With spring just around the corner, all four seasons come to L/Derry, Lisburn and Armagh this week as the Ulster Orchestra hits the road today (7 March) for a mini regional tour that includes one of the most popular and evocative pieces of music in the repertoire, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, in Baroque Brilliance, a concert of timeless Baroque classics.

The first concert in this JTI Regional Tour takes place in Derry’s Millennium Forum tonight at 7.30pm and sees Northern Ireland’s only professional symphony orchestra perform the Four Seasons alongside music by Bach, Purcell and Handel’s uplifting Water Music. The UO will be at the ISLAND Arts Centre, Lisburn on Thursday (8 March, 8pm) and Armagh’s Market Place Theatre on Friday (9 March, 8pm).

The concerts, which are under the direction of the Ulster Orchestra’s Hungarian-born Leader, Tamás Kocsis – who performs Vivaldi’s masterpiece – is also the soloist with the UO’s Christopher Blake in Bach’s Concerto for Violin and Oboe.

Looking forward to the tour Tamás said, “Having performed with Barry Douglas last Friday and the historic joint concert with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra on Sunday, this is a busy time for the Orchestra, as we end this week with a family concert back in Belfast this Saturday.

“But I am very much looking to Baroque Brilliance and playing the Bach Double with Chris, as he is a dear friend and a fantastic oboist, so I am sure we are going to have lots of fun performing this wonderful piece.

“The Four Seasons always presents a challenge, being very well known and very transparent. No wonder it’s popular with audiences and performers alike, it is a beautiful set of Concertos,” Tamás said. More…

Also looking forward to the concerts, Christopher Blake, the UO’s Principal Oboe player said, “Nothing beats live music and to hear an orchestra in full flow playing some great pieces of music is quite something. Beats CDs or your iPod!” he said.

Talking about the Bach Double concerto Christopher said, “I have played this amazing concerto with the last two leaders of the Orchestra and am really looking forward to performing it with Tamás who is an extraordinary violinist.

“You need a lot of stamina for it because the music never stops which is unusual for a wind concerto. It is also a challenge to play in different places too, as the environment and acoustics differ from place to place, but we are all really looking forward to this mini tour,” he said.

Tickets are available from each of the venues.

Julian Simmons, who recently underwent life-saving heart surgery, is to host ‘Julian’s Fashion Flaunt’ at Hastings Europa Hotel on Wednesday 21 March.

Julian said:  “I spent nine weeks at the Ulster Hospital and I witnessed daily at first hand the life-saving treatment that is performed in Ward 16.  So raising money for the ward and for the Chest Heart and Stroke is now something very dear to my own heart.”

Siobhan Hanley, Director of Fundraising, Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke, said:  “We are delighted that Julian has chosen to support Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke’s life saving work through this event.  Everyone knows somebody affected by a chest, heart or stroke illness and money raised through this event will be spent right here in Northern Ireland.”

Sister Tanya Daly of Ward 16, Ulster Hospital, said:  “The staff of Ward 16 are pleased that Julian has made an excellent recovery.  We are delighted to be involved in this event and would like to thank Julian for his continued support in raising awareness of the great work done in the Ulster Hospital and indeed throughout the health service in Northern Ireland.”

The event which will feature the latest Spring/Summer 2012 collections from House of Fraser, Victoria Square, Belfast, styled by Sara O’Neill, is in aid of Ward 16, Ulster Hospital and Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke.

Julian’s Fashion Flaunt will be staged by the same award winning production team behind Fall For Fashion. It promises to be a much more than just a fashion show, featuring Style Academy models, Ulster Hospital nurses and of course Julian himself.  Hair is by the artistic team from Toni & Guy with make-up by Oonagh Boman.

Tickets for Julian’s Fashion Flaunt can be purchased from Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke.  Call 028 9032 0184 or email rhughes@nichs.org.uk.  Early bird tickets are priced at £20.00, rising to £25.00.

GARDEN lovers are in for a treat this Spring as the gardens of County Antrim have teamed up to launch Northern Ireland’s first ever self-guided garden trail.

The Antrim Garden Trail includes ten of the most distinguished public and private open gardens, unlocking access to magical green spaces and tranquil surroundings and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) is encouraging green-fingered folk to discover and enjoy the gardens of Antrim this Spring and Summer.

Elaine Groves, NITB’s Culture and Heritage Officer said, “For anyone who isn’t already familiar with Northern Ireland’s wonderful gardens, there really is a whole new world just waiting to be discovered, full of unique and interesting stories and historical facts.”

“County Antrim presents a strong cluster of gardens open to visitors, both publicly owned gardens such as the newly restored Antrim Castle Gardens, and the smaller, lesser known private gardens such as the gorgeous Ballyrobert Cottage Garden and Brocklamont House Garden in Ballymena,” Elaine continued.

“NITB are delighted to support this proactive cluster of garden owners and the new Antrim Garden Trail will provide even more reasons to visit County Antrim, particularly in 2012, when so much is happening with the opening of the world’s largest Titanic visitor experience, Titanic Belfast, the Irish Open and the new Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre,” she added.

Ballyrobert Cottage Garden, Ballyclare has spearheaded the development of this new trail, securing the participation of other gardens in County Antrim, as Maurice Parkinson from Ballyrobert Cottage Garden explains.

“It’s not all rugged coastal beauty, myths of giants, glens and golf in Antrim – this part of Northern Ireland is bursting with horticultural and historical interest,” said Maurice.

“The terraces of the first ornamental garden in Ireland are still visible at Dunluce Castle.  Other early gardens include Lisburn Castle Gardens, Glenarm Castle Walled Garden and Benvarden Garden.  We had a vision of creating a garden trail to connect the gardens in the county, giving visitors the opportunity to tailor a garden themed day out,” he continued.

“We knew working in partnership would help small businesses make the most of the local tourism opportunity.  We are delighted to see this vision come to fruition and want to encourage all of Northern Ireland’s garden lovers to think of County Antrim when they are planning their next day out or group visit,” Maurice added.

For further information about the Antrim Garden trail, go to www.antrimgardens.com.

To learn more about Northern Ireland’s gardens, unmissable events, seasonal highlights and plan a glorious garden day out, check out the NITB website on www.discovernorthernireland.com/gardens.

Belfast Zoo welcomed 40 gentoo penguins from Edinburgh Zoo today, bringing the total number of gentoo penguins to 61.

Edinburgh Zoo are currently undertaking essential maintenance work in their penguin enclosure and so needed a safe and experienced zoo to take good care of their flock. The gentoo penguins will enjoy the Belfast scenery until the end of the breeding season, once chicks are weaned and favourable conditions present themselves they will return to their home in Scotland.

Hugh Roberts, Chief Executive of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the charity which owns and manages Edinburgh Zoo, explained “The first stage will involve allowing the outdoor penguin pool to drain naturally, which will take around five weeks.  We are losing a small amount of water from the pool every day, which is totally harmless, but costly for us as a conservation charity.  The natural draining method will allow us to identify where exactly the water is coming from and will facilitate an accurate assessment by specialist engineers.  We aim to have the pool upgraded and ready again for this summer.”

The arrival of the gentoo penguins comes at a time when Belfast Zoo prepares to move their Humboldt penguins to Fota Wildlife Park (in Cork) and Cotswold Wildlife Park, as part of a European breeding programme.

Belfast Zoo curator, Andrew Hope, said, “gentoo penguins are infrequently seen in zoos in Europe, so the opportunity to work exclusively with this species was a sensible one given our fantastic enclosure and keepers, and our long experience with this species. We will of course be sad to see the Humboldt’s leave but are excited to see the penguin colony grow.”

You can contribute towards the care of our latest arrivals by taking part in the zoo’s adoption scheme.  For more information visit www.belfastzoo.co.uk/adoption or call 028 90 776 277 ext. 229.

Like the Griswolds on tour we packed up the van and set off with our three kids on Sunday morning for Foyle Hovercrafting and Leisure situated beautifully close to the shores of Lough Foyle and at the foot of the Binevenagh Mountains  – one of NI’s Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

We were welcomed by Ian who signed us in and suited us up in our overalls, gloves and full face helmets with the overalls  providing a welcome extra layer against the weather – even though it was an unusually sunny day for NI there was a definite nip in the air.

We were transported to the practice site for a full briefing on safety and how to drive the hovercraft and after a couple of trial runs around an area the size of a football pitch to assess our technique by David, we were briefed again on the full circuit – how to enter and leave corners and the ponds and the dreaded hairpin!!!

As I had volunteered to go first it was back into the craft for a very cautious first lap. I decided to be brave and negotiate the ponds on the first try which was a bit daunting but great fun and then the flying lap kicked in as well as the stop watch.

David – who had a great rapport with all the kids, took my two younger children – twins Joseph and Charlotte on piloted rides – four laps around the track with spins included for added excitement!

My eldest son Aymen was the winner on the day with a fastest lap (including through the ponds  which is optional) of 1 minute 31 seconds beating his Dad who managed to get stuck in the water and will probably never live it down!

All in all a great family fun day out. We don’t often get the chance to get to take part in activities like this due to work commitments so this was a great way for us to spend some quality, fun time together in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. I can’t recommend it enough.

Foylehov is the first purpose build hovercraft track in Ireland and also offer Powerturn Buggying, Laserclays, Archery, Laser Combat and more recently Max Combat.

Jacqueline McGonigle -Manager, www.whatsonni.com

Northern Ireland Adventureland weekend offers discounted prices on a range of adventure activities on March 24 – 25.

Activity: Experience the thrill of gliding over land and water on a cushion of air at 40mph at Foyle Hovercrafting & Leisure’s purpose built grass track with abundant water hazards and tricky hairpins and bends. www.foylehov.com Tel: 028 7772 2235

More information: Jacqueline McGonigle’s trip was organised courtesy of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.

A full list of Adventureland activities and an online booking system is available at www.ni2012.com

A £500,000 extension at east Belfast garden centre, Hillmount, has created 10 new jobs and transformed the business, securing a staff of 50 at the store.  The extension increases the existing retail offering by 20% and includes the first dedicated barbecue academy to open in a garden centre in Ireland.

Fourth generation Managing Director, Alan Mercer, who studied at Essex University and trained in garden centre retail chains in the UK, works alongside his father Robin and grandfather Trevor to provide a personalised retail experience to a loyal local customer base of 250,000 visitors every year.

Alan said:  “The extension is in answer to customer demands.  We have outgrown the existing space created by my great-grandfather.  Our customers not only want to shop here but they want to be trained in the products they’re purchasing, which is why we added a barbecue academy in our extension plans.

“Although people are more cautious in their purchasing habits compared say with five years ago, we have been heartened by the response from our customers and the wider community to our extension plans and we believe this new facility will create an unrivalled customer experience for our visitors.”

Jim White, Mayor of Castlereagh, said:  “Hillmount’s extension and creating 10 new jobs  is a great boost to the local economy here in Castlereagh.  I welcome the Mercer family’s commitment to building their business and continuing to trade and invest in jobs for our local people, in what can only be described as very difficult trading times.”

Hillmount’s dedicated Barbecue Academy can cater for individuals and groups of between 9 and 12.  Simply log onto www.hilmount.co.uk for details of the courses available.

Situated in the Castlereagh hills, Hillmount opened its doors as a nursery in 1940.  The extension includes extra seating for 100 in the restaurant and the store now offers customers a choice of more than 25,000 products – from small plants and seeds to large designer BBQ’s, including one of the most expensive Weber BBQ’s in Ireland which comes with a price tag of £6000.

The Lisburn Road will be celebrating Belfast Independent Retail Week with a free family friendly fun day on Saturday 10^th March in conjunction with Belfast City Council from 1pm – 4pm.

Following on from successful past events, the day plans to be highly entertaining and engaging for audiences of all ages with live performances, big shop promotions and freebies,  face painting,  balloon modelling and acrobatic entertainment such as stilt walking and juggling through local performers Streetwise Community Circus and much more.

The fun day is a way to introduce people to the Lisburn Road and to showcase the fantastic range of unique independent retailers and services we have here. It’s hoped that people from around the country can get together and discover Belfast’s wonderful Style Mile.

Organised by the Lisburn Road Business Association (LRBA) and co-funded by Belfast City Council. The LRBA is the driving force that supports local independent retailers and protects the unique Belfast shopping destination that is the Lisburn Road.

We would encourage everyone to bring their friends and family to enjoy the festivities and to discover the special community spirit the Lisburn Road offers to all its shoppers and guests.

WITH this year’s St Patrick’s Day (March 17) falling on a Saturday, Northern Ireland is set for a weekend of family friendly festivities to celebrate the patron saint of Ireland, says the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB).

There will be a wide range of fantastic events taking place across Northern Ireland for everyone to enjoy from carnivals to concerts and from traditional music sessions to Irish dance or families can spend the day following in the footsteps of St Patrick himself by discovering more about the Saint’s life and legacy on the St Patrick’s Trail.

NITB’s Destination PR Officer Pauline Gormley is encouraging people to make the most of the great range of events on offer.

“This year’s calendar is jam-packed with celebrations for St Patrick’s Day with entertainment and tours, family fun, food tastings, street carnivals and much more,” said Pauline.

“There are also so many places to explore and intriguing stories, both fact and fiction, waiting to be discovered along the St Patrick’s Trail, so there really is something that all families can enjoy,” she said.

To help plan your St Patrick’s Day celebration, NITB has highlighted a range of things to do;

ST PATRICK’S TRAIL

Visitors following the St Patrick’s Trail can start and finish at any one of the sites along the way which have been identified as having some connection to St Patrick’s life, mission or legacy.

Why not start in the city of Armagh with the two St Patrick’s Cathedrals, Armagh Public Library and St Patrick’s Trian – where ‘The Armagh Story’ traces Armagh’s development from the stone monuments of pagan times, through to the coming of Saint Patrick and Celtic Christianity, to the modern day city.  Armagh is also home to No 5 Vicars’ Hill which contains early Christian artefacts, old maps of Armagh and a timeline providing a continuous history of religious leaders including St. Patrick.

St Patrick’s remains are buried in the graveyard attached to Down Cathedral in Downpatrick and nearby is St Tassach’s Church where he was given the last rites.  Also in Downpatrick, The Saint Patrick Centre explores the legacy of Saint Patrick and his life and the Down County Museum has an impressive collection of early Christian artefacts relating to the saint.

The Trail continues through North Down and along the Ards Peninsula to Greyabbey.  Saul Church is an important landmark as it was here St Patrick began his crusade to convert the Irish to Christianity.

Other sites along the trail include Bagenal’s Castle in Newry, Bangor Abbey and holy wells at Struell and Inch Abbey, on Downpatrick’s outskirts.

FAMILY FESTIVITIES

Co. Armagh

Where better to celebrate Saint Patrick than his chosen city of Armagh where the Saint Patrick’s Festival runs for an impressive ten days from March 9 – 19.

Highlights include a special concert by The Priests in the majestic Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, the second annual Busking competition, Irish Stew Night with entertainment from the Bards of Armagh, a wonderful Saint Patrick’s Night Concert and an extravagant St Patrick’s Day Carnival Parade boasting music, dance and entertainment to delight young and old alike.

Also taking place as part of Armagh’s festival are numerous concerts, gigs, lectures, live events, craft sessions and church services.

Co. Down

Known widely as St Patrick’s town and the reputed burial site of the patron saint, the St Patrick’s Festival in Downpatrick holds an extra special significance.  Down District Council is presenting a seven day programme of events from March 12 to March 19 and this includes the St Patrick’s Day Cross-Community Carnival Parade which makes its way through the streets of Downpatrick on March 17.

Events throughout the festival will offer opportunities to learn more about the history of St Patrick, celebrate his life, explore the fabulous County Down countryside and enjoy a wide range of concerts, exhibitions, sporting and family events.  With over 40 events to choose from and a wealth of free entertainment on offer, Downpatrick’s St Patrick’s Festival has something for everyone.

Jump aboard the Downpatrick and Co. Down Railway vintage steam train for the St Patrick’s Day Shamrock Special which will depart from Inch Abbey and will arrive at Downpatrick for the festivities.

The Down County Museum will host the St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations event which will feature traditional and folk music, Irish and Scottish dancing as well as children’s entertainers and storytelling – a perfect family day out.

Castle Ward will be hosting its annual 13 – 18km walk and Down Royal will be hosting a great day of horse racing.

Belfast

Belfast will become awash with colour and splendour when the St Patrick’s Day Carnival takes to the streets on March 17. Following the parade, the 2012 St Patrick’s Day Concert at Custom House Square runs from 1pm – 3pm and will feature a mix of traditional music and dance as well as a popular artist.

If you want an energetic start to your St Patrick’s Day then dress in green and join the St. Patrick’s Day 5k Fun Run at the Stormont Estate.  Runners will be raising awareness for the charity Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease at this alternative event.  The Cultúrlann will also be celebrating with a range of family fun including live traditional music, face painting and much more.

Co. Antrim

Join the St. Patrick’s Celebration at Old Bushmills Distillery and enjoy the unique setting of the 1608 bar where visitors can enjoy live music and various Bushmills cocktails.  Sink or Slim, a comedy in three acts by Sam Cree performed by Moycraig YFC will be taking place in Ballymoney Town Hall.

The Patterson’s Spade Mill is celebrating with ceilidh dancing, traditional music and the best local produce.

Co. Fermanagh

The St Patrick’s Day celebrations are also kicking off in Enniskillen with the St Patrick Annual Water and Street Parade.  St Patrick himself arrives by boat from the Ardhowan Theatre to the Lakeland Forum where he leads the carnival parade through the town.  Live music will also entertain the crowds throughout the day.

Also taking place in Enniskillen at the Castle Museums is the popular Family Fun Day with a celebration of local history and culture.  Highlights include Maeve the Vintage Steam Engine, as well as archaeological digs, siege machines, medieval food demonstrations, quill writing, historic castle and other activities.

The Green Fingers Festival will be taking place at the Orchard Acre Farm with cookery demonstrations, illustrated talks, garden tours and traditional music sessions.

Co. Tyrone

Join the celebrations at the annual Cultural Parade in Dungannon which will be followed by live music from 6pm in Anne Street.

Omagh will be hosting a St Patrick’s Day Parade and outdoor music concert with Kintra, a fusion of musicians, singers and dancers from the North West of Ireland, and other local artists including the Omagh Community Choir.

The Strule Arts Centre is hosting a St Patrick’s Day Arts and Crafts Fair with a variety of handmade, authentic Irish items on display including a mixture of ceramics, jewellery, knitwear, tapestry and much more.

Co. Londonderry

This year’s St Patrick’s Day Spring Carnival at the Guildhall promises carnival parades, concerts, dancing, storytelling and colourful characters.  Over 900 community and voluntary groups are taking part in the “Voyage of Discovery” themed carnival parade which explores everything from the city’s aviation and maritime history to all great voyages including jungles, rainforests, oceans and even outer space.  There will also be live music and street entertainment.

In addition to this there will be a wide range of events taking place in various locations throughout the city including Shamrock Shenanigans at Springhill with live music over a bowl of colcannon mash or Irish stew, the children’s shamrock trail and craft activities and a Bluegrass String Band in concert at the Riverside Theatre.

To find out more on St Patrick’s Day events click on www.discovernorthernireland.com or visit your local tourist information centre.  You can also keep up-to-date with the latest news, images, videos and competitions by visiting http://www.facebook.com/discovernorthernireland.

Spring has sprung, the gardens are full of buds, blossoms and bird song, and the National Trust is opening its doors to welcome members and supporters to its many beautiful places.

The year ahead promises to be an exciting one with visitors from near and far visiting Northern Ireland to experience the many events, celebrations, commemorations and amazing projects opening in 2012.  As well as welcoming visitors, the charity will also be making a significant investment at properties and open spaces to enhance visitor facilities and to continue to care for special places.

Commenting on the investment, Billy Reid, Interim Director for Northern Ireland for Northern Ireland, said:

“During 2012 we will be investing across Northern Ireland to ensure our members and visitors have wonderful experiences and the opportunity to enjoy our heritage, countryside, coast and gardens.  The Giant’s Causeway visitor experience is making great progress with a planned opening in July 2012 and it is getting very exciting realising just how amazing the new experience will be.  Mount Stewart will benefit from a £6 million investment which will restore the property to its glory days.  Rowallane Garden, Castle Coole and The Argory are opening new visitor facilities and a new 30 pitch campsite is opening at Crom.”

In addition, 2012 will see National Trust houses, gardens, coast and countryside emerge from the winter with renewed life as the charity offers countless opportunities to discover and enjoy Northern Ireland’s scenery and wildlife.

“The year ahead promises to be another busy and exciting one, with a lively programme of events and anniversaries galore. Look out for Castle Coole’s Diamond celebrations, join the fun at Castle Ward’s jubilee weekend in June, discover Springhill’s amazing link with the Titanic and the origins of the phrase ‘women and children’ first at The Argory.  With pirate picnics, music in the garden, family adventure days and wild about nature activities there’s lots of amazing things to see and do.” added Billy.

Despite being one of the largest conservation charities in Europe, the National Trust has a significant regional deficit.

“We are committed to looking after our properties for ever, yet conservation costs rise faster than inflation every year.  We rely on membership subscriptions, donations and legacies from supporters to ensure sure we can fulfil our promise to look after special places for ever, for everyone.”

National Trust mansion properties in Northern Ireland open for the 2012 season on 10 March.  Many coast and countryside properties including Carrick-a-Rede remain open all year round.  For further information, including opening arrangements, details of over 200 events and how to join Northern Ireland’s largest conservation charity visit www.nationaltrustni.org.uk or contact the Regional Office on 028 9751 0721.