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Van Morrison bade farewell to his old friend with a song as the funeral of \u201cinspirational\u201d historian and politician Dr Ian Adamson was held in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\nVan Morrison bade farewell to his old friend with a song as the funeral of \u201cinspirational\u201d historian and politician Dr Ian Adamson was held in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
He sang the unionist intellectual\u2019s favorite song \u2013 Into The Mystic \u2013 in front of a hushed congregation at Conlig Presbyterian Church in Co Down.<\/p>\n
President Michael D Higgins was present and Dr Adamson\u2019s coffin was carried by ex-Formula One racing star Eddie Irvine after he bankrolled his first race.<\/p>\n
The politician, medical doctor and historian, who died aged 74, served as Lord Mayor of Belfast in 1996\/7, high sheriff in 2011 and was an Assembly member for the constituency of East Belfast from 1998 to 2003.<\/p>\n
He was the author of a series of books exploring the origins of Ulster identity and saw the country as the \u201cinterface\u201d between Ireland and Scotland.<\/p>\n
Close friend Wesley Hutchinson said: \u201cHe offered an alternative model to the sectarianism and violence that blighted everyday life for so many.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cHe effected a sea change in loyalist opinion in extending their imaginative co-ordinates in time and space.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Adamson helped establish the Somme Heritage Center, which commemorates the sacrifices paid in the trenches by so many from the north of Ireland.<\/p>\n
The pediatrician set up community pediatric services in Belfast.<\/p>\n
He gave close family friend Sonia Irvine, Eddie\u2019s sister, his university medical books when money was tight.<\/p>\n
She paid an emotional tribute to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIan will be deeply missed by our family, who flew from different parts of the world to show our love and respect for a truly inspirational man.\u201d<\/p>\n