It’s already a sell-out sensation in its native Scotland.  Now ‘The Dolls Abroad’ – a feisty, feel-good romp about two boozed-up besties swigging, swaggering and staggering onwards to yet another foreign bar – has officially been crowned the hottest new ticket in the UK.

The riotous comedy has been awarded number one spot on the Rising Comedy list, published by Ents24, the nation’s biggest live show guide. The list calculates which shows are most popular with the public by counting the people who sign up with Ents24 to know more about specific performances.

The Dolls popularity has been reinforced in other ways, too. One YouTube clip of a recent show bagged nearly 3m hits.

Which is great news for Gayle Telfer Stevens and Louise McCarthy, the crack comedy duo who play ‘the Dolls’, a pair of sassy Scottish scrubbers. (Quite literally, they clean pubs and toilets for a living.)

In the show, Agnes and Sadie have hit the ‘Doll drums’ and are desperate to take a break from the Toilet Duck and scouring pads.

They’re hungry for the sort of Mr Muscle that doesn’t come with an aerosol nodule.

So when Agnes wins top prize at Big Bella’s Bingo, an all-expenses paid holiday in Greece, she decides to take Sadie along for the ride.

What follows is hot weather, hotter men and fending off the hot flushes of maudlin, muddle age for as long as possible.

The Dolls Abroad has bucket loads of banter, sing-a-long sauciness and its own unique energy, which is not to be missed. It’s Mrs Brown times two, with a little bit of Thelma & Louise thrown in for good measure.

Gayle and Louise – who co-wrote he Dolls as well as starring in it – are enjoying being at the centre of the newest showbiz sensation. However, both women are no strangers to success, and regularly appear on stage and TV in their native Scotland as well as the rest of the UK.

Gayle stars in River City, the Scottish version of EastEnders, and Louise appears in Only an Excuse, a topical sports comedy.

But the two friends believe what they have created with The Dolls is unique.

“The chemistry between us is amazing,” says Gayle, who has also appeared in Casualty and the hit movie musical, Sunshine on Leith. “We just set each other off, and the audience participation really adds to the energy of the night. It’s the sort of thing you just can’t replicate in a TV show or with a movie. This is what live theatre is all about – audiences and performers bonding for a great evening of fun, tears and laughter.”

Louise agrees: “It’s just the greatest buzz in the world. It’s ten times better than an actual holiday in Greece, and a billion times better than cleaning a grotty toilet. Just ask the Dolls – they’ve done both!”

The Dolls Abroad performs at the Millennium Forum on Sun 1^st October.   Tickets are now available from the Box Office.  Telephone 71 264455 or visit millenniumforum.col.uk for bookings.

“Ahoy there” ‘Kilkeel Seafood Festival’ will take place at Kilkeel Harbour on Saturday 16^th September. 

The event is a celebration of Kilkeel’s martime heritage whilst showcasing our local seafood offering. Home of the largest fishing fleet in Northern Ireland, Kilkeel Harbour will be a buzz of activity on Saturday 16^th September and seafood lovers are in for a real treat. Visitors can expect a day packed with delicious seafood sampling, there will be 5 top local chefs cooking up a storm in the Seafood Pavilion that will whet your appetite.

There will be an opportunity to visit a range of artisan producers and you can quench your thirst by sampling locally brewed craft beer. The traditional oyster eating and prawn tailing competition will take place throughout the day if you are up for the challenge?  Do not miss Kilkeel RNLI Lifeboat’s demonstration of lifesaving techniques in the heart of the harbour, while saying hello to ‘Stormy Stan’.  Local man Terry Cunningham will showing spectators how to maintain and mend fishing nets. Throughout the day visitors will have the opportunity to visit our award winning Mourne Seafood Cookery School, Visitor Information and Maritime Heritage Centre, not forgetting ‘Seascope’ Northern Ireland’s first Lobster Hatchery and Marine Biology Centre, where you can meet Lucy the Lobster who will take you on an interactive educational adventure viewing tanks as well as seeing fascinating sea creatures, making your visit extra special and memorable on the day. 

What’s more families can enjoy live music and a plethora of children’s entertainment from nautical themed story-telling, under the sea kid’s fancy dress competition, touch tank, face painting, arts and crafts, walk-about cartoon characters and so much more…..  

The event organisers have fished out a few appetisers, where you will be spoilt for choice and uncover culinary delights, special offers and sample menus that you can try at home. Please join us and tell your family and friends to come along and enjoy exploring the panoramic views Kilkeel Harbour has to offer.

Awaken your senses and make memories with family and friends in Ards and North Down, where the seaside and countryside meet.

 

Escape from everyday life and breathe in the fresh sea air, enjoy wonderful scenery and taste the delicious local flavours and all right on Belfast’s doorstep. Be sure to pick up our NEW autumn/winter Experiences AND Events Visitor Guide to help you plan your visit, whether it be a short break, a couple of nights away or day trip.

The guide is packed to the brim with so much to do, inspirational ideas and the latest events – available at Visitor Information Centres throughout N.I. Our website, visitardsandnorthdown.com, gives all the information you could ever need to know from things to do to places to stay. If you prefer to chat, our local expert staff in Bangor and Newtownards Visitor Information Centres will be more than happy to offer knowledgeable advice to make your visit all the more worthwhile.

We are keen to share our little piece of the world with you as the area is sure to capture at little bit of your heart, from miles of coastline to historic castles and Abbeys, rolling drumlins and parklands or award winning attractions and museums we have it all!  Quench your taste buds with our vast array of charming eateries and award winning restaurants and with a superb choice of accommodation we encourage you to spend a little time our way.

From the autumn colours of the exquisite gardens, to the spectacle of 1000s of wintering geese arriving on Strangford Lough, a visit to Northern Irelands only Aquarium, Exploris, home grown craft makers and an eclectic mix of seasonal events, we have the ingredients for a perfect change of scene and leaving you wanting more.

visitardsandnorthdown  | 028 9127 0069 or 028 9182 6846

Drama fans are in for a treat as The Market Place Theatre’s Autumn season gets off to a flying start this September.

2017 is the centenary of Buster Keaton’s debut screen appearance. Beloved by everyone from Samuel Beckett to Jackie Chan, his beautiful silent films remain as funny as when they were first screened, and ‘Buster Keaton @ 100’ offers an endearing memorial to the icon. Two of Northern Ireland’s most eccentric noisemakers, Colin Reid and Reggie Chamberlain-King, are writing all-new scores for some of Buster’s funniest short films, performed live on a wide variety of instruments, with sound effects, and a bit of audience participation. Colin is one of Ireland’s premier guitarists and pianists, who composed ‘The Third Policeman’. Reggie’s work as Sound Effects Artist been broadcast on BBC Radios 3 and 4 and in the USA and Canada.

For two nights on 27 and 28 September, ‘Dirty Dusting’ offers a searing indictment of ageism in the 21^st Century heavily disguised as a hysterical, laugh-out-loud, heart-warming comedy. When three cleaners, Olive, Gladys and Elsie, are threatened with redundancy they feel that their lives are coming to an end until a chance wrong number gives them a new business start-up idea – why not run a telephone sex line? They’ve got motive, opportunity and a lifetime of experience – some more than others, mind you. Provided Elsie can teach the other two a few new tricks, there’s no reason why they can’t get rich quick providing they can keep their operation a secret from their bosses… and their husbands…and their children…and their grandchildren.

Hotbuckle Theatre Company bring their unique magic to the powerful and emotional story ‘Wuthering Heights’. When Cathy’s father brings home an orphaned Heathcliff, the effect will echo for generations. Emily Bronte’s only novel, set on the windswept Yorkshire moors, is a timeless Gothic classic of passionate love, revenge and despair. ‘Wuthering Heights’ will be staged on Thursday 12 October.

Visit the website at www.marketplacearmagh.com for full details and bookings, or contact the Box Office on [028] 3752 1821. 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.

Portrush to welcome 200,000 spectators to largest airshow on the island of Ireland

Some of world’s most famous aviation attractions will take to the skies over Portrush’s eastern shoreline this weekend for two days of thrilling flying aerobatics.

Air Waves Portrush, running on Saturday 2^nd and Sunday 3^rd September 2017, is the largest airshow on the island of Ireland and will welcome over 200,000 spectators for a packed programme of aerial and land based entertainment.

The stellar line-up of world-class aerobatics will include the world-famous RAF Red Arrows (sponsored by The Adelphi Portrush) who will perform their trademark formations, close passes and dynamic loops on both days.

The dramatic and noisy Typhoon jet (sponsored by B&E Security Systems) will give crowds a thrilling show of power on both Saturday and Sunday as it displays its jaw-dropping manoeuvrability.

Also, hotly anticipated is the breath-taking aerobatics of the Wildcat display team (sponsored by Portrush Atlantic Hotel), the extremely popular Muscle Bi-plane (sponsored by Barry’s Portrush) and Team Raven (sponsored by JP Corry), who will be making their first ever appearance at the show.

Vietnam veterans Huey and Loach and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Spitfire will once again wow crowds with their distinctive flypasts.

Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond the organisers control the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Lancaster and Hurricane, as all Merlin powered aircraft, remain grounded for safety reasons.

There will be a stunning pyrotechnic aerial display in Portstewart (sponsored by Morelli’s) on the Saturday evening that will also include a packed programme of family entertainment, live music from The illegals and a magnificent seafront fireworks display.

Looking forward to the show, Richard Baker, Director of Leisure & Development at Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council said: “Air Waves Portrush is truly going from strength to strength and is a signature event for Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council. It’s an event that captures the imagination of not only dedicated aviation enthusiasts, but young and old from across the island of Ireland.

“We are expecting over 200,000 spectators to attend the show over the two days and they will certainly not be disappointed as we have worked tirelessly to ensure we have once again grown this year’s show by bringing new attractions to both the air and the ground.”

This year’s event has an enhanced visitor experience on the ground with live music, street entertainment, fun zone, Motor Village and the Naturally North Coast and Glens Artisan Market.

The Ulster Aviation Society and the Ulster Gliding Club will invite visitors into a bygone era with its collection of vintage flying machines and gliding aircraft.

The STEM Village will make a welcome return after its successful debut last year bringing together a range of employers and education providers aimed to showcasing career opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.

Richard added: “With huge crowds anticipated on both days, we are working closely with the PSNI and Translink to ensure we minimise traffic congestion as much as possible.

“Translink is providing additional capacity on trains and buses and we would encourage as many visitors as possible to use these services, as well as the free park and ride shuttle bus. “

The official Air Waves Portrush 2017 souvenir programme is now on sale from selected outlets in Portrush, Portstewart, Coleraine and Ballymoney and Visitor Information Centres throughout the borough of the Causeway Coast and Glens.

For more information on Air Waves Portrush visit www.airwavesportrush.co.uk or search for Air Waves Portrush on Facebook and Twitter.