There’ll be an enhanced agricultural theme at this year’s Auld Lammas Fair in Ballycastle.

Ireland’s oldest fair has a connection to horse trading dating back hundreds of years and Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council wants to build on this tradition.

Since the 17th century, horse traders have flocked to Fairhill Street in the centre of the seaside town to buy and sell animals, and they’ll return to the area again this year on Monday 28th August and Tuesday 29th August, continuing the Fair’s unbroken history.

Alongside the horse trading, a range of other attractions will be available over both days. These include a mobile farm, which will be housed inside the former Council depot. Alpacas, goats and sheep will be on display along with rabbits, guinea pigs, ducks and chickens. Or for something a little more exotic, there will be a snake, a bearded dragon and meerkats.

In a new partnership with Council, Coleraine-based charity, Riding for the Disabled, will provide pony and trap rides, along with pony rides for children, in return for a small donation. They’ll be bringing a wheel-chair accessible trap, allowing disabled visitors the opportunity to take part.

Over both days, look out for horse-shoe making displays and see a skilled farrier at work. Visitors will have an opportunity to take home a horse shoe made at the Fair as a unique memento of the event. And to add to the nostalgia, various vintage vehicles, including tractors, will be on display.

The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Councillor Joan Baird OBE, said: “Horse-trading has a long association with the Auld Lammas Fair, and I’m delighted to see these additional attractions are coming to Fairhill Street this year as we seek to build on the event’s agricultural appeal. I hope everyone visiting the Fair this year will enjoy what’s on offer, and we are looking forward to another memorable Fair.”

For the first time, this year’s Auld Lammas Fair programme will include a spectacular fireworks display, which will take place on Sunday night (August 27th). On August 28th and August 29th, Ballycastle will be transformed into a town-wide market place, featuring hundreds of stalls, buskers, musicians, horse trading, and funfair attractions.

The weekend build-up also includes the traditional heavy horse show and vintage car and tractor parade on Saturday, with live music in the Diamond on Sunday night following the fireworks.

A small number of designated Council stalls are still available during the Fair. For more information telephone 028 2766 0216 or email environmentalhealth@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk

For further details go to www.visitcausewaycoastandglens.com or follow Causeway Coast and Glens Events on Facebook.

The Millennium Forum today received an Autism Impact Award in recognition of its ongoing efforts in providing fully accessible experiences for all patrons.

The flagship arts and cultural venue was presented with this award by Christine English, Autism NI’s Development Manager and the Deputy Mayor, Councillor John Boyle.

The Autism Impact Award recognises organisations who excel in creating a more ‘Autism friendly environment’ for their customers. Through attaining an Impact Award, organisations can confidently open up their business to the 30,000 individuals and families living with Autism in Northern Ireland that previously may have been excluded. This award equips businesses to better understand any staff and customers who may have Autism and allows them to adapt their organisation’s environment to support this.  The Impact Award includes staff training and support to implement a range of adjustments to improve accessibility.

Box Office Manager, Lisa Heaney, completed the accreditation to become an Autism Champion. She said:

“Twenty-four of our staff completed the training course and we’ve made numerous adjustments to our products and services in order to achieve this award.  These include continuing with and increasing our relaxed performances, implementing a permanent Quiet Area that can be accessed during all performances, implementing a customer service Code of Practise across online, phone and in-person interactions, introducing visual menus for our bars and shop, colour coding our doors to assist with ease of access for our patrons, as well as the continuing promotion and implementation of our Access Membership Scheme.”

Christine English, Autism NI’s Development Manager comments:

“We are delighted to present Millennium Forum with the Impact Award, which recognises their commitment to increase Autism Accessibility in their organisation. This is the latest success for Derry City and Strabane District Council as they work with Autism NI to become an Autism Friendly Council.

The Millennium Forum has implemented a number of changes as a result of the Impact Award Scheme, including more visual information and a quiet area that customers can use when visiting the organisation.  On behalf of Autism NI, I would like to congratulate all the staff and Autism Champions on achieving the Impact Award.”

The Mayor, Councillor Maolíosa McHugh added:

“On behalf of Derry City and Strabane District Council I would like to warmly congratulate the Millennium Forum on having their inclusivity and accessibility recognised with this prestigious title.  The Autism NI Impact Award is just acknowledgement for the dedicated work of the staff at the Millennium Forum in creating a venue where the particular needs of individuals and families living with Autism can be accommodated.”

David McLaughlin, Chief Executive of the Millennium Forum is delighted that the Forum has been recognised by this award:

“This is fantastic news for our venue and is testament to the hard work of all our staff.  The Millennium Forum prides itself in proving accessible theatre for all and has, in recent years, been at the forefront of developing fully accessible theatre through special Relaxed and Dementia Friendly performances of our annual pantomime and other productions; indeed, we were the first theatre in Ireland to showcase these performances for our Christmas pantomime back in 2014, and, last year, this offering was developed to form the ‘Sing Song Sessions’ which took the panto cast to various centres across the city, enabling people living with dementia to enjoy an afternoon of live music.  We hope to continue and build on these efforts as part of our ongoing commitment to providing accessible theatre for all our patrons.”

 

There’s plenty for kids at this year’s Aspects! The much-loved literature festival which unveiled it’s 2017 programme last week is a staple on the Ards and North Down Borough Council’s Arts calendar and will this year run from 14 -24 September.

Myra Zepf – Children’s Writing Fellow for Northern Ireland will host children’s workshops at North Down Museum on Saturday September 16.  Myra will be reading from her book ‘Don’t Go To School.’ Take the little ones along to hear the story of Benno the bear who can’t wait to go to school, this is a fun session in which the children play a game with the author based on the story. Myra will also be running a story-making workshop where children will learn a writing trick behind the funniest of stories, no pens or paper required, but an epic brain storming session – sparked by a sack-full of props – expect lots of laughs!

Also on Saturday 16, Stephen Beggs will perform ‘My Father’s Chair’ at Studio 1A on Hamilton Road. This performance for families about the nature of fatherhood will explore what it’s like to have a dad, be a dad and the unique relationships between kids and their fathers. Expect to be taken on a funny, emotional journey – a father’s voice and perspective in the world of theatre for younger audiences.

For more energetic youngsters – try Gruffalo yoga with Little Feet Big Moves. Taking place at North Down Museum on Sunday 17 September, this amazing yoga adventure is inspired by the popular children’s story ‘The Gruffalo.’  Young yogis will love practicing yoga poses as they re-enact the story of the brave little mouse who takes a stroll through the deep dark woods.

Bangor Carnegie Library will be a hive of activity on Saturday 23 September with two children’s workshops taking place at the venue. At 10.30am a Sensory Story: We’re going on a Bear Hunt promises to be fun for little ones. Follow along with the story and enjoy the sensory themes. Dress for mess and wear comfortable clothing, lots of swishy, swash and squelching guaranteed! Then at 2pm, the Hanging Sculptures workshop will show children how to build their own sculpture that moves and blows in the wind, using various colours and materials, sure to be pieces of modern art!

For more information and to book tickets, visit aspectsfestival.com The Aspects 2017 festival brochure is also now available. Pick up your copy today from any of our Visitor Information Centres, North Down Museum or The Town Hall, Bangor.

 

Canadian poet George Elliott Clarke, whose work features on U2’s current Joshua Tree anniversary tour, will visit Seamus Heaney HomePlace on Wednesday 23 August as part of ‘The Shaken and the Stirred: A Celebration of Canadian Poetry’. 

Two poems by Clarke, who is Canada’s Parliamentary Poet and Poet Laureate, appear as projections before every show on U2’s current North American and European tour.  ‘Kaddish for Leonard Cohen’ was written as a tribute to the late Montreal songwriter, while ‘Ain’t You Scared of the Sacred’ addresses the Quebec City mosque shooting in January that left six people dead.

Clarke forms part of ‘The Shaken and the Stirred’, a collective of five renowned Canadian poets and novelists will present their work in public readings throughout the UK and Northern Ireland to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of Canada.

The poetry collective of individual writers is selected each year by a panel, representing the Canadian Centre for Creative Learning. This year the collective also includes prize-winning authors Jeanette Lynes, Ian Burgham, Catherine Graham and Giovanna Riccio reading from their recently released and upcoming collections.

These writers, all of whom have been published and recognised internationally, not only represent some of the strongest voices and best contemporary work being produced in Canada, but demonstrate a wide range of kinds of poetry and themes that currently can be found in the Canadian literary landscape and have produced over thirty collections of poetry.

Tickets for ‘The Shaken and the Stirred: A Celebration of Canadian Poetry’ on Wednesday 23 August at 7.30pm at Seamus Heaney HomePlace, Bellaghy, are £5 and are available now from www.seamusheaneyhome.com

Jordanstown Loughshore Park will once again be the place to be over the August Bank Holiday weekend, as the ever popular Shoreline Festival returns on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 August.

The guaranteed family fun kicks off on Saturday at 2pm with activities such as street theatre, an exhilarating zip line along the lough and a scooter park.

The family fun continues each day of the festival with activities including bouncy castles, retro games arcade, a petting farm, climbing wall and face painting.  For those looking to pick up a unique gift, Bonkers Betty’s Bizarre Bazaar is open for business from 2pm – 8pm on Sunday 27 August.

Fabulous musical entertainment is again the main attraction of the festival with excellent concerts planned. On Saturday night there will be fireworks and live music from Faith, The George Michael Experience and on Sunday evening, Oasis tribute band Roll With It, will bring this “Supersonic” weekend to a close. (Please note that glass bottles are not permitted at any of the concerts and the fireworks display is dependent on weather conditions).

The family fun runs from 2pm – 10pm both days and admission to the festival is free of charge, except for a small charge for the amusements.  For more information visit www.antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk/shoreline or follow us on Facebook

After four years of writing and performing half hour episodes of stand up for his TV show, CONTENT PROVIDER is Stewart’s first brand new, long-form, full length show since the award-winning Carpet Remnant World.

The show opened at Leicester Square Theatre in November 2016 to great acclaim and will tour throughout the UK and return to London in November 2017 (tour schedule below).

“The most consistently funny show of his brilliant career … I laughed till it hurt.”

The Times ★★★★★

“Characteristically twisty and frequently brilliant” The Guardian ★★★★

“Venomously funny” Standard ★★★★

“Two marvellous misanthropic hours… there’s no-one else to touch him”

Mail on Sunday ★★★★★

Stewart Lee began stand-up in 1988 at the age of 20, and won the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year in 1990.  In 2001 he co-wrote the libretto for Richard Thomas’s Jerry Springer, The Opera, which went on to win four Olivier Awards.  His most recent live shows have been Carpet Remnant World (2011), Much A Stew About Nothing (2013) and Room With a Stew (2015). He made four series of Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle for the BBC which won Best Male TV Comic and Best Comedy Entertainment Performance at the British Comedy Awards in 2011 and a BAFTA in 2012. His fourth and final BBC series of Comedy Vehicle is now available on DVD.  Stewart is also an occasional newspaper columnist and has recently published a collection of his short prose, also entitled Content Provider.

 

STEWART LEE: CONTENT PROVIDER 2017 NI DATES

WED 27, 8PM,                                   LONDONDERRY,               Millennium Forum, 028 7126 4455, www.millenniumforum.co.uk

THU 28, 8PM,                                    BELFAST,                              Waterfront, 028 9033 4455, www.waterfront.co.uk

BOOKING FEES MAY APPLY

 

 

To book tickets for the Millennium Forum click HERE.

To book tickets for the Belfast Waterfront click HERE.

To enter our ticket give away click our competition tab.

Bio

Born in Shropshire in 1968, Stewart Lee began writing and performing stand-up at the age of 20, having been inspired, as an impressionable teenager, by seeing the post-punk anti-comic Ted Chippington open for The Fall in Birmingham in 1984. In 1990 he won the Hackney Empire New Act Of The Year award and for the next five years he contributed to various BBC Radio comedy shows, including Fist of Fun and On The Hour, with Steve Coogan and Chris Morris. He performed as a stand-up almost nightly on the London comedy club circuit throughout the ‘90s, and co-created two programs for BBC2 with Richard Herring.

Stewart directed the Mighty Boosh’s breakthrough Edinburgh show, Arctic Boosh (1999), Simon Munnery’s Golden Rose Of Montreux nominated BBC2 show, Attention Scum, (2000), and a revival of Eric Bogosian’s Talk Radio (Underbelly 2007).  In 2001 he was invited to help write the libretto of, and direct, the composer Richard Thomas’ developing work, Jerry Springer The Opera, at Battersea Arts Centre. The show won four Olivier awards after its National Theatre run, though its commercial future was curtailed by the right wing pressure group, Christian Voice.

Stewart’s subsequent three stand-up tours, 2004’s Stand-Up Comedian, 2005’s 90s Comedian, and 2007’s 41^st Best Stand-Up Ever, consolidated his live audience and critical standing and contributed to BBC2’s decision to commission his 2009 series, Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle. This was followed by the stand-up tours, If You Prefer A Milder Comedian Please Ask For One (2009), and Carpet Remnant World (2011), and three more series of Comedy Vehicle for BBC2, the fourth airing in 2016. The second series won a BAFTA and two British Comedy Awards, though the same panels overlooked the superior third series, and all the series won Chortle awards.

Stewart is also the author of the stand-up studies How I Escaped My Certain Fate (Faber and Faber 2010) and If You Prefer A Milder Comedian Please Ask For One (Faber and Faber 2012), and the theatre pieces Pea Green Boat (Traverse/BAC 2002), What Would Judas Do? (Bush/BAC 2007), Johnson and Boswell, Late But Live (Traverse 2007), and Interiors (Manchester International Festival 2007, with Johnny Vegas and Rob Thirtle). He has hosted radio documentaries on Native American Clowns, Satanic music, free jazz, psychedelic pagan kids’ TV, Radiophonics, and Morris Dancing, and was the on-screen interviewer in Antoine Prum’s elegant improvised music documentary, Taking The Dog For A Walk (2014).

Stewart is a patron of the arts radio station Resonance 104.4 FM, has written on music for The Wire, Bucketful Of Brains, Uncut and Mojo, and performs in an irregular trio interpreting John Cage’s Indeterminacy with Steve Beresford and Tania Chen. He won Celebrity Mastermind answering questions on the guitarist Derek Bailey, pedalled a swan pedalo in Andrew Kötting and Iain Sinclair’s film Swandown (2012), and recently performed a folk song on a Shirley Collins tribute album. He is also the voice of a Tarantula spider in an exhibit at London Zoo. Stewart has two children and has lived in Stoke Newington, Hackney, London since the 1990s.

“One of the top three or four living stand-ups..” – Time Out

 “The worst stand-up I have ever seen”  – Graham Simmons, Chortle

www.stewartlee.co.uk

 

The Market Place Theatre in Armagh is hosting Northern Ireland Opera with their ‘Bite-Size Opera – Up Close & Personal’ series featuring ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ – a tale of deception, loyalty and desire.

Guigliemeo and Ferrando have been bragging about their new girlfriends Dorabella and Fiordiligi. Alfonso challenges them to put their girls and their own feelings to the test. Working with the girls’ servant Despina, he swaps the two pairs and watches as emotions are turned upside-down and inside out.

Working with a small team and a piano, the Studio of Northern Ireland Opera gives you the chance to get up close and personal to great opera, so join some of the island’s most talented young and emerging artists for a bite-sized version of Mozart’s opera of love, temptation and partner-swapping, to be enjoyed with a drink, light refreshments, a sense of humour and an open mind.

‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ will be staged on Sunday 20 August at 4pm. Tickets are priced £15 which includes a glass of prosecco and light refreshments.

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.

 

The STEM Village returns to Air Waves Portrush in a prime new location.

After its successful debut last year, the attraction will now be located on a more prominent site in East Strand car park when the event returns on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd September.

Bringing together a range of employers and education providers, it aims to showcase career opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).

As a major economic driving force, Air Waves Portrush enjoys a reputation as being much more than a tourist attraction, and the STEM Village puts education, networking and business at the core of the event. Visitors will get real experience of research and development, problem solving and careers through a range of interactive displays and tasks.

Globally the aerospace industry generates substantial economic growth, well-paid jobs and high tech exports. In order to do so the industry requires a highly skilled workforce. Northern Ireland, is Europe’s eighth main region in terms of revenue for the aerospace industry, with over 60 companies at the leading edge of design and manufacture, who rely on employees with experience, knowledge and qualifications in Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths.

During Air Waves Portrush, a visit to the STEM Village, will inspire people to get their career off to a flying start in this sector.

The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Councillor Joan Baird OBE, said: “Choosing a career is not an easy task, and for many people it is one of the most significant decisions they will face. The STEM village aims to inspire people of all ages by providing an exciting and interactive insight into research and development, problem solving and careers in STEM subjects. It is also beneficial for our exhibitors, offering them a bespoke space to highlight their facilities, projects and skills, and putting them in direct contact with future students, members or employees.”

Exhibitors at the STEM Village this year include Ulster University, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Regional College, North West Regional College, Belfast Metropolitan College, FAST Technologies, Sentinus, Thales, Moyola, Royal Air Force, Armed Forces, Royal Navy, Thompson Aero Seating and FABLab.

Visitors are encouraged to enter our competition to win a Fitbit or an Amazon Echo when they visit. To enter, simply take a picture with your favourite part of the STEM Village and tweet ‘STEM_Airwaves’ including both hashtags #AirwavesPortrush and #STEM along with your photo. The most tweeted photo by 4:30pm each day (Saturday and Sunday) will win.

Air Waves Portrush is organised by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council with support from Tourism NI and a range of local sponsors.

For more information about the event go to www.airwavesportrush.co.uk

To find out more about is happening across the Borough go to www.visitcausewaycoastandglens.com or call 028 7034 4723.

Timed to coincide with series 7 of the hugely popular TV series, the promotion in GB is under way right now, complementing Tourism Ireland’s global Game of Thrones® tapestry campaign.

It features a fun quiz on Tourism Ireland’s website, Ireland.com – where fans can answer questions connecting scenes in the Game of Thrones® tapestry with real life filming locations in Northern Ireland. Then, they’re in with a chance to win a three-day trip to Northern Ireland, including a Game of Thrones® tour. Once the quiz is complete, users can engage further with the tapestry and share the competition and scenes from the tapestry with their friends, through social media.

The competition is being promoted via Facebook and Twitter, as well as through email marketing to a database of almost 19,000 – reminding fans of the TV show that Northern Ireland is one of the main filming locations for Game of Thrones®, with numerous unforgettable set locations.

Julie Wakley, Tourism Ireland’s Head of Great Britain, said: “TV and film are recognised as strong influencers on travellers everywhere and the popularity of Game of Thrones® is a fantastic opportunity for us to promote Northern Ireland to a huge audience of potential GB visitors. Our latest Game of Thrones® promotion is a fun way to spike people’s curiosity about the landscapes and locations featured in the series and inspire them to come and explore those locations for themselves. It’s just one element of our busy programme of activity to highlight Northern Ireland as Game of Thrones® Territory.”

Separately, Tourism Ireland has released another time-lapse video of the weaving of the latest section of its Game of Thrones® tapestry, hanging in the Ulster Museum. This week’s section of tapestry includes a collection of scenes from “The Spoils of War,” episode 4 of season 7: as the Lannister army approaches King’s Landing, it is attacked by Daenerys, riding Drogon and leading her horde of Dothraki. Despite the Lannisters suffering heavy losses, Bronn is able to wound Drogon with Qyburn’s scorpion crossbow. Jaime attempts to run Daenerys down, but Drogon shields her and almost incinerates him before Bronn pushes him out of the way at the last moment. Click here to see Tourism Ireland’s video of the new panels – representing “The Spoils of War” (episode 4) – being created.