Highlights of 2019

During 2019 the dog family in Miller McCormick has expanded from Elsie and Finn from the two offices, with the addition of Charlie and Hugo, two Red Setters owned by our new colleague Richard Fitzsimons.

We continue to work in conjunction with Extern Homes and 2020 sees the prospect of expanding their activities beyond Greater Belfast.  We are delighted to support this worthwhile cause, one of several chosen.  Others include Committee Member for the Portrush Raft Race and Fundraising for the RNLI.

Undoubtedly, one of the main highlights of 2019 was the highly successfully staged event of The Open Golf Championship returning to Royal Portrush after an absence of 68 years.  The event showcased Northern Ireland in such a positive light, buoyed by the success of Shane Lowry, an Irish Golfer winning.  Rory dusted himself down after his early exit re-establishing himself as the World No 2 Golfer at the end of the year.  The success of this top sporting event has ensured a likely return within the next 5 -7 years.  This is such a contrast to numerous negative stories throughout the year, including the debacle of the Iconic Wright Bus Company and Harland and Wolff going into administration, but thankfully salvaged and with new management the future appears brighter.

The decisive election result in December 2019, albeit still not to the liking of many locally may at least provide clarity going forward and end some of the political uncertainty.

Despite the political uncertainty both at a local and national level throughout most of 2019, the Residential Housing market still remained relatively buoyant in relation to most other regions of the UK.  Let’s hope this trend can continue.