My hometowns

I have two home towns.

Dartmouth is my home. And I am proud of it. It is where I grew up, where I went to school, played sports, and where Darlene and I chose to raise our family.

I met Darlene in university, she was at Kings and I was at Dal. After school, we both moved away. She went to Moncton and I took a job with Procter and Gamble in Sudbury, Ontario. Eventually we came back to Dartmouth and we were married 27 years ago. I love Dartmouth and will always be a Dartmouth guy.

But I have another hometown. I was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where my roots run deep.

My mother was born and raised at 89 Eglington Ave., Belfast. She was the daughter of Bernard and Cecilia McCartan, and had five  sisters and a brother.  After school she attended Queens University, Belfast where she earned her teaching degree. It is also where she met John Patrick Savage, a medical student who played rugby at Queens and served as the President of the Students Representative Council.

His father was from County Down, just outside Belfast. My grandfather had also  earned his medical degree at Queens, and then moved to Wales where he and his wife had two children, John and Michael Savage (a barrister and my namesake ).

My older sister Shelagh was born in Aldershot, England. My sister Jane and I were born in Belfast, Philip and Patrick and Barney (named after Mom's father) were born in Wales and baby Brigid was born in Canada. All of us identify strongly with our Irish and Welsh heritage.

I have visited Ireland on a number of occasions. Darlene and I honeymooned there and have been back since. When my parents were dying most of our relatives came to visit, and it was important for us, particularly for my children who I hope will nurture that side of their heritage.

One of the wonderful touchstones of my parents’ illnesses was a prayer book that was introduced to us by our Irish relatives. The Glenstal Book of Prayer became an incredible source of comfort to us all as Mom and Dad lived through their challenging last months more than a decade ago. It was ancient Irish spirituality that brought grace and meaning to a difficult time. I think it reinforced the Irishness of the North American Savages.

I write this because I am headed to Belfast this week to be part of a technology conference. ( www.beltech2014.com). I was invited by the Lord Mayor of Belfast , Mairtin O Muilleoir, and the conference organizers to be part of the opening and part of a panel on how cities are fostering innovation.

I haven't met the Lord Mayor but we have exchanged letters and delegations. Last fall I met a delegation from Belfast who brought a letter from the Mayor expressing interest in forging a stronger relationship between two Titanic cities. (Belfast commemorated the anniversary of the Titanic in a big way in 2012 www.titanicbelfast.com). He also was pleased to recognize my birthplace, and some similarities in our background.

In addition to the conference we have arranged a number of meetings with local business leaders and university officials, and we’ll learn more about Belfast’s 90 million pound investment in the Titanic.

Belfast in a major international city that has weathered the troubles of sectarian violence. It is a beautiful city in a beautiful country that has been scarred by a troubled history.

The city’s Latin motto is 'pro tango quid retribaumus', which translates roughly to 'from those to whom much is give, much is expected'. My parents preached that philosophy, likely unaware of how closely it was connected to our former city.

I am very happy to return to Belfast, however briefly. I hope to see some relatives, and to see and touch parts of my early life and to reconnect to my past.

It is exciting to return to my original home town as the Mayor of my real home town. I will speak proudly of Halifax's accomplishments as an innovative city. In the short time I have been Mayor I have seen our city release data to our citizens, hold a “hackathon” to create new useful apps, open up our budget process, invest in new technology for our transit.

Last year I spoke at the Charitable Irish Society dinner about my connection to Ireland. It matters to me. It is part of me. Everyone should be so lucky to have two home towns.