Month: March 2014

As part of the Courtyard Theatre’s Lecture Series veteran broadcaster andIreland’s most popular and long standing TV and radio presenter, Gerry Kelly will interview Hugo Duncan on his life, his love of music and everything in between on Monday 10 March.

For over 35 years, Hugo Duncan, the Wee Man from Strabane, has remained one of the top attractions on the Irish Entertainment scene. Hugo’s career was launched in the early 1970’s with his stunning hit Dear God, since then there has been no stopping him, he’s gone from strength to strength releasing a number of hit singles and CD’s as well as becoming one of Northern Ireland’s local TV and radio icons.

Hugo’s legendary fun and craic at shows and events has endeared him into the hearts of the Northern Irish public; this plus his frank and open honesty about the real Hugo, brought him even closer to the nation in a documentary about his life.

Meet and Greet with Hugo Duncan starts at 8pm this Monday 10 March at 8pm. Tickets which cost £10 and include a glass of wine, can be booked online at www.thecourtyardtheatre.com or by phoning 028 9034 0202.

Planning a wedding can be a big task but help is at hand for Northern Ireland’s brides-to-be, as The Merchant Hotel’s hosts an exclusive Wedding Showcase event.

On Sunday 9^th March, brides and grooms from across Northern Ireland are invited to immerse themselves in the world of weddings as the five-star Merchant Hotel showcases its range of exclusive packages.

During the event, guests will be treated to fabulous fashion shows with models from Style Academy taking to the catwalk to showcase the latest wedding gowns, menswear and flower girl dresses from Petticoat Lane, Forever Bridal, Focus Menswear and Red Grooms.

Admission to the chic wedding showcase is free and couples can enjoy a lavish champagne reception and canapés while The Merchant Hotel’s event team will be on hand to guide couples through booking a stylish wedding at the luxurious hotel.

The showcase will also feature some of Northern Ireland’s leading wedding and honeymoon suppliers including florists, DJs, photographers, travel agents, musicians, hairdressers, cake designers and much more.

For more information on The Merchant’s Wedding Showcase and to register your attendance visit themerchanthotel.com, call 028 9026 2717 or email events@themerchanthotel.com

The Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) has put together a list of 10 exciting things to do in Northern Ireland over the next week (March 10-16).

• LegenDerry Food Festival, Guildhall Square, City of Derry, March 15-17. A three day food and family entertainment festival showcasing a feast of culinary talent as the biggest names in the Irish food industry arrive in the city, the festival will celebrate all that is local, offering live cook offs, demonstrations and family activities.

• Féile an Earraigh 2014, Beechmount Leisure Centre, Belfast, March 14-16.  Celebrating the best of Irish and International music, culture and the arts, Féile an Earraigh celebrates the run up to St Patrick’s Day and will include three main gigs including Punk legends The Damned, Beoga and Lee Scratch Perry.

• ‘Down the Quiet Loan’, Sixmilecross Presbyterian Church Hall, Sixmilecross, Omagh, Co. Tyrone, March 14.  A celebration event to mark the life and works of Rev W F Marshall, learn about the ‘Bard of Tyrone’ and be entertained with music and poetry from The Marshall Tenors, Sixmilecross Community Choir and others.

• Spring Harvest Market, SS Nomadic, Belfast, March 16.  Spring is in the air at this dock side market and enjoy the very best of artisan produce, flowers, hand crafted goods before hopping on board for a floral afternoon tea.

• The Poet, The Piper & The Painter, Navan Centre & Fort, Co. Armagh, March 13. Celebrate the importance of poetry, piping and painting within Armagh’s culture through award winning poet and playwright Noel Monahan, music from three of Armagh’s finest young musicians and Armagh born painter J B Vallely.

• Ted & Co The Dinner Show, Courtyard Theatre, Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim, March 15.  A parody of the TV classic Father Ted the show will promise a hilarious and fun evening with the audience as the diners and Ted, Dougal, Jack and the housekeeper as the hosts, enjoy a delicious three course meal along with a good helping of old fashioned comedy.

• 34^th Annual Enniskillen Drama Festival, Ardhowen Theatre, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh until March 15. A celebration of the best amateur drama with nine different drama companies stage plays over nine nights including a mix of comedy, tragedy, classical works and new writing.

• The Building of the Titanic, Boys Brigade Ganaway Heritage Museum, Millisle, Co. Down, March 12-26.  A display of photographs, tools, plans and artefacts relating to the construction of the Titanic and the men who built it.

• St Patrick’s Day Festival Concert, Market Square, Armagh, Co. Armagh, March 15.  St Patrick’s Day celebrations are underway in Armagh with the Festival Concert offering performances from the show-stopping Red Hot Chilli Pipers, local Irish Traditional band Castlestreet, Catherine Grimley & The McCuskers as well as an appearance by mentalist David Meade.

• Molly Sweeney by Brian Friel, Millennium Forum, City of Derry, March 10-11.  Brian Friel’s rarely performed poetic tale is a journey of memory, hope and despair of Molly Sweeney, blind since infancy she is persuaded to have an operation to restore her sight.

Down

The Landfill to Living Room Waste Not Want event takes place this Saturday 8th March at the Town Hall, Conway Square, Newtownards from noon to 5pm. Bring an item along for the Swap Shop .

Tyrone

Give My Head Peace returns to the Burnavon Cookstown with a brand new show featuring Ulster’s most dysfunctional family plus the Province’s favourite cleric Pastor Begbie (Paddy Jenkins), and stand–up man Tim McGarry. 2014 is a year of anniversaries – celebrate in style with the Hole in the Wall Gang Live at the Burnavon this Thursday and Friday.

Fermanagh
To kick off the start of this year’s tourist season many of Fermanagh’s Visitor Attractions are opening their doors for FREE. Come join us for this very special weekend (7th-9th March 2014) . See www.fermanaghlakelands.com.

Derry
From 1pm-5pm on Sunday 9th March 2014 The Beech Hill Country House Hotel will greet all Wedding couples to showcase their elegant Country House & modern marquee. View the rooms and facilities available from the House as well as a Wedding set-up within the marquee. A selection of Wedding Suppliers will be in attendance within the marquee & the Perfect Bliss Models will showcase a variety of latest Bridal Attire throughout the evening. Free Admission.

Armagh
Introducing Animation for Children, Myths and Legends, 2 day workshop Saturday 8th and 15th March. Bringing to life a world where anything can happen direct from your own imagination. In the first session at the Market Place Theatre, get to know and experiment with different methods of stop-motion animation. Make characters and sets for your own short animation. In the second week, you’ll shoot your own animation before adding sound effects or music and uploading to YouTube. Animations may be based around a St Patrick’s Day theme or Myths and Legends so you can send greetings around the world by uploading to YouTube.

Antrim
The inaugural TOTAL STITCH FEST this Sunday at the Ramada Plaza Hotel will provide inspiration and learning to both a new generation of makers and seasoned craft addicts. The not-to-be-missed event will showcase an inspiring marketplace of around 60 designer-makers and artisans from all over Ireland who combine new and traditional craft techniques to produce fresh, innovative work not found at mainstream craft shows. There will also be sellers of craft supplies, craft demonstrations throughout the day, a fabulous Designer Fashion Exhibition by UNIFY, a display of vintage sewing machines, and a fantastic competition to win a collectible print from Ewe Sir!!

Belfast
Families with children will be making a beeline for Festival in a Day at Belfast Waterfront on Sunday 9th March. With bill-topping treats and loads of free activities, Festival in a Day will be packed with mini adventures for families to explore, experience and enjoy… all crammed into one action-packed day!

For more details on these and other events across Northern Ireland, news and competitions see www.whatsonni.com, follow us @whatsonni and like us at fb.com/www.whatsonni. Add your events FREE OF CHARGE at www.whatsonni.com.

Watch out for North Down Borough Council’s 2014 Events Guide as it drops through your letter box this week!   A definitive guide to what’s happening in The Borough in 2014, the much-anticipated brochure will be delivered to 38,500 homes across North Down via Royal Mail.

The Guide features all of North Down Borough Council’s Events across Tourism, Arts & North Down Museum, alongside NDBC grant-aided events and all other major events happening this year.

Highlights of this year’s Events Programme include the Seashore Festival which will take place on 7 & 8 June. Featuring two tall ships, an air-display, a steam train and a vintage car display, this “Ships, Planes, Trains and Automobiles” extravaganza is not to be missed!   Theatre at The Walled Garden is also making a return, this year showcasing Pride & Prejudice.  Guaranteed to be another hit; this event in the beautiful surrounds of The Walled Garden is always hugely popular.  Also coming back for a second year is The Open House Festival which will see live music and arts events taking place around Bangor for the whole month of August.

Translink’s Louise Scott says that The Events Guide is the perfect fit for the Translink Life’s Better  campaign, “We are delighted to help launch North Down Borough Council’s Events Guide for 2014 and look forward to being involved in the “Ships, Planes, Trains and Automobiles” event in June.   We would encourage people to get in the mood for the event by travelling to Bangor by steam train, bus or scheduled rail services on 7 & 8 June.  Taking the train or bus can add to the experience of any day-trip, making life better by allowing passengers to sit back and relax, free from the stress of traffic congestion – the journey becomes part of the day out rather than just a means of getting there!”

Also speaking about the launch, The Mayor of North Down, Councillor Andrew Muir said; “I am very excited to launch this year’s Events Guide. There’s so much happening in The Borough this year, fun for all the family, whatever your interests we’ve got something on for you.  It looks like North Down is the place to be!”

The Events Guide will be out on week commencing March 10 so grab yourself a copy and start planning your days out!

There will be a feast of culinary talent cooking up a storm at the LegenDerry Food Festival next month, as some of the biggest names in the Irish food industry arrive in the city for a celebration of some of the finest local cuisine during St Patrick’s weekend.

The event, supported by the DARD Northern Ireland Regional Food Programme and the City of Culture Legacy Fund, will feature top television chefs Rachel Allen, Neven Maguire, Brian McDermott, the ‘no salt’ chef and Ian Orr (Irish Chef of the Year 2013) from Browns Restaurant Derry, who will be joined in the huge marquee kitchen by BBC Radio Ulster’s Paula McIntyre and a whole host of local cooking talent from restaurants across the city, including Browns Restaurant, The Custom House, The Sooty Olive, The Beech Hill, Harry’s Restaurant, Primrose Café, The Irish Food Heritage Project and more.

The Festival, which was launched today with the support of leading Irish Food critic John McKenna, from the prestigious Bridgestone Guides,  is being run by Derry City Council from March 15-17 in tandem with a three day St Patrick’s extravaganza of family friendly events.  John has just spent three days in the city, sampling the best on offer in many of our LegenDerry Restaurants and was hugely impressed with the standards and drive for local produce. Food fans can enjoy live cookery demonstrations, competitive cook offs and of course sample some of the best signature dishes hot off the stove, in a delicious weekend of fine food and the very best local produce.The theme is ‘LegenDerry & Local’ and visitors can sample the best of produce from the North West and Northern Ireland, from game and goat, to dairy and deli. The event will also feature a week- long LegenDerry Food trail, in restaurants across the city.

Event organiser with Derry City Council, Mary Blake, said she was delighted to welcome such a high calibre list of industry names to the city. “Building on the success of last year’s Flavours of the Foyle Seafood Festival, we are delighted to launch the first ever LegenDerry Food Fest and to diversify into a wide range of food types. We welcome such a great selection of high profile chefs and producers to the festival this year, and television chefs like Rachel Allen, Neven Maguire and Brian McDermott are really keen to join us on putting Derry firmly on the culinary map,” she declared.

“Derry is very quickly establishing its place as an exciting food destination and the quality of our local produce is second to none. We have a wealth of talent in our local kitchens, driven chefs,  and people with the drive and vision to further advance the food tourism market and secure the city’s title as one of Ireland’s top food destinations. I would encourage everyone to come along and enjoy some of the most innovative and exciting cuisine around.”

In addition to the Boulevard of Chefs and Theatre of Food in the main Festival Marquee, visitors will also enjoy the LegenDerry Food Fair inside the Guildhall with exhibitors selling artisan food, including Jams and Chutneys, Hand Churned Butter, Slow Food, and fresh produce, all locally produced.

Speaking on behalf of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD)Regional Agri-Food Programme, Dr Julie Ann Moorhead said the festival provided local producers with the perfect platform to showcase their products.

“The North West has a wide array of superior produce, from the best bred livestock, to the finest vegetables and diary produce. Food providence has become such an important factor when sourcing ingredients, and I would urge people to support local suppliers and try out local alternatives when shopping.

“The LegenDerry Food Festival provides a valuable platform for local producers giving them the opportunity to showcase their quality goods, and reach new customers. We are delighted to support such a significant and positive event for the region.”

The Festival begins on Saturday 15^th March – Monday 17^th March all day from 12noon – 6pm, the programme will include family friendly events taking place throughout the weekend, and plenty of opportunity to sample some of the most exciting and innovative dishes in the North West. For further information on the Food Festival, celebrity events, LegenDerry Restaurant Trail and the Food Fair go to www.derrycity.gov.uk/food

From garbage to garden or landfill to living room, it’s amazing what can be done with the usually cast-off! Although many of us now embrace recycling to some degree, landfills are still home to discarded but useful items.

That’s where the free to visit Waste Not Want Not – Landfill to Living Room event (noon-five on Saturday 8 March) at Ards Leisure Centre steps in.

As one of the Northern Ireland’s first public swap shops, the ancient practice of bartering will be reintroduced to an unsuspecting public, with the challenge to consider making their living rooms home to intercepted or reclaimed bits and pieces. The event invites visitors to bring items they can carry, such as small pieces of furniture, bric-a-brac and curtains to swap with others.

Environment Minister Mark H Durkan said: “Reusing, repairing or upcycling products is a real bonus for the economy and the environment. It provides local opportunities to develop skills and employment resulting in wider social benefits for the community.”

“The Waste Not Want Not – Landfill to Living Room event shows how valuable resources can be kept in use for longer, saving energy, reducing carbon emissions, and preventing materials from being dumped needlessly in landfills.”

“Innovative reuse of materials, showcased within this event, will assist our society to move to a circular economy, an economic system in which no materials are wasted; where materials and products are recovered and regenerated, rather than the ‘take, use and dispose’ mentality we have become accustomed to.”

On this occasion electrical items, toys and larger furnishings such as beds and settees are for logistical reasons not included. Sources for the swap can be auction pieces, car boot finds or simply something on skip row.

Organiser Gill McNeill said, “The swap shop will not observe an item’s intrinsic value. The main objective is to keep all that throw away ‘stuff’ out of landfill, increase recycling, encourage repurposing awareness and at the end of the swap, head home with an item that appeals.”

“It is anticipated that further swap shops will take place in the future incorporating various zones from furniture to clothing and plants to toys and everything in between.”

Adding: “East Belfast auction house Bloomfield Auctions have kindly donated items to start off the swap but we are hopeful that the event will encourage people to have a good rummage in their garage, loft or spare room and in the name of recycling, bring it down to swap!”

Any items left at the end of the swap will be donated to charity to ensure they are kept well away from landfill. One such well-known charity, Northern Ireland recycling-based retailer restore, will also attend the event to explain how they are meeting the ongoing task of up-cycling and repurposing everything from bicycles to furniture.

The organisation’s PR and Events Officer, Cathy Megahey said: “We love to encourage people to get creative with second hand furniture. For as little as £1 plus some DIY input and a tin from our salvaged paint range, smaller pieces can be transformed into bespoke additions that would look good in any living space.”

“Our restore shops in Belfast, Antrim, Larne and Ards sell pieces of refurbished furniture from small coffee tables to dining room sets, wardrobes and suites with a range of prices to suit everyone.  Call in and have a look at some of our items to get your creative juices flowing.”

As an added incentive, a free to enter competition to find the best repurposed or up-cycled item saved from landfill will launch at the event. Visitors can enter the ‘Skip the Skip’ competition by emailing a ‘before and after’ photograph of the item saved from the skip to wnwn@takesplace.info.

Prizes for the best creations include a £250 IKEA prize voucher, a refurbished chair from restore and two composters from Ards Borough Council Waste Awareness. The competition closes on Friday 23 May 2014.

So if you want to help conserve forests, reduce waste, recycle valuable resources, and have a little fun in the process, it’s so simple – just reuse or recycle those curtains or that old piece of furniture!

A free make and take recycled craft is available for each child and for adults, plenty of common sense advise from a number of exhibitors and a few stalls from The Belfast Flea.

Waste Not Want Not – Landfill to Living Room is supported by Ards Borough Council, Ards Borough Council Waste Awareness and East Belfast Mission/restore.

The Market Place Theatre in Armagh is entering one of its busiest times of the year, with a bumper line-up of drama, comedy, music and kids shows on the cards over the coming weeks.

Ireland’s Greatest Voices, The Three Tenors, will perform fabulous hit songs and a popular uplifting mix from Sinatra, Leonard Cohen, The Dubliners, and Pavarotti. Declan Kelly, Ray O’Hare and Dominic McGorian, promise you a night to remember! This thrilling fast-moving concert is packed with the world’s most beautiful, magical feel-good and uplifting songs. Hear the hits ‘I Believe’ ‘She’, ‘Let It Be’, and from Sinatra ‘My Way’, ‘New York, New York’, Leonard Cohen ‘Hallelujah’, Pavarotti’s ‘Nessun Dorma’ and The Dubliners ‘Song For Ireland’. The Three Tenors will take to the stage at The Market Place on Saturday 8^th March at 8pm. Tickets are priced £18 each.

Since forming a few years ago, Petunia & The Vipers have been very busy bringing their exciting and highly original brand of roots music to an ever increasing audience, and on Saturday 8^th March, they perform at The Market Place. They have eight tours down America’s West Coast under their belts and recently toured for a month in the UK and Ireland to rave reviews. Petunia defies convention. His style is unique and surreal and his live performances have been likened to an Avant-Country nightclub scene from a David Lynch movie. Petunia’s music is infectious, his singing ranges from the most delicate you’ve ever heard to the most powerful, often within a single song. Hillbilly flavoured, swing inflected, ragtime, goodtime music. Make sure to cross paths with the wandering musician. Tickets are priced £10 each.

Drama fans will be delighted with the double bill of drama on stage next week. First up is ‘A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man’. The classic James Joyce tale of Stephen Dedalus follows the young man during his formative years as he breaks away from the Irish Catholic conventions of his past to become an artist who makes the life-changing decision to leave Ireland. The production is directed by Jimmy Fay, an Associate Artist of The Abbey Theatre, and will be staged on Tuesday 11^th March at 8pm. Tickets are priced £10 each.

Brian Friel’s ‘Molly Sweeney’ then arrives at The Market Place on Wednesday 12^th and Thursday 13^th March. Blind since infancy, Molly Sweeney is persuaded to have an operation to restore her sight. Her husband Frank is convinced she has nothing to lose; her ophthalmologist Mr Rice is not so sure. The play charts their expectations and fantasies of how the operation will change everything, not just for Molly, but for all three of them. Brian Friel’s rarely performed poetic tale weaves together all three characters’ perspectives. Through a journey of memory, hope and despair, the play begs us to not only see, but also understand other people’s points of view. Tickets for this production are priced £14.50 and £12.50 (concession).

Bookings for all performances can be made by contacting the Box Office on [028] 3752 1821, or online at www.marketplacearmagh.com

And to keep up-to-date with the latest news at the Market Place Theatre, you can follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/marketplacearmagh) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/mptarmagh) where you will find all the latest information, special offers and video previews.