Unfortunately I was unable to make the Festival but my new friend and acquaintance Mr. Alan Beck and his son went along on Sunday to sample the delights of the day. Here’s what Alan had to say…
Re the Hilden Beer Festival
Live on stage at Hilden BreweryChilling out in the tepee.
A typical wet Sunday afternoon . It was . But it wasn’t . Those who took Courage in hand , or indeed , many other fine liquid refreshment , found that the Hilden Beer and Music Festival was the place to go on such a day.
Tents, awnings , tepees , umbellas and see through pacamacs defeated the elements and let everyone enjoy the ambience and bonhomie that was as evident as the beer and the beat . The music was raunchy , the kiddies danced and splashed in the puddles, the adults talked and tippled , and the food was just perfect for the occasion .
Enjoying the craic!
The musicians had us all shaking and spilling our drinks in time to the tempo. To those who didn’t make its a case of “Sorry can you come back next year !” We certainly will .
Alan C Beck
Thanks very much Alan for your input and for kindly allowing us to use your images from the day. Hopefully next year we’ll get a pint together!
The glass is definitely half full - Images courtesy of Mr. Alan C Beck.
Thank you also to Frances from Hilden Brewery!
If you would like to see your review of an NI event published at www.whatsonni.com please forward to Jacqueline at info.whatsonni.com.
Not knowing what to expect as I had not been to the Lammas Fair for many a year, we all bundled into the car (no, not the dog too) late Monday morning and headed off to sunny Ballycastle.
Now I am a regular visitor to this beautiful town, as that is where all the clever stuff for the website is done at the Enterprise Centre, grace a Glenovation. But it had indeed been transformed into a hive of trade and tradition.
Making some great music (and some pocket money).
The streets were lined with traders of all sorts from perfume to crossbows (my daughter rather worringly had her eye on one)! We had a very pleasant stroll along the streets stopping every now and then to listen to the multitude of country singers promoting their new cds and trying to outsing each other!
The wee man from Strabane.
There were plenty of characters about enjoying the sunshine and the atmosphere – the wee man from Strabane was giving her dixie at the harbour with the BBC Radio Ulster Outside Broadcast – Downtown Radio also had an outside broadcast on the go.
There was all the usual – fortune tellers (seventh daughter of the seventh daughter), knock down perfume, yellow man, balloons, dulse, horse fair, fun fair, food, you name it. Thankfully there was only one shower which played itself out while we were kitting out three kids out with new school shoes at at great wee shoe shop called Gillians – they guy who measured my son’s shoes had the heart of a lion I can tell you!
Getting ready to kick up their heels.
If you have never been to the Lammas Fair or haven’t been for some time I would definitely recommend it for a good day’s craic. You never know who you will bump into – old acquaintances as I did – it’s a very social (af)fair. Parking facilities were more than adequate with a quad on hand for anyone who got stuck in the field – like us – everyone out and push! The PSNI were in attendance and also seemed to be soaking up the carnival atmosphere and mingling with the good natured crowd. Well done Moyle Council!
Paul McCusker and Chris Love of Feile FM have very kindly asked us to do regular feature on the drivetime show on a Friday. So tune in to 103.2 FM if you are in the Belfast area or you can listen live online at www.feilefm.com.
Paul and Chris said they would like me to come to the Studio every week as opposed to a phone in – how great is that! But hang on a minute – I have a sneaking feeling they only want me for my buns……………………….of the fresh cream variety supplied by Ditty’s Home Bakery of Castledawson – and Friday is fresh cream Friday.
If you have not yet paid a visit to Dittys of Castledawson or Magherafelt you do not know what you are missing. My hands down favourite has to be their chocolate muffins – my mouth’s watering just thinking about them! Robert Ditty is a personal hero to my three children who hold him in the highest esteem – I dare not drive through Castledawson without a visit to the bakery that has received a Royal visit/seal of approval. I have also heard Gerry Anderson saying he often samples the delights on offer in the bakery.
” Robert Ditty is known far and wide for his inspirational work in promoting Northern Ireland’s unique bakery tradition. He’s the driving force behind the Artisan Bakers of Northern Ireland, a guild of home bakeries. Ditty’s Home Bakery is a thriving third-generation bakery based in Castledawson, Northern Ireland.
Its delicious sweet and savoury biscuits are handmade using only the finest ingredients. Ditty’s biscuits are sold in many high-end restaurants, food shops and hamper companies throughout the British Isles, Europe and the USA.” (source www.dittysbakery.com – couldn’t have put it better myself so I left it to the experts but Mr. Ditty is an inspirational man with great vision).
I cannot finish this blog without bigging up my new friend Stephen Brown of The Adventure Team in Gortin – featured on this evening’s Gary and Danielle’s Northern Exposure with Gary Lineker and his fiancee Danielle stopping by for some moutain biking. Check out the website at www.theadventureteam.co.uk.
If you have an event to promote – any type of event, any size, anwhere in NI – list it on www.whatsonni.com – it’s free and user friendly.
Open Coffee Coleraine hosted their second meeting last night and was once again a resounding success – more new faces which was great to see – the word is getting out. Personally I don’t have a problem walking up to complete strangers and introducing myself – after all – that’s why we are there. As I was in a bit of a hurry last night (the cupboards were bare at home and a quick shop in Asda beckoned) I was a bit like a speed dater – on speed!! I met some interesting people from a variety of industries who all seemed genuinely interested in what I do.
It’s not necessarily about passing business,but forging business relationships, sharing ideas, networking and having a chat over a nice cup of coffee (or tea).
I am delighted to say that the first Open Coffee Mid Ulster will take place somewhere in the Magherafelt District on Wednesday 9th September 2009. Interest is high and we are anticipating a healthy turnout.
The Open Coffee movement has it’s roots in London – originally putting the emphasis on entrepreneurs/business start ups. However the we are keen to point out that the key word for the Mid Ulster Open Coffee Club is “Open”.
For more details go to www.ocmidulster.com, find us on facebook or follow us @OCMidUlster. Venue to be confirmed asap.
As some of you may or may not know, the brains behind the beauty of whatsonni.com is the very talented (and patient!) team of web designers and programmers at Glenovation in Ballycastle, Co. Antrim. I had no hesitation writing the testimonial you can see here featured in their new brochure.
Glenovation Testimonials
We have had some very constructive feedback since going live at the end of June and I spent Sunday collating the best of the ideas for add ons / amendments for the site to discuss with Ricky yesterday. As usual the ideas were well received, discussing the pros and cons and coming up with the best and most user friendly solution. No matter how complicated the programming becomes at the back end of the site, the most important criteria is to keep the site as simple to use as possible while providing as much functionality for the user as possible.
Please feel free to add your two pence worth! All ideas are taken on board and religeously noted in my faithful black hardback notebook/bible.
So thanks to everyone who has chipped in to date. We will keep you up to date with new features as they go live.
Check out what Glenovation can do for you and your business at www.glenovation.com.
At last- with two reluctant children, one submissive child and husband in tow – I managed to make it to the Tall Ships Festival. Yes, I know what you are thinking – that’s 3 times this week she’s been to Belfast! It was well worth it and completely lived up to the hype for me and my kids who were more than glad I had twisted their little arms into accompanying me.
We spent the afternoon along Clarendon Dock – the weather was perfect and the ships were certainly a sight to behold. I was glad we had not opted for the Co. Down coast as apparently the traffic was brutal.
The Europa sailing out of Belfast Harbour
The ships began their voyages home bang on time and we were kept well informed of what was what through the pa system. The kids favourite was without a doubt the Bounty which looked magnificent as it sailed on into the distance at full sail. Personally I liked the look of the Europa – a bit more majestic.
There was a fantastic carnival atmosphere along the docks and it was obvious that the event had attracted visitors from all over Ireland as well as further afield – we were beside a family from France. The crowds had certainly turned out in force for the finale and were not disappointed.
The view from the ferris wheel - busy busy!
Despite some recent bad press we were impressed with the ease with which we were transported to the city centre, having parked at Fortwilliam Park and Ride – we were able to get on a bus straight away and within minutes found ourselved amidst the festivities on the dock. The Market was bustling with an ample variety of food to choose from. The prices were not extortionate – as some people may have been lead to believe. (All the pirates were on the Bounty, not selling burgers!). No queues for toilets which were aplenty – and when it was time to go home the journey was as painless as getting there. We just missed a bus but were surprised to see 3 more waiting to ferry us back to Fortwilliam. 10/10 for organisation Belfast! We had a great experience.
Enjoying a pint in theHilden Brewery Tent
Something else that caught my eye in the market was the Hilden Brewery tent – the cider seemed to be going down a treat! Which brings me nicely on to this months Hilden Beer and Music Festival which will take place on the weekend of 28th August. This event has a full listing on the site. For full details click see main website and search “Hilden”. Three days of locally brewed beverages and music – what a great way to pass the weekend!
Friday saw me travelling up to Belfast again (wow – twice in one week!) to meet the host of the popular drive time show of Féile FM – the lovely Paul McCusker. I met Paul on Facebook and he very kindly invited me to the studio to give whatsonni.com a plug and also to do an update on a few events across NI.
I have to admit I was VERY nervous but Paul really put me at my ease and I wasn’t quite the blubbering mess I thought I would be! I also had the pleasure of meeting Chris Love from Love PR who just happens to be working on the launch of the Appletise Stylefix tour which launches in Mary’s Bar Magherafelt on the 20th August – that promises to be a great night – check out the listing on the site for full details. I’ll be there to offer my support.
If you haven’t tuned into Feile FM yet I highly recommend it – great tunes and chat with a great variety of shows covering just about every subject. You can tune in on the radio on 103.2FM if you are in the Belfast area or listen online at the link below. Thanks again Paul and Chris!
At last plans are under way for an Open Coffee Mid Ulster. I had the pleasure of meeting with Dawn Baird of Sensei Learning and Performance (www.sensei-winbeforehand.co.uk) and Stephen Brown of The Adventure Team (www.theadventureteam.co.uk) earlier this week to start planning the launch of the first Open Coffee Mid Ulster.
The date has been set for Wed 9th September at 6.30pm with the venue to be confirmed. Open Coffee is a regular, open and informal meeting of businesses ( emphasis on the word “open” ). There will be no formal demos or presentations, just networking and sharing of ideas.
If you are interested please go to the website at www.ocmidulster.com – you can become a fan on facebook from the site and follow us on twitter @OCMidUlster – and check the local press for more details. A full listing will be posted here on www.whatsonni.com under the business category.
Personally I love the idea of informal networking – no pressure, no formalities – just turn up for a coffee and a chat and see what happens.
Thanks to Dawn and Stephen for their help – we make an awesome team!!!!!
After a long absence from the Belfast social scene (approx 21 years!!) my niece and I ventured to the big smoke last night at the kind invitation of Donal Doherty to attend the launch of the Converse Models Agency.
Catherine and me waiting for the fashion show to start.
The venue was the fabulous Ivory Restaurant / Bar on the 3rd Floor at the House of Fraser, Victoria Square where we were greeted with welcome drinks and a goodie bag (always a good start).
Belfast turned out in force to support the launch with the press well represented. We were treated to a fashion show supported by HOF – not to forget hair by Regis, the make up by Estee Lauder and the compare for the evening Citybeat’s Robin Elliott.
Entertainment was in the form of new up and coming girl band Voodoo – what great girls – happily had their pic taken with my neice – and can they sing – they were awesome – in the words of Randy Jackson – you can blow!!
All in all a great night was had by all and the party was just getting started when we left at 10pm. It all ran like clockwork and may I just say that Melissa who manages the Agency is probably one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen.
Me with the lovely Voodoo girlsCitybeat's Robin Elliott, CompareMore action from the catwalkDonal
Well I had a great time in Botanic yesterday with my friend Chris – thanks to the Belfast Taste and Music Fest. Not knowing what to expect we were more than pleasantly surprised.
A bargain at a fiver for the entertainment and great company we met on the day. Being from the heart of mid ulster it was fanstastic to meet a friend of mine the minute we got through the gates who very kindly introduced me to the enigmatic Connie Cunningham and her husband – it was a great pleasure.
Two years in planning every angle was covered. We arrived to the dulcit tones of Juliet Turner – perfect afternoon music – and then the boulevard of chefs mini restaurants with all the aromas floating through the air – it was a very difficult choice but found I spent most of my little branded tokens on original Chicago Pizza. Believe me – it was more than good!
Jimmy - what a great guy!
Although I noticed while I was enjoying my pizza that the longest queue seemed to be for Mr. Paul Catterson of Mango Maghera (almost a neighbour of mine). All being well Paul will be supplying some gourmet treats at this years Lough Neagh Food Festival on the 12th September.
Then James Huish and his band lit up the stage with their Micheal Buble style easy listening medley – this guy has a great voice – I loved it, but sadly not as much as I loved Jimmy Bannos’s Blueberry Blasters!!
So huge congratulations to Connie and her team – for all her hard work pulling off such a huge event (it’s not as easy as some people might think). Everyone is talking about it very positively – NI needs more events like this – pulling people together from all backgrounds to enjoy good the amazing food and music that NI has to offer.
The Main StageThe Boulevard from a distanceKeeping the hungry public happy!!And Ireland loves Chicago! (Pizza)
If you haven’t tuned into Feile FM yet I highly recommend it – great tunes and chat with a great variety of shows covering just about every subject. You can tune in on the radio on 103.2FM if you are in the Belfast area or listen online at the link below. Thanks again Paul and Chris!
