Month: November 2012

NITB launches an interactive ‘Dancing Stones’ booth to highlight the lesser-known legend of the Giant’s Causeway

THINK of Finn McCool and you instantly imagine a tough, mythical Irish warrior. You certainly don’t suddenly conjure up thoughts of an old romantic who stole the heart of a young lady through the art of dance.

But according to legend, Finn McCool was quite the charmer and at Northern Ireland’s most famous tourist attraction, the Giants Causeway, he once danced upon a stone to win the hand of fair Oonagh.

Now, many years on, myth has it that if you were to step on this very same stone, then you would immediately turn into an amazing dancer.

The Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB), in an attempt to find out if this is actually true, is giving folks the opportunity to dance on the stone and to experience its magic.

NITB will be visiting shopping centres in Northern Ireland with its new Dancing Stone interactive video booth and is encouraging people to have a go.

The interactive Dancing Stone video booth will be Victoria Square Shopping Centre, Belfast on November 17 – 18 and users can have a dance-off with the giant Finn McCool to get on the leader board.

Anyone who takes on Finn McCool will be in with the chance of winning tickets to the new Causeway Visitor Centre and one lucky person will win an overnight stay for a family of four at the Causeway Hotel.  To enter the competition scan the QR code or text DANCE1 to 87080.

NITB is also encouraging everyone to take a trip to the Giant’s Causeway to find the real dancing stone for themselves.

“Many people are aware of the myth that the Giant’s Causeway was built by Finn McCool as a way to reach his Scottish rival Benandonner,” said NITB’s Social and Digital Marketing Manager, Kathryn Leech.

“The story goes that Finn fell asleep and the Scottish giant came across to find him.  Upon seeing that the Scotsman was much larger than her husband, his wife Oonagh wrapped him up and passed him off as her baby.  Benandonner began to wonder what size the ‘child’s’ father must be and made his return to Scotland, tearing up the Causeway as he went,” Kathryn continued.

“The legend of how Finn won the hand of his quick-thinking wife by dancing on a magical stone is lesser known and NITB’s interactive video booth is a fun, interactive way of bringing this story to life.

“We’re sure people will be excited to take on Finn McCool to see if they can rival his impressive dancing skills.  We hope everyone will also take some time out to visit the Giant’s Causeway to search for the magical dancing stone and to share the legends that surround this unique tourist attraction with their families so they can continue to be passed down from generation to generation,” she added.

For more information on the Dancing Stone game visit www.discovernorthernireland.com/Win-Prizes-with-The-Dancing-Stone-A784 or to watch a video about the game visit http://youtu.be/iQq82UvyT9c

With less than 50 days til Christmas, Santa and his reindeer met with Todd and Carter from Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children to surprise them with the news that the charity will be supported by Hillmount Garden Centre this Christmas.

Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children and Belfast Operatic Company will benefit from funds raised in Santa’s Grotto which opens at the Castlereagh Hills garden centre with Santa’s arrival on Saturday 24 November.

If you would like to volunteer your time for the charities and be one of Santa’s elves at Hillmount this Christmas please contact Dawn at Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children on 028 9080 5599 or email dawn@nicfc.com

Stena Line doubles capacity to meet demand for new visitor attraction

TITANIC Belfast’s popularity is proving strong across the Irish Sea as leading ferry company Stena Line has transported 6,000 Scottish visitors on day trips by coach and car to see Belfast’s newest visitor attraction.

In recent months Stena Line has added extra dates for the coach trips from Cairnryan to Belfast and doubled the capacity to accommodate the demand for people travelling from Scotland to visit the popular Titanic exhibition.

Ian Baillie, Route Marketing Manager of Stena Line, is delighted with the popularity of the packaged day trips to the new centre.

He said: “Our day trips from Scotland to Titanic Belfast are doing exceptionally well, so much so that during the summer months we had to add extra departure dates to our dedicated coach trips from Cairnryan. By the end of October, Stena Line will have transported almost 6,000 Scottish visitors alone to the centre since its opening.

“Titanic is proving an extremely popular tourist attraction and is another excellent reason for passengers to travel with Stena Line to explore the sights of Northern Ireland,” Ian added.

Northern Ireland’s largest ever tourism project, which explores the Titanic story in a fresh and insightful way, opened in March 2012 and has attracted 600,000 visitors to date.

Tim Husbands, CEO of Titanic Belfast, believes that the Stena Line day trips are a fantastic package.

“Visitors from Scotland via Stena Line’s packaged day trips make up a significant proportion of our target annual footfall to date,” said Tim. “We are thrilled with our partnership with Stena Line and look forward to welcoming many more of its customers to Titanic during the Autumn and Winter season.”

For further information on a range of day trips with Stena Line to various locations across the UK, visit www.stenaline.co.uk/daytrips, call 08447 70 70 70 or visit your local travel agent.

17 yr old Irish singer – songwriter Janet Devlin announces a 4 date Irish tour in April 2013 to coincide with the physical release of her highly anticipated debut album.

To coincide with the launch of Janet Devlin‘s PledgeMusic campaign, former X Factor contestant Janet, has announced dates for her debut headline UK tour taking place in March / April 2013 with SD Entertainment

Tuesday 9th April 2013 – Cyprus Avenue, Cork

Wednesday 10th April 2013 – Monroe’s, Galway

Friday 12th April 2013 – The Village, Dublin

Saturday 13th April 2013 – Oh Yeah Music Centre, Belfast

Former X Factor contestant Janet Devlin, had very little singing experience before Kelly Rowland chose her for the X Factor live shows in late 2011.  Janet had previously uploaded singing videos to her Official channel on  YouTube on a regular basis, which have now reached over 10.5 Million total views Worldwide.

Her original X Factor audition has received well over 9 Million views on ITV’s Official X Factor YouTube channel alone. Whilst on the X Factor live shows, It was revealed that Janet had received the highest number of votes for the first Four weeks of the show, which was the highest consecutive public vote out of all the 2011 contestants.

Currently writing and recording with Grammy Award and Ivor Novello Award winning songwriter and Producer Eliot Kennedy, Janet has co-written tracks  for her debut album with the likes of Newton Faulkner and Jack Savoretti.

Tickets for Janet Devlin’s Irish tour will be priced at €14.50 + B/F for Cork, Galway and Dublin shows and £10 + B/F for Belfast.

Tickets will be on general sale Wednesday 7th November at 9am.

Official Janet Devlin website www.janetdevlin.com

Official ticket website www.ticketmaster.ie & www.wavtickets.ie (Dublin Only)

WITH the recent success of the Irish Open, Northern Ireland is maintaining its status as the “golfing capital of the world” and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) is encouraging everyone to explore golf courses across the country with the launch of a new golf guide.

The guide, ‘Northern Ireland Made for Golf’ has been distributed to tourist information centres, golf clubs and hotels across the country and is aimed at everyone from the dedicated golfer to the enthusiastic novice.

It provides a list and map of over 90 very diverse courses in every county from the world-renowned such as Royal Portrush or Royal County Down to hidden gems such as Galgorm Castle in Ballymena or Ardglass Golf Club in County Down.

NITB believes that the launch of the new guide should give everyone an opportunity to explore the excellent courses and facilities that are available right across Northern Ireland.

“Northern Ireland has always been a great place to play golf and enthusiasts of all levels have come from all over the world to play on our courses,” said NITB’s Golf & Activity Tourism Officer Karen Hope.

“Our new golf guide should be invaluable to everyone from beginners to the avid golfer as it not only provides a guide to every golf course in Northern Ireland, it also includes details of golfing events, tips and suggested itineraries for a golf break.

“All of the courses are easily accessible within a short drive of each other so whether you’re looking for championship challenges, dramatically scenic settings, a slice of history, links, parkland or simply idyllic tranquillity, there is something for everyone from Royal Portrush to Kirkistown Castle,” she continued.

“The quality of our courses has produced more than our fair share of quality golfers too when you look at our relatively small population so I would encourage everyone to pick up a copy of the guide or download it from our website and start practicing that swing!” Karen added.

Northern Ireland Made for Golf is available from tourist information centres across Northern Ireland, golf trade shows and clubs across Northern Ireland and some local hotels. You can also download a copy and find out further information at www.discovernorthernireland.com/golf

The Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) has put together a list of 12 exciting things to do in Northern Ireland over the next week (November 5 – 11).

• Diwali & Samhain, various venues, Belfast, November 5 – 18. Two fantastic weeks of Indian and Irish celebrations including music, dance, drama, debate and visual arts.  This thought provoking and spiritual festival will explore the deep rooted cultural and artistic connections between India and Ireland.

• Romeo and Juliet, The Market Place Theatre, Co. Armagh, November 6.  The tragic story of two star-crossed lovers – misadventure, family pride and ancient quarrels bury the most joyous of beginnings and the most hopeful of love stories as Romeo & Juliet, driven apart, find their world becoming a constricting one of fate and death.

• JTI Lunchtime Concert: Homelands, Ulster Hall, Belfast, November 7.  Vaughan Williams’ pastoral Oboe Concerto displays the wistful and contemplative nature of the oboe to the full.

• Jimeoin – What?! Strule Arts Centre, Omagh, Co. Tyrone, November 7.  Hilarious new stand-up show from the internationally acclaimed comedy star of television’s Live at the Apollo.  No gimmicks, just great craic.

• The Nutcracker, Theatre at the Mill, Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim, November 7.  Get into the festival spirit early this year and book tickets to see this enchanting Christmas classic.  A timeless fairytale ballet for all ages.

• Swan Lake, Millennium Forum, Co. Londonderry, November 9.  Prince Siegfried falls in love at first sight when he sees Odette, Queen of the Swans, who appears to be both swan and woman.  She explains that an evil sorcerer, Von Rothbart, has cast a spell on her and she must remain a swan, except between midnight and dawn, unless she is saved by true love.

• Christmas Design Workshop, Rowallane Garden, Co. Down, November 10.  Come along to pick up tips on how to create natural Christmas designs for your own home.

• Portrush Parkrun, East Strand, Portrush, Co. Antrim, November 10.  A free weekly 5km event for runners of all standards which starts from East Strand Beach to Whiterocks beach and back again.

• Let’s Go Fly A Kite, Antrim Castle Gardens and Clotworthy House, Co. Antrim, November 10.  This family kite making workshop is a great afternoon out for five to nine year olds and their parents.  Design it, make it and most importantly fly it.

• Be Wild about Wildlife – Seabirds and Seals, Murlough National Nature Reserve, Dundrum, Co. Down, November 11.  Discover the seabird wildlife of Dundrum Inner Bay and observe the seals at Ballykinlar.  Suitable footwear essential.

• Wood Carving, Down Arts Centre, Downpatrick, Co. Down, until November 22.  An introduction to the traditional craft of woodcarving.  Participants will learn basic techniques that will allow them to produce their own relief carving.  No experience necessary. 

• Knight Reflections, Castle Barracks, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, until November 23.  An exhibition celebrating the work of photographer Gerry Knight who has captured almost every facet of life in Fermanagh through his camera lens.