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Anight of culture that showed what people get up to at home

G o mbeannaí Dia daoibh agus you should all know the rest by now.

If The Bluffer were alive in centuries gone by, he would have been the kind of tiarna - a lord who would have sponsored the arts. Cláirseoirí - harpists would forever be strumming, Carolan would be a frequent visitor, ealaíontoírí would be covering the walls with paintings of his nearest and dearest, his leabharlann -library would be full of the great works of literature.

In other words, he would have been Ireland's greatest patron of the arts. Today, the Bluffer is not a lord but he is very fond of a wee bit of culture, high and low, and that's why Friday's Oíche Chultúir - Culture Night in Belfast was just brilliant on so many levels and here are some of them.

While listening to a trendy duo in Royal Avenue a smiling, young man walked past the Bluffer carrying a aonrothach - a unicycle. At the same time, a group of maybe five cars passed bedecked with Union Jacks and Scottish flags, an obvious reference to the result of the reifreann neamhspleáchais - independence referendum in Scotland. And it struck the Bluffer that while the

referendum did engage people here, there are millions of other things happening that are totally unrelated to politics and féiniúlacht - identity.

And the smiling young man with the unicycle was a symbol of that. The Bluffer started off in An Leabharlann Láir - the Central Library to listen to some relaxing snagcheol ghiofógach -Gypsy Jazz, the perfect early evening way to ease one into the night's festivities.

It was off then to the Harp to listen to some ceoldráma - opera in the form of Puccini and Pints but such was the queue outside that it was impossible to get in. But ba chuma - it didn't matter as there was so much more to do.

The next highlight was a banna práis - a brass brand all the way from Comber. The Bluffer has a fan of brass bands even since he heard the Salvation Army play Silent Night in a snowy Belfast City Centre when he was still in short trousers. The Comber Brass Band however, played Hey Jude, Run (by Snow Patrol) and a version of Rock Around the Clock that got everyone bopping along! Obviously that takes a lot of practice and the Bluffer thought of all the people all over Ireland who are doing things that are ordinary and extraordinary at ths same time, from

scileanna sorcais -circus skills, playing the trumpet, painting, writing songs, Irish dancing, hip-hop, draíodóireacht conjuring, everything. But tide and Culture Night wait for no man so it was the short distance to Rosemary Street Presbyterian Church to catch the end of the Féile Women's Choir sing Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, the South African National Anthem and a gospel song before catching the superb Beat Carnival parade which was truly mórthaibhseach -spectacular.

Roll on next year!