The ideology of the Warrenpoint General Holiday is alive and well, hundreds of workers celebrated the end of the tourist season (on the second Monday of September) by taking the day off and travelling on a trip to Belfast or Dublin.
Cumann Pheadair Naofa’s major social initiative took place on Monday 14th September to coincide with the traditional Warrenpoint General Holiday. Seamus (Homer) Murphy Social Initiative co-ordinator for St.Peters GAA club Warrenpoint took some 48 older members off the local community to Belfast.
The group left Warrenpoint in the most modern of coaches supplied by McAnulty Yellow Line coaches Warrenpoint for a guided tour of parliament buildings Stormont. The tour started in the great hall with photos of the group taken on the famous stairs leading to the first floor, followed by a talk on the architecture, design, symmetry and symbolism behind one of the best known buildings in Ireland. Our guide was a young girl from Poland who invited the group to take their seats in the Senate Chamber before relating a very informative and entertaining talk on the history of what was called the upper house of the NI parliament. The tour ended with a visit to the Assembly Chamber viewing gallery where we witnessed ‘business as usual’. Some made a visit to the gift and coffee shop before joining the coach and travel to the world famous Europa hotel for lunch.
Following an enjoyable three course lunch the diners were addressed by the St.Peters GAA club social initiative co-ordinator Seamus Murphy. He thanked them for their support and added a special thank you to evergreen supporter Sean Carr who took the photographs. Seamus acknowledged many apologies received from members who could not attend and he asked the group to remember fellow travellers no longer with us, may their souls rest in peace.
The Europa is a short distance from Belfast’s top shops and iconic pubs and travellers were given an hour to shop, however the iconic ‘Crown Public House’ opposite was a popular attraction for many. The coach left Belfast for Warrenpoint at approx 4pm and the sing song and short stories made the journey a memorable and joyful experience.
