lea’ on the Circular Road, where he and elder brother ‘Warnie’ would make up stories in the attic.
He attended Campbell College in Belfast in 1910 but was sent to school in England soon after. A professor at Oxford and Cambridge universities, the first of his seven Narnian books, ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ was published in 1950. His books have now sold over 100 million copies, while the film versions of ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ and ‘Prince Caspian’ have been among the most popular films of recent years.
(Pictured is ‘The Searcher’, a statue sculpted by local artist Ross Wilson, which was commissioned to mark the centenary of the birth of CS Lewis and stands outside the Holywood Arches Library.)
James Ellis
Born on March 15th 1931 in Gawn Street, East Belfast, James Ellis became one of television’s most recognisable actors playing Bert Lynch in the BBC series ‘Z Cars’, between 1962 and 1978. He was also acclaimed for his role as Kenneth Branagh’s father in the first of Graham Reid’s ‘Billy’ trilogy for the BBC.
Duke Special (Peter Wilson)
Vocalist and pianist Duke Special, who lives in East Belfast, is one of the UK’s leading alternative musicians. Since going solo in 2002 he has supported Van Morrison and Snow Patrol and in 2007 was nominated for three 2007 Meteor Music Awards, Best Irish Male, Best Newcomer, and Best Album for ‘Songs from the Deep Forest’.
Roy Walker
Born in East Belfast on July 31st 1940, Roy Walker began his working life as a riveter at Harland & Wolff, entering talent contests in his spare time. The Belfast comedian became nationally famous as the first host of the popular television game show ‘Catchphrase’ between 1987 and 1999 and has appeared on countless television and radio shows ever since.
Julian Simmons
One of the most popular broadcasters in Northern Ireland, Julian Simmons is a versatile entertainer, who has been UTV’s main continuity announcer for many years. He also presents programmes and is an accomplished comedian. Famous for his regular updates on Coronation Street, he has also made many appearances on television game shows in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Brian Keenan
Born into a working class East Belfast family in 1950, Brian Keenan was educated at Orangefield School. While teaching in Beirut in 1986 he was captured by Islamic Jihad and held for over four years, often in the most appalling conditions. The worldwide campaign for his release was led by his sisters. His book about his imprisonment and friendship with fellow captive John McCarthy, ‘An Evil Cradling’, won the Irish Times Literature Prize for Non-fiction in 1991.
St John Greer Ervine
An acclaimed writer and playwright, he was born in Ballymacarrett, East Belfast in 1883. He wrote several novels, as well as biographies of Edward Carson, Oscar Wilde and others. His plays include ‘Mixed Marriage’, ‘The First Mrs Fraser’ and ‘Friends and Relations’. He died in 1971.
Stewart Parker
Born in Sydenham, East Belfast in 1941, the multi-award winning playwright wrote some of the finest plays ever to emerge from Northern Ireland, including ‘Spokesong’, which won the 1976 Evening Standard Most Promising Playwright Award and 'Pentecost' (1987), which won the Harvey's Irish Theatre Award. He died in 1988.
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Glenn Patterson
One of the foremost novelists to emerge from Northern Ireland in recent years, his first novel, ‘Burning Your Own’ (1988), set in Northern Ireland in 1969, won a Betty Trask Award and the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. Fat Lad (1992), was shortlisted for the Guinness Peat Aviation Book Award. His 2004 novel, ‘That Which Was’ is also set in Belfast. Glen teaches Creative Writing at Queen’s University, Belfast and lives between Belmont Road and Newtownards Road.
Forrest Reid
Considered the finest Belfast novelist of his era, Reid was born in 1875. He lived for many years at No 13 Ormiston Crescent, Upper Newtownards Road. He wrote 16 novels, as well as two autobiographies. His novels include ‘The Garden God’, ‘At the Door of the Gate’ and ‘Peter Waring’. He was also a highly respected translator of Greek poetry. A friend of EM Forster, WB Yeats and Henry James, he died in 1946 and is buried in Dundonald Cemetery.
Sam Thompson
Born in 1916 and educated in a working-class Protestant area in Ballymacarrett, Belfast, Thompson was the seventh of eight children. He worked at the Harland & Wolff Shipyards. He began writing for radio in 1955. His most famous play was ‘Over the Bridge’. Directed by James Ellis and starring Joseph Tomelty it opened in Belfast in 1960. His television play ‘Cemented with Love’ appeared months after his death in 1965.
Marie Jones
One of the most successful playwrights to emerge from Northern Ireland, Marie Jones often draws on her working class East Belfast roots for inspiration. Born in Kathleen Street (since demolished), off Templemore Avenue, in 1951, the daughter of Harland & Wolff shipyard worker, she was a founder member of the Charabanc Theatre Company and the DoubleJoint Theatre Company. A stage and film actress (she appeared in ‘In the Name of the Father’) her most successful plays are ‘A Night in November’ and the West End and Broadway smash, ‘Stones in his Pockets’.
Dan Gordon
Best known for his portrayal of Red Hand Luke in the BBC NI television programme ‘Give My Head Peace’, the award-winning actor was born in Brandon Parade, off Connsbrook Avenue. Also famous for his acclaimed performance in Marie Jones’ one-man tour-de-force ‘A Night in November’, Gordon is also a highly regarded director and has presented and co-authored many documentary and factual programmes for television and radio.
Paul Yates
A poet, painter and filmmaker, Paul Yates was born in East Belfast in 1954 and began writing and painting from an early age. In 1976 his collection of poems and drawings, ‘Sky Made of Stone’, won international acclaim. Many of his film works, such ‘Master of the Canvas’ with 60s pop art icon Peter Bake, have been highly praised.
Roy McFadden
Born in 1921, Roy McFadden, who grew up in Ballyhackamore, was both an accomplished poet and promoter of other poets from the 1940s onwards. He edited two anthologies, ‘Ulster Voices’ and ‘Irish Voices’ and between 1948 and 1953 was joint editor of the magazine ‘Rann’. He died in 1999.
Blue Plaques
Joseph Campbell (1879-1944)
An influential writer, playwright and poet he wrote the words to ‘My Lagan Love’ and founded the Ulster Literary Theatre in 1904. The plaque is at 32 Castlereagh Road, where he was born.
Joseph William Carey (1859-1937)
A landscape painter, his best-known work is a series of paintings depicting the history of Belfast in the Ulster Hall.
The plaque is at his house at 31 Knockdene Park, off Knock Road.
Lt Col. William John English (1822-1941)
Lt Col English received a Victoria Cross for his heroism in the Boer War in 1901. He also served in the First World War. The plaque is at his house at 16 Knock Road, Knock.
James Johnston (1903-1991)
Britain's leading tenor from 1945 until 1958, he was a huge influence on post-war British opera. The plaque is at 55 Knock Road, where he lived.
Sir Henry Pottinger (1789-1856)
Born in Mount Pottinger, he became the first Governor of Hong Kong, after claiming it for Britain as a crown colony. The plaque is located on a residential block at The Mount, Mount Pottinger.
CS Lewis (1898-1963)
There are two plaques dedicated to the author of the ‘Chronicles of Narnia’, on the site of the house where he was born in Dundela Avenue (now a block of flats) and the family house, Little Lea on the Circular Road.
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