Golf and rugby fans gear up for a special Saturday of sport at Portstewart

FOLLOWING the British and Irish Lions’ dramatic win against the All Blacks in Wellington to set up a thrilling test series finale in Auckland this Saturday (8.35am), local sports fans can rest easy that they don’t have to make an ‘either or’ decision whether to watch the rugby or go the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation… they can now do both!

The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open takes place this week at Portstewart Golf Club, and organisers have arranged for the live screening of the international rugby clash of the summer to be shown on a huge screen in the Championship Village complex, courtesy of Sky Sports.

While Saturday is traditionally known as ‘moving day’, sports fans won’t have to move too far to revel in what will be a feast of sporting action both outside and inside the ropes.

To add to the occasion, fans will be able to enjoy live half-time and full-time analysis with rugby legend Rob Kearney.

“The British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand has been eagerly awaited by sports fans for a long time,” said Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Championship Director Simon Alliss.

“Given the huge level of interest and anticipation locally, we felt it only right that we should do our level best to make sure that when two great sporting occasions coincide, fans don’t have to make a difficult decision by having to choose one over the other, hence our live Sky Sports screening of the Lions decider.

“With an early kick-off in Auckland (8.35am), what better way to get ‘moving Saturday’ off to an amazing start than by watching the match on the big screen at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open. They can then enjoy a feast of golf from some of finest golfers on the planet around Portstewart Golf Course. In terms of sporting Saturdays, they really don’t come much better than this!” he added.

Also introduced for the 2017 is a Showstage in the Championship Village which will host international recording artists such as Two Door Cinema Club, who will be performing at the opening ceremony on Wednesday evening and Scouting For Girls who will bring the curtain down on the event on Sunday night.

Another first for a European Tour event is a change in mobile phone policy that allows spectators at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open to use their mobiles to take photos of the action.

Fans still have time to snap up a last-minute ticket for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at www.dubaidutyfreeirishopen.com but are urged to book soon to avoid disappointment.

Organisers of the MCE Ulster Grand Prix have announced a special event with two-weight boxing world champion Carl Frampton and international road racing star Lee Johnston, to take place just days after Frampton’s highly anticipated fight at the SSE Arena, Belfast against Mexican fighter Andres Gutierrez.

The diminutive and dynamic duo, who met just over a year ago when Co. Fermanagh racer Lee went to check out the Jackal’s training regime in London, will be interviewed live on stage by the BBC’s Mark Sidebottom in the Grand Prix Marquee on Wednesday 9^th August.

The event will take place in aid of F13K Cancer, a charity founded by Lee that supports Marie Curie NI, with a minimum donation of £200 per table of 10.

Carl Frampton said: “When the Conlon brothers & the JDM Group invited me to take part in this event I didn’t have to think twice, I have been friends with Lee now for over a year and I have enormous respect for both him and motorbike racing.

“It’s a sport I enjoy watching and attending. All money raised from the evening is going to a fantastic cause in Lee’s charity F13K Cancer and Marie Curie NI and I would encourage the racing community and general public to attend what’s going to be a great night.”

Lee Johnston said: “I’m really happy that Carl has agreed to get involved, he’s a great guy at the top of his game and getting such a big name from another sport will help keep the charity in the spotlight and hopefully raise plenty of money as all proceeds will be donated.

“I think the bike fans at the Ulster will enjoy the night, we’re expecting the tickets to sell quickly so don’t hang about if you want to be there!”

Noel Johnston, Clerk of the Course at the MCE Ulster Grand Prix added: “We’re pretty excited about this, it’s something we wanted to see happen last year but the timing didn’t work out as Carl went on holiday immediately after his big fight against Santa Cruz.

“However, I do think that this will be worth waiting for and the craic will be mighty for those lucky enough to get a ticket for the event, and the first opportunity for many fans to hear from the Jackal after his big homecoming fight on 29^th July.

“Lee is a hugely popular rider at Dundrod and I know a lot of people, me included, are hoping he will be back to fighting fitness by August after his crash at the TT. One thing is for sure though, the evening with him and Carl will be unmissable and I’ve no doubt it’ll raise a lot of cash for a cause very close to Lee’s heart.

“Thanks must go to our bar and entertainment partner JDM Management for helping us put this together,” he added.

Tickets for An Evening With Carl Frampton & Lee Johnston are available to purchase from JDM Management on 028 9066 5664 or by emailing office@jdmmanagement.co.uk.

Bike Week runs from the 6^th – 12^th August 2017 and include the Charles Hurst Motorcycles Dundrod 150 and the MCE Insurance Ulster Grand Prix road races. Tickets are available now on Ticketmaster.

Augmented Reality, or AR, is the amazing technology that superimposes computer-generated images onto our view of the real world.

State of the art projection technology that puts you right at the centre of big screen action!

This summer, W5’s Augmented Reality exhibit is GOING LIVE!

Meet A.L.I.E.N. in a close encounter of the virtual kind! A.L.I.E.N has landed and is ready to amuse and entertain visitors in a completely new way. Are you brave enough to make first contact and see yourself live on the big screen with the animated alien from a distant galaxy?

Augmented Reality is running daily until 31 August and is FREE with admission to W5. For full information visit www.w5online.co.uk.

New Programme covers a diverse range of exhibitions, music and local history events in July and August.

The guide also features a fantastic creative learning and outreach programme with a feast of workshops, courses and projects for both children and adults to enjoy.

Speaking about the summer season of events, The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Councillor Joan Baird, OBE, said: “The arts sector is an important part of our Council’s offering and we are so lucky to have both Flowerfield Arts Centre and Roe Valley Arts and Cultural Centre in our borough. I would encourage everyone to get creative and generate an interest in the activities taking place throughout July and August.”

Event highlights at Flowerfield Arts Centre include a Teddy Bear’s Picnic on Saturday 22^nd July and a Community Arts Showcase on Friday 11^th August featuring a drop in circus workshop and a performance from Jim and Dr Nick as well as a host of brilliant activities as part of this year’s August Craft Month.

Roe Valley Arts and Cultural Centre in Limavady will showcase the stunning artwork of Ingrid Mc Laughlin and Jim Holmes from July 1^st to July 29^th. Highlights also include comedian Owen O’Neill who will take to the stage on Thursday 27^th July to entertain the crowds while children can enjoy films such as Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory and The Jungle Book with the return of their fantastic annual August Children’s Month.

Call into your local Council venue to pick up your guide or download it from the link below. 

DOWLOAD PROGRAMME

4 July 2017 – BRICKLIVE, the LEGO® fan event, has today announced that it is teaming up with WB Games UK to bring some of its hugely popular LEGO video games to the BRICKLIVE UK tour this summer.

Hot on the heels of its recently released open-world adventure game, LEGO Worlds, WB Games UK will be attending all four BRICKLIVE events this year in Glasgow, London, Belfast and Birmingham. LEGO® Worlds will be on the show floor and available to play for fans at all four events. Fans will also have access to LEGO CITY Undercover™ at Glasgow, London and Belfast; LEGO® Star Wars™: The Force Awakens™ at Glasgow and Belfast; LEGO® Marvel’s Avengers at Glasgow and Belfast; LEGO® Dimensions™ at London and Birmingham and the recently announced The LEGO® NINJAGO® Movie Video Game at London. With an array of LEGO titles to choose from, there’s something for every fan, both young and old.

This summer’s tour begins with a first-time visit to Glasgow, coinciding with the start of the school summer holidays on 20^th July, before moving on to Belfast on 3^rd August.  The event then returns to London on 27^th July, before finishing in Birmingham on 26^th October during the autumn half term holiday.

With an estimated 110,000 visitors expected across the summer months, BRICKLIVE will welcome jaw-dropping fan displays for its guests, along with a range of features such as BRICK PITS.

For more information, please visit www.BRICKLIVE.co.uk

Ards and North Down Borough Council are delighted to announce the return of Fair Weather Fridays to Conway Square.

Now in its second year, the lively events programme is a festive addition to summer Fridays in the Square and is a great way to kick-start that Friday feeling.   

Kicking off this year on Friday 7 July then running every Friday for the whole of July and August, this year’s programme includes an eclectic mix of fire juggling, magic, clowns, circus skills and sword swallowing!

Featuring amazing acts such as; Logy on Fire, Caolan McBride, Grant Goldie and Sideshow Ramone, audiences will be thoroughly entertained!

Opening the programme on July 7 is Logy on Fire, a daredevil act who performs dangerous knife tricks, ear-splitting whip cracks, juggling and a death-defying high balance act – don’t miss it!

Speaking about the programme, Ards and North Down Borough Council’s Community Arts Officer, Amy McKelvey said: “We piloted this idea last year with great success and we are very excited about all the performances we have planned this year which we believe will amaze and thrill audiences of all ages. The square in Ards lends itself to relaxed lunchtimes in the sun and we really hope that this fun filled programme of performances will encourage people to come down and enjoy the lively atmosphere.”

So if you fancy some free quality entertainment to liven up your Friday lunch-times, head to Conway Square, every Friday in July and August from 12.30 to 1.30pm.

In the event of rain, performances will move into Ards Arts Centre.

For further information on the full programme visit www.ardsarts.com.

Carol Rhodes: Survey, Curated by Andrew Mummery

Dougal McKenzie: A Dream and an Argument

Bill Saunders: Side Steps These Ferried Measures Rise

30 June – 8 October

The MAC, Belfast is delighted to present three major solo exhibitions by three significant contemporary artists: two of whom are Belfast based — the painter Dougal McKenzie and sculptor Bill Saunders — with the third exhibition by one of Britain’s leading painters, Carol Rhodes, who lives and works in Glasgow.

Hugh Mulholland, Senior Curator at the MAC said: “Whilst these three artists have myriad starting points for their work, there is something that unities them all; that being a strong sense of ‘place’, whether this is the urban and industrial landscapes of Rhodes, or the emotional and historical attachment to Edinburgh in McKenzie’s work, or Saunders’ romantic but practical dependence and musings on the studio environment. We are extremely excited to be presenting this trio of exhibitions here at the MAC and we are confident that visitors will find lots to interest them.”

Carol Rhodes’ beautiful small-scale landscape paintings depict the interaction of natural geography and human intervention, placing the viewer on or near the edge of urban environments, seen from an aerial viewpoint, eerily distant from the world below.

Dougal McKenzie’s recent dreamlike painted scenes bring together key elements of the artist’s practice and thinking: an interest in history and storytelling through images and an investigation into whether it is possible to represent these as ‘memory’ in painting.

And finally, the work of Bill Saunders considers the very site where artwork is made — the profound “thinking space” that is the studio — as a source of inspiration for his work, presenting sculptural assemblages and works on paper that record, reconstruct, or otherwise invoke the place of artistic production.

The new exhibitions will open Friday 30 June in the Sunken, Tall and Upper Galleries at the MAC. Visitors will be welcomed daily from 10am-7pm and admission is free.  For further information on the exhibitions visit themaclive.com.