A NEW trail tracing the places which inspired legendary singer Van Morrison has been launched by the man himself in east Belfast. The singer visited the 'Hollow', off the Beers-bridge Road, which is mentioned in his best-known song Brown Eyed Girl, to launch the 3.5km trail. The Mystic of the East - Van Morrison Trail connects the places that inspired Morrison with the lyrics from some of the musician's most celebrated songs. Speaking at the launch, Morrison said: "The Hollow, Orangefield, Hyndford Street, Cyprus Avenue, North Road, St Donard's Church, the Connswater River, all bring back happy memories of my years in the east." The singer is to perform three dates at his former school - Orangefield High School - between tonight and Sunday, as part of the East-Side Arts Festival. The trail, developed as part of the Connswater Community Greenway project, is a journey through those "ancient streets" where Morrison grew up. George Jones, former Monarchs band member and friend said: "Reading the trail takes me back to times spent with Van in Orangefield by the Beechie River. It's great the way the trail and the songs capture those memories and the landmarks that were an integral part of our childhood." Visitors who have downloaded a QR reader to their mobile phone can also listen to 12 song extracts at key spots along the trail, via QR codes. Wendy Langham, from the greenway project, said many people have asked the team about Morrison's links to east Belfast. "It is great that we now have The Van Morrison Trail to give to his fans which we know will be extremely popular with visitors and residents alike," she said. A trail map can be downloaded from www. communitygreenway.co.uk/vanmorrisontrail.
