Thomas M Sinclair - Ulster-Scots entrepreneur

This morning I attended a service in Sinclair Seamen's Presbyterian Church for the Northern Ireland Disabled Ex-Service Men's Association and the Royal Naval Association.  It is an annual service and each year Belfast and Newtownabbey councillors receive an invitation to it.  The preacher was Rev Dr David McGaughey, minister emeritus of Mourne Presbyterian Church and a former moderator of the Presbyterian Church.

The church was built by the Sinclair family as a memorial to John Sinclair of The Grove in North Belfast, who died in 1853, and his nephew Thomas Sinclair was the treasurer of the congregation for forty years.  On the wall beside the pew where I was sitting there was a memorial to two members of the Sinclair family, both of whom died in America while they were still under forty.  At the bottom was the text 'Be ye also ready Matt 24:44' and the fact is that both young men were indeed ready to meet the Lord.  The following is a short account of one of them.

Thomas McElderry Sinclair (1842-1881) was the son of John Sinclair of The Grove and after completing his education he entered the family business of J & T Sinclair.  The company was based nearby in Tomb Street and produced cured hams and bacon. 

It had an international reputation for its products and in 1862 Thomas M Sinclair went to America to develop the business in that country.  He landed in New York and established a packing house for the curing of bacon and hams during the winter season.  Later he decided to withdraw from the old business and establish an independent business in New York.  This was a great success but a fire in 1866 destroyed the plant.

Eventually Sinclair decided to move his business nearer the source of supply and in 1871 he moved with his wife and child to Grand Rapids in Iowa.   There he built a packing house and developed a business which became one of the most important industries in the United States.

At that time Cedar Rapids had a population of just 5,000 people and Sinclair did much to develop the town.  For example he organised the provision of a fresh water supply.  He was also an elder in the Presbyterian Church and held a Sunday afternoon Bible class for men in his home, as well as a Friday night prayer meeting in his factory.  When the Coe Collegiate Institute got into difficulty he paid off its debts and arranged for it to come under the auspices of the Synod of Iowa.

Thomas M Sinclair died in Grand Rapids on 24 March 1881 as a result of an accident in his factory.  A Sinclair Memorial Presbyterian Church was built in 1903 and there is a T M Sinclair Memorial Chapel in Coe College.  Today Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and both the city and Coe College owe much to the young Ulster-Scot who arrived there back in 1871.

North West 200

I travelled up to the North Coast today for the 2010 Relentless International North West 200 Race Day.  As well as watching some of the races from the paddock I visited the BBC complex, the media centre and the emergency services, and was able to view one of the races and see the entire course from a helicopter. 

Sports Minister Nelson McCausland on the grid with motorbike racer John McGuinness. McGuinness went on to win the Superbike race at the annual sporting spectacular.

This is the largest annual sporting event in Ulster and indeed in Ireland and the organisation behind it is extremely impressive.  Great credit must go to the race director, Mervyn Whyte, and his staff and team of volunteers.

The North West 200 shows that Northern Ireland is capable of hosting and organising world class events at the highest possible standard.  Each year this event draws more than 100,000 people and depending on various factors it can even reach up towards 150,000.  I saw visitors today from many countries around the world and such events are an important boost to the local economy.

The Northern Ireland Executive provides support through DETI and DCAL, for promotion and for safety.  Every year the organisers improve the safety of the course and this year, for example, a chicane was added at Mathers Cross and improvement works were carried out at Station Corner.

Such is the popularity of road racing in Northern Ireland that with ongoing support, with the leadership of Mervyn and his team, and with the dedication of the volunteers, the North West 200 can go from strength to strength.  Moreover with events such as this and the Ulster Grand Prix there is no reason why Northern Ireland cannot be the 'road racing capital of the world'.

Mount Vernon youth project

Brenda Dowie, Jacqueline Stewart, Nelson McCausland, Shannon Beggs & Rebecca McClure

A group of young people from the Mount Vernon estate in North Belfast have been taking part in a cross-community project with young people from Portadown, Ballymurphy and Claudy and last night they had a meeting in the Community House to showcase their part of the project.

Brenda Dowie, Jacqueline Stewart, Shannon Beggs, Rebecca McClure & Alex Hobson

The project, entitled Away from Violence,  has been organised by Public Achievement, which is a youth focussed civic education organisation.  Through a series of residentials, practical workshops, exhibition visits and groupwork, the young people were equipped with the relevant skills to create their own exhibitions and reflect the communities they live in.

Brenda Dowie and Alex Hobson work for Public Achievement and both the organisation and the young people from Mount Vernon are to be commended for this worthwhile project.  The website of Public Achievement is http://www.publicachievement.com/

North West 200

Last night I hosted the final media conference at Stormont for the 2010 Relentless International North West 200.

The North West 200 started in 1929 and this is the 81st year of the race.  It is organised by the Coleraien and District Motor club and it is a race with a long history and a great tradition.  It is also one of the fastest road races in the world.

In recent years my department, through Sport Northern Ireland, has contributed significant financial assistance towards health and safety improvements on the circuit, including £100,000 last year and a further £80,000 this year.  This is in addition to government funding of £135,000 given through the Events Unit to support the event.

The North West 200 attracts about 250,000 spectators and brings around £8 million into the local economy.  It is therefore a worthwhile investment and the race is the jewel in the crown of our road racing calendar.

Coleraine Ulster-Scots

A new Ulster-Scots Resource Centre is being developed by the Coleraine Ulster-Scots Regeneration Group.  The centre is based at 3a Union Street and the members have done an excellent job in fitting out the first floor of the building.

The Orange Hall was built many years ago on land provided by Hugh T Barrie, a Scottish businessman  who was also the Ulster Unionist MP for North Londonderry and it was opened on Easter Monday 17 April 1911 by Mrs Barrie.

I had the privilege of openign the centre and among those present were Gregory Campbell MP, Coleraine mayor Councillor Sandy Gilkinson and MW Bro Robert Saulters, Grand Master of Ireland, as well as Henry Millen chairman of the CUSRG.

European & Ulster Highland Dancing Championships

The European and Ulster Highland Dancing Championships were held in the Ulster Hall in Belfast on 9 and 10 April.  The competition attracted around 200 dancers from Scotland and around 100 from Northern Ireland.

It is very encouraging to see the growth in Scottish highland dancing in Ulster and is another illustration of the way that east-west connections with Scotland are being strengthened.

Forum for Local Government and the Arts

The Forum for the Local Government and the Arts held its 2010 agm in the historic setting of Clifton House in North Belfast.

I was delighted to be able to attend and set out for the delegates our vision for the development of the arts sector and the growth of the creative industries in Northern Ireland.  In the future local government will have an enhanced role to play in supporting the arts and in that context FLGA will also have a greater role.