George Best's Funeral

lovablemum · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 4068 Location: Northants

Stormont funeral for George Best

Football legend George Best is to be buried in Belfast on Saturday after a funeral service at Stormont.
It is expected to be one of the biggest funerals ever seen in Northern Ireland, with thousands of people expected to line the route to Parliament Buildings.

NI secretary Peter Hain agreed Stormont should be made available after an approach by the Best family.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and the club's chief executive David Gill will attend the funeral.

Best's agent Phil Hughes said he would fly to the city with the former NI international's body on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, NI Sports Minister David Hanson has said he has not ruled out calling the proposed new Northern Ireland sports stadium after George Best.

Mr Hanson said it would take time before a final decision would be made but he said it was important that Best was remembered in an appropriate way.

The funeral cortege will leave the Best family home in the Cregagh area of east Belfast at 1000 GMT on Saturday. It will then go along a three mile route through east Belfast to Stormont.

Once there, it is thought there will then be a mixture of a public and private ceremony for the world famous footballer.

It is expected to take place in the Great Hall inside Parliament Buildings and be relayed to those outside by a public address system.

Many sporting stars, including team mates from Manchester United's European Cup winning side of 1968, together with current representatives of the club, are expected to attend.

DUP East Belfast MP Peter Robinson said Stormont was chosen because the size of the estate would allow the public to take part in the service.

After the service, the cortege will go to Roselawn Cemetery where Best will be buried beside his mother.

There will then be a gathering for family and friends of the famous player at a Belfast hotel.

There are to be other memorials too, the 60s singer Don Fardon hopes a re-release of his 1972 song Belfast Boy can become the Christmas number one.

"Whatever they decide to do, whether they decide to erect a stature, wherever, whatever the proceeds of the record are I shall make a decent contribution towards that," he said.

Prayers were said on Sunday in churches across Northern Ireland, after Best, who had been ill with a serious lung infection since October, died on Friday.

Manchester United players and fans were among those paying tribute to the footballer ahead of their first match since his death.

There was a minute of applause before their game against West Ham. His former United team-mate Sir Bobby Charlton thanked them for showing respect.

On Saturday, a minute's silence was held at Irish League matches in honour of the east Belfast man.

The Irish rugby team wore black armbands for their match against Romania in Dublin as a mark of respect.

Hundreds of people also queued to sign a book of condolence for the former star at Belfast City Hall.

Floral tributes have been left at the Best family home on the Cregagh estate in the east of the city and flags are flying at half-mast in the borough of Castlereagh.

Best was made a Freeman of the Borough in 2002.

The CIS Cup Final between Glentoran and Linfield scheduled for next Saturday has been put back to 10 December because of the funeral.

lovablemum · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 4068 Location: Northants

Thousands to attend Best funeral

A total of 32,000 people will be allowed into Stormont grounds for George Best's special funeral service.
Entrance to Belfast's Stormont park grounds will be restricted because of health and safety concerns.

Footballing legend Best, who died in London on Friday, is to be buried in his home town on Saturday.

Fans have been advised to line the cortege route as opposed to trying to get into the Stormont estate which is expected to fill up very quickly.

Police chiefs, senior civil servants, transport experts and even concert promoters have been involved in the planning of the event.

The chief executive of Castlereagh Borough Council, Adrian Donaldson, said several hundred people were working behind the scene at Stormont in preparation.

"These include staff from Castlereagh Borough Council, Northern Ireland assembly staff, civil servants, police, many other agencies and civilian contractors."

He said the capacity for the estate was about 32,000 people and public safety was paramount.

"The largest capacity crowd before was 20,000 for The Eagles concert."

He added: "It will be the first 32,000 who arrive here (who will get in), so my advice would be to arrive early in the morning.

"We cannot open the gates for safety reasons until 0900 GMT, so I would ask people not to arrive before 0900 GMT.

"We have planned a very long funeral processional route and I am asking people to please view the procession along that route.

"We have arranged park and rides in Ormeau Park, in the Odyssey, Titanic and the Dundonald icebowl.

"We cannot relay the service outside of the parliament estate. Inside the estate we have a number of plasma screens on which we will relay the service."

Family home

Current Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and former Northern Ireland internationals Pat Jennings, Gerry Armstrong and Martin O'Neill are expected to attend the Stormont ceremony.

It will be led by TV presenter and Manchester United supporter Eamon Holmes.

Popular Belfast singers Brian Kennedy and Peter Corry are to sing.

Best, who had been ill with a serious lung infection, died on Friday. He is to be buried beside his mother, Ann, in the family plot in Roselawn cemetery after a funeral service at Stormont.

A large part of east Belfast will come to a standstill as the funeral cortege travels the three-mile route from the Best family home in the Cregagh area at 1000 GMT on Saturday, on its way to Stormont.

It is expected to be one of the biggest funerals ever seen in Northern Ireland, with thousands of people expected to line the route to Parliament Buildings.

A trawl of hotel sites on the internet reveals a heavily booked weekend in the city, but some accommodation is available.

Janice Gault of the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation said this was a "busy time of the year" in any event.

"The George Best funeral will have an impact on it but the last number of weekends in Belfast has been particularly busy," she said.

There will be no additional commercial flights over the weekend, but airports are expecting more private charters.

NI secretary Peter Hain agreed Stormont should be made available after an approach by the Best family.

~~debbydo~~ · Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 19980 Location: Hertfordshire

I have it recorded will do my own review when i get time..

lovablemum · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 4068 Location: Northants

Never watched it