I meant to do this blog ages ago, and somehow, I got side-tracked. This is for David and Brenda, sorry, it's late.
On the 31st of March, I was part of a small and select group of people who were invited to the official opening of the Marlborough Clinic in Belfast.
The Marlborough Clinic has been built and opened by my great friends, David and Brenda Nelson.
It will become one of the premier dental facilities in the United Kingdom.
I know this to be true because it's not the first time David and Brenda have done this.
About 10 years ago or more they built Cranmore, which won every prize going in the dental awards and was lauded as being one of the best practices in the UK.
It's fair to say it was a huge part of the inspiration for the development of The Campbell Clinic.
David and I go way back both in dentistry and on our bikes but he’s one of the very few people who was right there for me in the darkest possible time when I needed help and didn't know where to turn.
And so, it was with huge joy and humility (I hope) that I accepted an invitation to say a few words at the opening of this, one of the most extraordinary healthcare facilities I've ever seen.
I thought for ages about what to do, what to say for my Irish best friends, something that would link Scotland to Ireland, something that they could remember.
And then I remembered that when we opened our own clinic on the 31st of January 2020 and on a video from many of my friends, Brenda had recited a poem.
I decided to seek out the poem.
I remembered a time back in 1987 where I was just about to play my first ever international against Ireland, and there was a song that I listened to over and over again for inspiration, that seemed very fitting.
The song is by the Waterboys, written by Mike Scott (I thought he was Irish, but he's actually Scottish, even more fitting) but they have an Irish contingent in their band.
The song, as I return to it, continues to give me huge inspiration.
The lyrics of the song are here, it's Spirit but there is also a joy of a video below, which is a fusion of the song ‘On my way to Tara’ which you should take the nine minutes to listen to because it is glorious and beautiful.
I tried to seek out the original Spirit, too, though, because it is a thing of true beauty.
The 31st of March 2023 will be a landmark because five years from now, people will turn up at the Marlborough Clinic and say to David and Brenda “it's alright for you” but let me tell you that it isn't, none of these things are ever easy.
But as I said as I spoke to the group, I will not wish them good luck because everybody knows they won't need it.
Safe travels my friends.
Blog Post Number - 3409