We held our Sunday email epistle for a day to coincide with Van Morrison’s 70th birthday and concerts he will perform on Cyprus Avenue later today.

I plan to be caught one more time with him on that fabled Belfast street shortly on what will be a day when Belfast stands firmly on the bright side of the road.

Over recent days, we’ve managed to escape the dreary world of political paralysis for a feast of Van — facilitated in particular by the East Belfast arts extravaganza Eastside Arts Festival.

Established by the magician of the possible Maurice Kinkaid, Eastside Arts has demonstrated the healing and redemptive power of the arts. He’s the genius who came up with the idea of the birthday concert on Cyrprus Avenue — as a festival finale — and yesterday united east and west Belfast with a special Van tribute in Irish and English in the Irish language arts centre on the Falls An Chultúrlann, as a satellite of Eastside Arts. His concert brainchild has seized the imagination of the people of Belfast and brought in Vanatics from every art and part: 500 tourists from 10 countries have made the journey to Belfast for the birthday gig.

I was asked in an interview with Diane Byrnes on her Echoes of Erin programme from Pittsburgh yesterday, what’s more important music or politics? It was nice to get an easy question.

How can I prove music trumps politics? Here’s Into The Mystic, voted the best Van song ever by Radio Ulster listeners this week in a Van Top 70 to mark his birthday. You can hear the sensational 70 over six hours on BBC iplayer courtesy of broadcaster Ralph McLean.

Belfast is thankful for Van, as was demonstrated yesterday when a full house turned out in Fitzroy Church in South Belfast for a special service inspired by the Lion of Belfast (that’s what the Basques call him!). We had Full Force Gale, In The Garden and Into The Mystic, all linked back to Scripture by Minister Steve Sockman who was surely Lit Up Inside. And his sermon was the most challenging call to action for Belfast citizens you’re likely to hear inside or outside Parliament. Christians he said should be first in line to welcome refugees and the first to make peace with their enemies.

All of which brings us back to politics. But not today.

Happy Birthday, Van. Go maire tú an céad.