[ Benjamin ] Yeah , just a couple a year . It sounds terrible actually . But we all just got to go home . Got a half day . Half the time I wondered if students were just ringing them in so they could miss their math exam or something . But yeah , I love Ireland . I love Northern Ireland . I ’ m really grateful for where I came from . I think it ’ s such an amazing place . The troubles there , I wouldn ’ t say they ’ re entirely behind . There ’ s still tension here and there . But it ’ s a completely different city . Even to when I was there . There ’ s this booming restaurant scene and really good coffee starting . It ’ s a really fun place to go back to actually . This is a plug for Belfast . I love it very much .
[ WM ] When you say Protestant , would that be more Anglican church than any other Protestant denominations ?
[ Benjamin ] It ’ s more of a political affiliation . It is rooted obviously , in church . I think really it was because when the British invaded
Ireland , they brought with them the Church of England . and before that it was predominantly Catholic . It just became this identifier , a way to recognize what team you were on and rooted in religious upbringing . But if you say back home Protestant or Catholic , people don ’ t think , oh , you go to church or you don ’ t . Atheist would still refer to themselves as Protestant or Catholic . It ’ s become a political identifier as opposed to as opposed to even a religious statement . That doesn ’ t mean there can ’ t be a religious statement attached to it . But yeah , it ’ s interesting . It ’ s really addressing a place . It ’ s crazy .
[ WM ] Thank you for that answer . Was there a proper worship moment or music that impacted you early on ?
[ Benjamin ] Yeah , there was a few . I grew up in the Salvation Army in the Cragar Road in Belfast . It was a great community . It was very much surrounded by music and people that were really devoted to building the church . My Dad was , and still is , a songwriter for Salvation Army . He ’ ll write lyrics for a lot of their choral pieces . He works with another guy in London , Andrew , who writes the music . I very much grew up around music and even grew up around songwriting , which I ’ m really grateful for . In retrospect , I grew up just thinking that ’ s something that you did . It ’ s just a part of life . But even before that , I ’ d have to check the year when it came out . But there was that and the Vineyard Hungry record . It ’ s still amazing . I still put it on from time to time . It ’ s such an authentic recording .