Tickets have been launched for Land of Giants, one of the most exciting and surprising events ever seen in Ireland.

The once-in-a-lifetime experience will be staged in Belfast at the Titanic Slipways on the 30 June in front of 18,000 stunned spectators.

Audiences will be treated to an astonishing mix of state-of-the-art digital animation, dramatic special effects, fireworks, gravity defying aerial performances all played out on a stage almost 200 metres long – even the Titanic Belfast building gets a starring role.

Giant letters spelling LAND OF GIANTS TICKETS helped announce the launch – each letter was held by one of nineteen specially trained performers from Belfast Circus School. Each of the perfectly honed artists has undergone intensive preparations that will enable them to undertake the technically challenging set pieces happening throughout the 45 minute extravaganza on 30 June.

Tickets, which cost £10 for an adult, £6 concession and £28 for a family, are available from the Belfast Welcome Centre with the option of booking online at www.gotobelfast.com, via telephone on + 44 2890246609, or in person at the Welcome Centre in Belfast’s city centre.

Learn more about Land of Giants via their Facebook page,
facebook.com/landofgiantsni, Twitter account @landofgiantsni – or their website, www.landofgiants.info.

Presenter Linley Hamilton with Soprano Rebekah Coffey and The Mayor of North Down, Councillor James McKerrow launch the free tickets for The Ulster Orchestra’s Special Jubilee Concert, taking place in Castle Park, Bangor this June Bank Holiday weekend.

Music lovers are to be treated to a feast when a spectacular line-up of musicians will be taking to the stage to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The grand finale of this special two day event, on Monday June 4th, will be an open-air concert performed by the Ulster Youth Jazz Orchestra and The Ulster Orchestra. The wonderful Youth Jazz Orchestra will take to the stage at 6pm followed at 8pm by The Ulster Orchestra. Presented by Linley Hamilton and conducted by Stephen Bell, this special Jubilee concert will also feature international soprano star Rebekah Coffey performing to her home crowd! Join us as they perform popular classics from around the world – from Tchaikovsky to Morriconi concluding with Rebekah performing Lerner & Loewe’s beautiful “I Could Have Danced All Night” as finale.

Rebekah Coffey is fast becoming a household name in her native Northern Ireland. The winner of the 2004-2006 Young Artist Platform Scheme, she has seen her career develop on both the operatic stage and the concert platform.

Newtownards-born Rebekah has performed roles with Opera North, English Touring Opera, Opera Theatre Company, Castleward Opera, Buxton Festival, Opera 2005, Lyric Opera, Castleward Opera. She has also performed at the Aldeburgh Festival, Buxton Festival and Belfast Festival at Queens. In 2009, Rebekah made her Proms debut at Proms in the Park at Hillsborough Castle and recent débuts have also included her appearance on BBC Radio 2’s Friday Night is Music Night performing an evening of Gilbert and Sullivan music with the BBC Concert Orchestra.

The evening will conclude at 10.30pm when you’ll see the Town Hall move like it’s never moved before with a spectacular 3D Light Projection Show followed by the National Lighting of the Jubilee Beacon.
Please note the Monday evening activities are by ticket only. Tickets are free and are currently available for collection only from Bangor Leisure Centre, North Down Museum, Bangor Tourist Information Centre, Bangor Library and Holywood Library, however availability is limited so don’t delay, get your tickets now and come to Bangor to celebrate the Jubilee in style! Don’t forget to bring your picnic but please note that alcohol will not be permitted at this event.
For further information, please phone our Tourist Information Centre on: 028 9127 0069 or visit www.northdowntourism.com

When I received an email last week inviting me and a guest to sample Chris Bell’s Great British Olympian Menu at the River Room Restaurant in the Galgorm Resort I didn’t have to be asked twice!

If there is food involved we are there!  And not being accustomed to posh nosh we there was some trepidation in the air on the way to Ballymena.

However, we were greeted so warmly by the staff and Chris himself who went to great lengths to put us at our ease we soon relaxed  to begin our olympic, gastronomic journey. Having watched most of the GBM NI heats on tv I was familiar with some of the menu, but not all of it – and to say it was a treat is a gross understatement. You can read the menu for yourself below which was full of lots of wonderful flavours I had certainly never had the pleasure of tasting before!

Our compliments to the Chef for an outstanding menu which cannot fail to please the most discerning diner (never mind the couple from Upperlands who looked as if they had broken in!)  But don’t take my word for it. Go along to the River Room yourself and make your own mind up. Now snails in the fish course may not be to everyone’s taste but that’s OK – Chris generously offered to be flexible with that particular course – so if scallops are your thing then that’s not a problem.

We were asked what our favourite dish was… …so hard to decide but I really loved the rabbit tea….. and the better half of me? Well having the sweetest tooth known to man he really enjoyed the dessert of Jasmine, Apricots and Pistachio!

Just a word of praise also to the staff on hand – all of whom were excellent.

You can read more about the restaurant at www.galgorm.com, find them on facebook at www.facebook.com/galgorm or follow chris on twitter at www.twitter.com/chrisbell77 – who always has the good grace to reply.

Many thanks again to Chris and the Galgorm for their faultless hospitality. Recently awarded Best Hotel Restaurant for their region of Antrim in the All Ireland Irish Restaurant Awards 2012 –  we would like to take this opportunity to wish Chris and the River Room every success in the All Ireland Finals on the 14th May at the Burlington Hotel Dublin.

Chris Bell will be serving his menu from BBC 2’s The Great British Menu at Galgorm Resort & Spa’s River Room Restaurant until June 3^rd. For reservations, contact The River Room on 02825 881001.

Motoring enthusiasts are getting in gear for this year’s much anticipated Cultra Hillclimb event at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum on Saturday 2 June.

The event, the world’s oldest active speed Hillclimb, will see the museum turned into a motorsport venue for the day with a range of cars which span over 100 years, competing on the demanding course, with many others on display.

Organised by Thoroughbred Sports Car Club (TSCC) in association with the museum and supported by North Down Tourism, the event will mark the contribution of two of Ulster’s greatest engineers, County Down men Harry Ferguson and Rex McCandless.

So it is fitting that the Ferguson P99 – the only four wheel drive car to win a Formula 1 race when Stirling Moss drove it to victory in the Gold Cup at Oulton Park in 1961, will visit Cultra for the event.

It will be driven by Stuart Rolt, chairman of the British Racing Drivers’ Club whose father Tony was a Formula 1 racing driver and competed at the local Dundrod TT races.

Other highlights this year will be a range of agricultural, civilian and military four-wheel drive vehicles including the museum’s own McCandless racing car, a rare Jensen FF, an even rarer 4WD ‘original’ Mini and the and McCandless “Mule” 4WD Military Prototype.

This year marks 50 years since the launch of the MGB and a stunning selection of cars from the MG Owner’s Club Northern Ireland will be on display, whilst even more MGs than usual will compete in the Hillclimb competition.

Mark Kennedy, Road Transport Curator at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum said: “This year we will celebrate the work of two brilliant local engineers, Harry Ferguson and Rex McCandless who developed four-wheel-drive cars in the 1950s.

“We’re delighted to have the Ferguson four-wheel-drive Formula 1 car return to Northern Ireland for the first time in 50 years.

“The event will also celebrate half a century of the MGB sports car with a display of these desirable cars in the grounds of the beautifully restored Cultra Manor. This year’s Hillclimb will be a fantastic event for vintage car fans and families alike.”

TSCC President William Heaney, who is co-ordinating the event, said: “For several years the club and museum have been working to bring the P99 Formula 1 car over to Cultra. But it’s been well worth the wait to have this unique opportunity to bring both the Ferguson and McCandless inspired cars together in such an appropriate setting.”

“It’s especially good this year to be working with the local MG Clubs to celebrate a significant anniversary of such an iconic British sports car as the MGB.”

For more details on the Cultra Hillclimb event, visit www.nmni.com & www.tsccni.info

Major event day pricing is applicable.

LIMELIGHT BELFAST PRESENTS
KATE NASH
& SPECIAL GUESTS
THE LIMELIGHT
WEDNESDAY 4th JULY 2012
9pm / £14.50 / Over 18s

Kate Nash fans will be thrilled to hear that the Brit Award winning artist is making a return to Belfast to play The Limelight this July. Kate has been busy working on her as-yet-untitled third album in LA and has announced a UK tour, titled ‘Faster Pussycat Run Run Tour‘. It has also been revealed that Nash will star in two feature films this year, details of which are yet to be announced. Kate Nash sold out her Mandela Hall visit in 2010 and tickets for the Limelight show on Wednesday 4th July are onsale from Thursday 10th May at 9am priced £14.50 + booking fee on www.limelightbelfast.com, www.ticketmaster.ie, Katy Dalys Bar and all usual outlets.

Kate Nash’s whirlwind music career began in 2006 as a 20yr old MySpace phenomenon, before she even had a record deal. By April of the same year she had signed to Fiction, 2 months later ‘Foundations‘ reached number 2 in the singles chart, and by August she was celebrating a number 1 album, that had had to be rush-released due to public demand.

Since then, Kate has followed up with an acclaimed second album ‘My Best Friend Is You’ and is respected for her extra-curricular activities including co-founding the Featured Artists Coalition with Billy Bragg and Blur’s Dave Rowntree and being involved in V-Day – the global movement aiming to end violence against women.

Last year, shocked by the lack of British female songwriters (only 14% of songwriters in the UK that receive PRS are women), she launched Kate Nash’s Rock n Roll for Girls After-School Music Club as a platform to inspire teenage girls to start songwriting and making their own music. Nash is also one of the founders, along with Billy Bragg and Blur’s Dave Rowntree, of the Featured Artists Coalition, which provides a voice for artists at a time of dramatic change in the music business.

Tourism Minister Arlene Foster launched the new look MV Kestrel waterbus on Lough Erne on Friday 4th May.

The pleasure cruiser, owned by Erne Tours, has been rebranded using the ni2012 Our Time Our Place identity developed by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB).

Welcoming the commitment of Stephen Nixon, Managing Director of Erne Tours, to the NITB marketing campaign, the Minister said: “As a result of Stephen’s enterprise and investment in tourism , this colourful, eye-catching brand will now be visible on these magnificent lakes. It’s certainly the most spectacular way for visitors to enjoy all that Lough Erne has to offer.

“The ni2012 branding has been developed to send the strongest possible message that Northern Ireland is firmly focused on the future and that the Northern Ireland Executive is determined to create the opportunities which will benefit everyone.

“As she cruises the lakes, the MV Kestrel will surely be one of the most striking symbols of our ni2012 campaign.”

The Minister told other guests at the launch in Enniskillen that she is determined to ensure that benefits, likely to flow from the substantial investment in tourism are shared across Northern Ireland.

“Challenging commitments have been set in the NI Executive’s Programme for Government to grow the tourism economy. From our consultation with the industry on a strategy for tourism, Fermanagh has been identified as one of nine key Tourism Destinations. I want to stimulate the greater engagement of the local tourism sector and local people and create the conditions needed to meet our PfG commitments and draw many more visitors to Fermanagh and other regions in Northern Ireland.

“We will need everyone in Fermanagh to pull together to ensure that Fermanagh and Northern Ireland as a whole really does achieve its massive potential as a truly global tourism destination.

“If we get it right – and I am confident that we can and will do – tourism has the potential to contribute £1 billion to Northern Ireland’s economy by 2020, doubling the contribution it makes today, attracting 4.5 million visitors, up from 3.5 million today, and creating thousands of new jobs across Northern Ireland.”

Choose from our new range of mid week cookery classes at the Mourne Seafood Cookery School overlooking Kilkeel Harbour.

All the classes are designed to be fun, social occasions where you will pick up lots of handy hints and techniques that will impress family and friends. Choose from the Gentlemen’s Cookery Club (Mondays 11th, 18th & 25th June), Intro to Seafood (Tuesdays 29th May, 19th June, 10th July, 9th Aug ), Girls Nite Out (Wednesdays 13th, 27th June, 18th July, 1st Aug) or Come Dine with Me (Thursdays 7th June, 5th & 26th July). Classes run from 6 – 8pm and include 3 courses, starter, main and dessert, cost per person £30.

You will get hands on and then sit down and enjoy each course. You can bring a bottle of wine with you to enjoy with your meal. The classes are taken by chef Roger Moynihan, who has cooked around the world, including South Africa, America, Australia and England and currently chefs at the Sweet Pea Bistro at Annetts Garden Centre, Warrenpoint on Fridays and Saturday nights.

For dates visit www.mourneseafoodcookeryschool.com or to book telephone 028 4176 2525.

THE biggest Countrysports Fair in Northern Ireland is back this May and promises to be even better than before as the two-day spectacular expands to Three Great Events in One Giant Festival.

The hugely popular extravaganza is supported by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Lisburn City Council and saw 18,000 people attend last year. This year’s festival has been rebranded from The National Countrysports Fair to The Northern Ireland Countryside Festival and is celebrating its 10^th anniversary taking place at Moira Demesne on Saturday 26^th and Sunday 27^th May.

Families can enjoy all the fun of the fair as children under 16 years can enter free and this year will see three great events – the National Countrysports Fair, the Tea on the Titanic Festival and the Finn McCool Strongman Festival – rolled into one giant festival.

On display for all to see will be the Phoenix Falconry birds of prey, Drakes of Hazard sheepdog and ducks display and Gundog handling demonstrations. There will also be a chance for visitors to try their hand at countrysports activities including clay pigeon shooting, archery and falconry.

The Tea on the Titanic Festival will give guests the opportunity to relax and enjoy some entertainment, food and refreshments.  Music on offer over the weekend will include traditional music and dance from Hugo Duncan and band, The Bjorn Identity Abba Tribute Band and an Elvis Tribute act. There will also be a half-price evening ticket for those wanting to gain entrance and enjoy entertainment each evening from 5.00pm.

The Strongman arena is set to stage the Finn McCool Celtic Games, where five times UK Strongest Man Glenn Ross will host both the Highland and Celtic Games on Saturday 26^th May and the Irish Novice Strongman challenge on Sunday 27^th May. Some of the strongest men in the UK are down to compete in a mixture of traditional lifting, pulling and tossing cabers.

The event also offers novelty events including the Scruffs Dog Show on Sunday, where you can enter your pooch with the chance of being crowned ‘The Scruffiest’, ‘The One with the Waggiest Tail’ or ‘The One the judge would most like to take home’. There will also be a display of the ‘Titanic Dogs’ a Newfoundland, Pomeranian and Pekingese, three breeds of dog which survived the fateful sinking of the world famous ship.

Visitors can tantalise their taste buds at the Food Festival & Farmer’s market which attracts producers from Northern Ireland and abroad. The crafts fair gives visitors the opportunity to peruse a wide variety of country related products from walking sticks to candle making and there will also be vintage vehicles on display including tractors, farm machinery and a range of classic cars.

Event Director, Bill Beckett said, “This year the Northern Ireland Countryside Festival is bigger and better than ever. With the two additional events – Tea on The Titanic Festival and the Finn McCool Celtic Games, as well as the National Countrysports Fair, it really is set to be a fantastic weekend to entertain all ages and tastes.

[more…]

“Whether you want to come for the whole day to view the different displays, take part in the have-a-go events or enjoy the various stalls and musical entertainment as you sit back and enjoy some great food, not only are we providing something for everyone but as kids go free it’s a cost effective family day out.”

The Northern Ireland Countryside Festival runs from 11.00am – 9.00pm on Saturday and 10.30am – 7.00pm on Sunday. The adult admission fee is £10 and children can go free when accompanied by an adult.  The event also offers free on-site car parking.

More information on this and all aspects of the two-day festival is available from the show’s website at www.nicountryside.com and on Twitter @MoiraGameFair and Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalcountrysportsfair

Coca-Cola to get everyone in Northern Ireland to Move to the Beat of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, with the help of General Fiasco!

Coca-Cola has today announced that it will bring General Fiasco – one of the UK’s most exciting indie rock bands – back home to Northern Ireland for a series of spectacular Evening Celebrations along the route of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay.

Coca-Cola, a Presenting Partner of the Olympic Torch Relay, will bring some of the UK’s most exciting up and coming musicians to perform at the live, free-to-attend events taking place almost every night of the Olympic Torch Relay. Coca-Cola is working with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and host Local Authorities to give thousands more people across the country the chance to move to the beat of London 2012.

General Fiasco will play at the Olympic Torch Relay Evening Celebrations across Northern Ireland with performances at:

• East Strand Car Park, Portrush on 3rd June
• St Columbs Park, Derry, Londonderry on 4th June
• Pairc Esler, Newry on 5th June
• Belfast City Hall, Belfast on 6th June

Coca-Cola is encouraging everyone to bring family and friends to their nearest event to join in celebrating the inspirational Future Flames who will have carried the Olympic Flame through their community. Details on the Olympic Torch Relay can be found at: www.london2012.com/torch-relay/about/.

The events in Northern Ireland are part of 61 free Evening Celebrations happening along the course of the Olympic Torch Relay, which sees Coca-Cola taking some of the nation’s most exciting up and coming music acts on tour around the UK. The 61 dates will include performances from Emeli Sandé, General Fiasco, Katy B, Kids In Glass Houses, Little Comets, Loick Essien, Morning Parade, Rizzle Kicks, Tribes, Wombats, Wretch 32 and Young Guns.

Last month, Coca-Cola announced that in addition to the 61 Evening Celebrations, four Special City Celebrations will take place in Cardiff on 25th May, Glasgow on 8th June, Leeds on 24th June and Birmingham on 30th June, culminating with a star-studded finale in London’s Hyde Park on 26th July, the day before the Opening Ceremony.

The Hyde Park Olympic Torch Relay Finale concert – headlined by award-winning rapper Dizzee Rascal and featuring performances from The Wanted, a special performance by Mark Ronson & Katy B, Eliza Doolittle, You Me At Six, Rizzle Kicks, Wretch 32, Morning Parade, Loick Essien and Little Comets – will mark the end of the Olympic Flame’s route across the UK. Tickets costing £15 (plus order processing fee) are available via http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/coca-colacelebrations.

James Williams, Director, Olympic Torch Relay, The Coca-Cola Company, said:
“We know that music brings people together in celebration and as a Presenting Partner of the Olympic Torch Relay we have a fantastic opportunity to extend the magic and excitement of London 2012 to every corner of the UK. We are taking some of the nation’s most exciting musical talent on the road with the aim of getting Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK moving to the beat in celebration of their local Future Flames. We’re encouraging everyone to attend their nearest Evening Celebration – and the spectacular finale in London’s Hyde Park – to soak up the incredible atmosphere as the UK prepares to host to the Games.”

The celebrations form a key part of Coca-Cola’s sponsorship of London 2012 and unite its two campaigns, Move To The Beat, which fuses music and sport to bring teens closer to the Olympic Games through a unique collaboration with GRAMMY award-winning producer Mark Ronson and chart topping dub-step vocalist Katy B, and Future Flames, Coca-Cola’s Olympic Torch Relay campaign which celebrates the best of British youth by giving them the once in a lifetime chance to carry the Olympic Flame.

General Fiasco said: “We’re delighted to be playing as part of four amazing nights back in Northern Ireland in celebration of the Olympic Torch Relay. We feel very fortunate to be part of the event and on home soil. It’s an amazing chance for everyone to experience the buzz of the Games thanks to Coke and awe can’t wait to partake in the celebration of the inspirational Future Flames who are running with the Olympic Torch.”

For details on how to attend the Evening Celebrations in Northern Ireland visit www.london2012.com/join-in/whats-on. Tickets for the Olympic Torch Relay finale in London’s Hyde Park are available at http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/coca-colacelebrations. Registration for the Special City Celebrations in Glasgow, Cardiff, Leeds and Birmingham is now closed.

Internet sensation Poppy D will be in Belfast on Monday 14 May to encourage Queen’s graduates to ‘be inspired’ about their future career opportunities.  One of ‘London’s 1000 most influential people’ in 2011, Poppy D is the founder of ‘What I Wore Today’.

Jonathan Hill, President of Queen’s Graduates’ Association, said:  “We’ve invited Poppy D to address recent graduates and anyone who may still be considering which career path to take.  At 24, Poppy has an inspirational story to tell about how her blog earns her a living and we want to share it with those who are embarking on their careers.”

Poppy D will be joined at the event by Phil Watson, who graduated from QUB in 2008 and now works with LinkedIn.

To date Phil’s job has taken him to London, New York, Miami, Las Vegas and San Francisco.  Phil will share some insights into how every graduate, job seeker and employee can maximise their potential through the power of social media.

Be Inspired is supported by Hastings Hotels and will be held in the Great Hall, Queen’s University on Monday 14 May at 6.00pm.  Queen’s Graduates’ Association members can attend for £5 and non-members – and current Queen’s students – for £20.  For details on how to book your place at the event, simply log onto www.qub.ac.uk/home/Alumni/ or call tel 028 9097 3114.