The Irish Astronomical Association (IAA) will proudly launch “Heavens Above”, on Tuesday 8 November at 7pm at Clotworthy House.

This exhibition of astonishing photographs of the sky taken exclusively by members of the Association will be on display at the Conservatory Gallery at Clotworthy House, Antrim Castle Gardens until Saturday 3 December.

Covering a range of subject matters from the mysterious clouds of the Milky Way, through the electric colours of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) down to the detailed capture of time-critical celestial events such as Solar and Lunar eclipses, this exhibition is a must see for anyone with an interest in the sky above us.

Some of the pictures in this exhibition have been taken with specialist equipment from exotic locations in order to capture the very best starlight possible, however many others have also been captured from ordinary locations in Northern Ireland using off the shelf photographic equipment that many people would use for holiday snapshots. It is a measure of how far modern technology has progressed that such equipment is also able to capture such fabulous images in very low light.

Included in “Heavens Above” are category winners of the International Astronomy Photographer of the Year Competition organised by the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London, and also the recent winner of Amateur Astrophotography

E-zine’s “Milky Way” competition.

This exhibition offers free admission and is open each day from 9am until 5pm with late opening Tuesday & Thursdays until 9.30pm

This week saw the Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor John Scott, launch the Borough’s 2016 Christmas Events Programme.

The festive entertainment kicks off in Glengormley on Saturday 12 November from 1.30pm when Snow White and friends will be preparing for Christmas in their Enchanted Forest.  They will also travel to Ballyclare on Saturday 26 November to captivate the audience from 1.30pm. Both events will have plenty of free family entertainment with tickets available to purchase for the Jumping Clay workshops in Lilian Bland Pavilion and Ballyclare Town Hall.  Santa will arrive at 5pm at both locations to switch on the Christmas tree lights with the Mayor and Snow White.

On Thursday 24 November Sonya Mac, from Q Radio, will make sure the crowd in Market Square, Antrim are feeling festive for the Christmas tree lights being switched on.  Santa will make his grand entrance at 7pm and a spectacular fireworks display at 7.30pm will round off a perfect festive evening.

Thursday 8 December until Sunday 18 December will see Antrim Castle Gardens transformed into an Enchanted Winter Garden from 4pm until 8pm each day. Enjoy the stunning light installations, Forest of Fire, Reindeer Trail, Christmas Train, Festive Fayre and our very special Santa’s Grotto in partnership with Cancer Fund for Children.  With no admission fee there are plenty of activities to stimulate all of the senses, which promises to give a magical Christmas experience for all the family.

Don’t forget to support your local Christmas tree switch on over the coming weeks as trees throughout the Borough light up.  Further details on these tree lighting ceremonies and the full Christmas programme can be found on our website www.antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk/christmas

Open House Festival will be hitting the road again early next year for its third annual tour, this time stopping off at three towns along the Northern Irish coast as well as a Belfast city centre church.

Soul singer, Dana Masters, whose Jazz in The Walled Garden event was one of the standout hits of this summer’s month-long festival in Bangor, will be headlining the tour, with support from Irish singer-songwriter, Alana Henderson.

The tour starts in Newcastle on Thursday 2^nd February, 2017, and concludes in Bangor on Sunday 5^th February, via gigs in Portrush and Belfast.

Originally from the Deep South of America, Dana Masters grew up with the sounds of soul, rhythm and blues and gospel music all around her. Music took her from South Carolina to Los Angeles, where she met an Irish boy who would later become her husband. Since moving to Northern Ireland, she has performed on BBC Radio 4 and at Proms in the Park, and regularly sings with some of the finest musicians in this country including Van Morrison and Linley Hamliton.

Alana is an Irish singer-songwriter-cellist from county Tyrone, known for fusing her folk roots with a pop sensibility, fragile delicate vocals, emotive cello and disarmingly honest lyrics. In 2014, she was personally invited by Hozier to join his worldwide tour as featured cellist, vocalist and occasional support act. Alana is now back on home ground and is working on material for her debut album which will be released early-to-mid 2017.

“Dana’s gig was one of our most memorable events of this year’s August festival,” says Festival Director, Kieran Gilmore. “She stunned the audience with her beautiful voice and charmed them with her chat, and she was our number one choice to headline the 2017 tour.  Securing Alana as the support act is a great coup too, as her career is on the up and she is definitely a name to remember.”

Open House likes to use unusual and beautiful venues during the Festival month, and the tour will be no different, with gigs in the recently renovated and refurbished Newcastle Community Cinema, the B1 listed Victorian Town Hall in Portrush, the listed Belfast church at 101 Donegall Street and the Marine Court Hotel in the heart of Bangor’s seafront.

Ciaran Scullion, Head of Music at Arts Council of Northern Ireland, who are supporting the tour said, “The Northern Ireland Music Touring Programme has already brought a range of impressive tours to new audiences and venues across the region since its introduction in 2014 with names such as The Quercus Ensemble, Neil Cowley Trio, David Little, Irish group Beoga, among others, taking to the stage.  Our Five-Year Music Strategy outlines a firm commitment to bringing the best music, from a range of genres, to people across Northern Ireland.  We firmly believe the Northern Ireland Music Touring programme helps us achieve that.”

Dates and locations:

Thursday 2^nd Feb: Newcastle Community Cinema

Friday 3^rd February: 101 Donegall Street, Belfast

Saturday 4^th February: Portrush Town Hall

Sunday 5^th February: Marine Court Hotel, Bangor

For tickets and further information, go to: www.openhousefestival.com

The Open House tour is supported by The Arts Council of Northern Ireland.