Terms and conditions : All packages are based per person sharing and based on two persons. All packages are non refundable and non amendable and must be prepaid at the time of booking.

Updated 29th July, 2016.

Northern Ireland has a unique collection of irresistible places to stay including quirky B&Bs, luxurious spa hotels and hidden gem properties for the perfect short break and Discover NI has selected the best offers of the week for you to choose from.

· Value Break, Maldron Hotel, Derry, Co. Londonderry. From £99pps. As the only hotel located within Derry’s historic walls, the Maldron Hotel is the perfect base from which to explore the city. Enjoy a two night stay, with a two course meal on the evening of your choice, two cocktails per person on the evening of your choice, and a £20 gift card to spend in the nearby Foyleside Shopping Centre. Breakfast each morning is also included. Available until Dec 13. To book call (028) 7137 1000. Please quote promo code: Autumn Leaves, when booking.

· Golf Breaks, Galgorm Resort and Spa, Ballymena, Co. Antrim. From £85pps. Galgorm is the perfect venue for the ultimate golfing experience. Play 18 holes at Galgorm Castle’s Championship Golf Club, home to this year’s NI Open, and enjoy an overnight stay in Galgorm Resort and Spa. The offer includes full Irish breakfast, use of the thermal spa facilities and transfers to and from the golf club. Available until Dec 13. To book call (028) 2588 1001. Please quote promo code: Autumn Leaves, when booking.

· Romance For Two, Silverbirch Hotel, Omagh, Co. Tyrone. From £160pps. Ideally located in the heart of County Tyrone, Silverbirch is a family run hotel where you will instantly feel at home. This amazing offer includes a two night stay in the hotel, with full Irish breakfast each morning, four course dinner in Barretta Bar and Grill on the evening of your choice with Demi Carafe of House Wine per person, a choice of luxury facial or full body massage per person, and exclusive use of the hot tub area with bubbly and chocolates. Available until Dec 1. To book call (028) 8556 7898.

Tourism NI has put together a list of 10 exciting things to do in Northern Ireland next week (October 19-25).

• City of Derry International Choral Festival, St. Columb’s Hall, Derry~Londonderry, Co. Londonderry, October 22-25. Created as a joyous celebration of choral music-making, the festival provides opportunities for competitive and non-competitive participation for singers across a wide range of styles, ensembles and ages. Aside from the competitive focus, the City of Derry comes alive with pop-up performances, high-quality concerts and educational activities providing a celebration of everything choral music has to offer. Various times.

• Nine Nights, Belfast City Hall, Donegall Square, Belfast, October 24. Prepare to be enthralled, entranced … perhaps even a tiny bit bewildered!  For one incredible, never-to-be-repeated night, the art and traditions of India will cast their exotic spell over Belfast as the city hosts the vast and vibrant ‘Nine Nights’ production inspired by age-old Indian folklore. This event is free for all to attend and no tickets are required. Just come along and enjoy the show!  Begins at 7.30pm.

• The Mourne Skyline Mountain Trail Race, Newcastle, Co. Down, October 24. The Mourne Skyline Mountain Trail Race is a 35k race set in the heart of the scenic Mourne Mountains. The race starts and finishes in the seaside town of Newcastle. Competitors will enjoy magnificent scenery on what can only be described as a tough but rewarding course. A race briefing will take place at 7.45am.

• Seapark Fireworks, Seapark Recreation Ground, Holywood, Co. Down, October 24. Enjoy a night of food, fireworks and fun. This popular event returns with family favourites including a fun fair, food fair, live music and much more. From 4pm and fireworks from 7.45pm.

• An Evening Of Irish Horror, The Market Place Theatre, Market Street, Armagh, Co. Armagh, October 22. An Evening Of Irish Horror is the perfect scare for when the air gets cold and the night grows dark. Two classic Irish spook stories are reanimated in the darkness, with live music. Begins at 8pm.

• Fright Night At The Courthouse Cookstown, Chapel Street, Co. Tyrone, October 22-31. This Halloween, the Old Courthouse will be opening its doors from October 22 for a frightful fear fest that is not recommended for the faint hearted! Show times: 7pm, 7.15pm, 7.30pm, 7.45pm and 8pm.

• Hallowe’en Fest and Craft Fair, Florencecourt, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, October 25. Come along for a spooktacular afternoon! Enjoy the hallowe’en craft fair and meet the gardener to find out what it takes to grow the perfect pumpkin, find some scary beasts on a children’s trail, or take a spooky house tour to meet the ghosts and ghouls of Florence Court … if you dare!  Opening times: 10am – 4pm.

• Heroes and Legends, Eikon Exhibition Centre, Balmoral Park, Lisburn, Co. Antrim, October 24-25. Heroes, legends and even some villains will assemble at the all-new Eikon Exhibition Centre for a magical event. Meet Darth Vader, train as a Jedi and enjoy a dramatic show as the good guys clash with the dark side. Includes Gamers, Superhero stand and characters from Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park, Disney and so much more.  Various show times.

• Halloween at Cockle Row Cottages, The Harbour, Groomsport, Co. Down, October 25. Bring your little monsters along to Cockle Row Cottages, Groomsport for a ghoulish day of free family fun. Party Animals NI will be on hand with snakes, lizards, a meerkat and lots of other creepy creatures. There will also be spooky craft making and glitter tattoos and traditional music will have your feet tapping.  Cottages open: 11am – 5pm. family fun: 1pm – 4pm.

• BBC Big Band Frank & Ella, Ulster Hall, Bedford Street, Belfast, October 23. Join the internationally renowned BBC Big Band for a celebration of two of the finest and most iconic entertainers of our time, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. Featuring acclaimed vocalists Elaine Delmar and Jeff Hooper, the band will recreate the classic songs that made them stars – such as ‘The Lady is a Tramp’, ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’, ‘That Old Black Magic’ and ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’.

Please note some of the events require pre-booking. For more details on these and other events click on www.discovernorthernireland.com/events, visit your local tourist information centre or log onto www.facebook.com/discovernorthernireland.

Down

Be part of the Big Draw 2015 event and draw your way on to a giant map of Bangor Town.  Come along to The Hub at Project 24 on Saturday 17th October and join Bangor Shared Space and the Project 24 Artists for a day of drawing and fun.

Armagh

Are you a BIG fan of animation love watching superheroes and quirky animated shows?  If YES then you’ll love this fantastic two day workshop – Animation for Children brought to you by the Market Place Theatre.  Introducing Animation brings to life a world where anything can happen direct from your own imagination. In the first session, get to know and experiment with different methods of stop-motion animation. Once you’ve seen the possibilities you can start making characters and sets for your own short animation. In the second week, you’ll shoot your own animation before adding sound effects or music and uploading to YouTube. Please note this workshop will take place at the Amma Centre 17^th and 24^th October.

Fermanagh

SHARE’S County Night this Thursday evening will be hosted by the following 9 Country Acts.  Aidan Clerkin, Brian Kerrigan, Gerry Mac, Karl Kirpatrick, Malcom Coulter, Paul Kelly, Seany Mac, Vincy Walmsley, Sean Corrigan.  The event is held in SHARE’S Arena where there is plenty of room to dance!

Tyrone
The Craic Theatre presents the classic musical “Calamity Jane” opening Thursday 15th October and running  for four performances 16th & 17th at 8.00pm nightly and Sunday 18th with a matinee performance at  3.00pm.  £10 Adults, £5 concession children under 16.

Derry

The Guildhall Derry/Londonderry Wedding Fayre, presented by Perfect Bliss Wedding Events takes place this Sunday 18th October from 2.00pm-5.00pm.  Catwalk Show 4:30pm, admission is free.

Antrim

Good fairies, and the more mischievous kind, will weave their magic at the Woodland Trust’s Oakfield Glen in Carrickfergus on the evening of Saturday 17th October, from 6pm to 9pm.  Fairy friends will entertain and keep a watchful eye over woodland visitors.  Gather round the campfire to toast marshmallows; enjoy live fiddle music and storytelling.  Little ones will have the chance to make their own lanterns, from recycled materials.

Belfast

The Ulster Bank Belfast International Arts Festival presents the Animotion Show this Sunday 18th October. The live chemistry between renowned virtuoso percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie and acclaimed Russian visual artist Maria Rud, delivers a sound and image fusion that is truly unforgettable. Maria’s iconic images are beamed live, as she paints them, onto the walls of the Belfast City Hall by projection artist Ross Ashton.  The audience enjoy not just beautiful paintings on this stunning building but also the process of painting itself as they witness each brush stroke and developing form as images materialise and transform to be then swept away and replaced by something new. The effect is breath-taking. Admission is free but booking is essential.

Add your events free at www.whatsonni.com. Follow us on twitter @whatsonNI and on facebook at fb.com/www.whatsonni.com for news, competitions and what’s on near you.

Jamie Oliver Group and Guinness head up conference to help local businesses and students

NORTHERN Ireland’s leading collection of hotels has announced the line-up for its annual Digi-Talk conference, and once again it has a tasty line up of big names including leading experts from the Jamie Oliver Group and Guinness.

Taking place on Thursday November 5 in the Europa Hotel, the innovative conference, which is endorsed by the University of Ulster, aims to help local businesses and students find out more about the growing realm of digital marketing.

Steve Cardwell from the Jamie Oliver Group, Lisa Fitzsimons from Guinness Western Europe and David Douglas from digital agency Ebow will discuss a range of topics including the importance of online marketing for brands and the growing trend of advertising via YouTube. In addition to this Guinness will share the story behind the evolution of marketing in a long established worldwide brand.

Delegates will also have the unique opportunity to ask questions, interact and learn from the industry leaders and take part in breakout workshops.

Hannah Corbett of Hastings Hotels said: “We are delighted to launch Digi-Talk 2015, which is taking place at the Europa Hotel on Thursday November 5, with the aim of helping local businesses and students find out more about the fast-paced, growing world of digital marketing.

“Once again, we have secured a fantastic line-up of speakers from well-known brands at the forefront of social media including the Jamie Oliver Group, Guinness and local company Ebow who will share their knowledge and provide plenty of topical information to professionals and students in Northern Ireland,” Hannah added.

Digi-Talk 2015 is endorsed by the University of Ulster and supported by the premium hotel booking agent Avvio. For further information on Digi-Talk 2015 or to secure your place call Hannah Corbett on 028 9067 4168 or email hannah@hastingshotels.com

WITH Halloween creeping around the corner and the goblins and ghouls coming out to play, Hastings Hotels has launched a frighteningly good Halloween themed Afternoon Tea at two of its hotels.

Enjoy a fun afternoon of dining for the whole family at the Everglades Hotel in Derry~Londonderry and Ballygally Castle on the scenic North Antrim Coast with spooktacular treats including spine-tinglingly tasty sandwiches, freshly baked scones, buns and loads of scary delights to sink your teeth into. This spookily scrumptious special Afternoon Tea is available every afternoon from October 23rd – November 1^st.

Why not make a night of it and enjoy a spooky stay over at Ballygally Castle from only £70 per person with Halloween Afternoon Tea on arrival followed by a luxurious overnight stay and full Irish breakfast the following morning.

Visitors to Ballygally Castle who are brave enough can also take a trip to the Ghost Room to see if they can spot Lady Isabella Shaw, the hotel’s friendly ghost who has been around for 400 years. The wife of Lord James Shaw gave birth to a baby girl, much to the dismay of her husband who wanted a son. Lord Shaw snatched the baby from his wife and locked her in a room at the top of the castle. While trying to escape to search for her child, the theory is that Lady Isabella fell to her death from the tower window.

Joanne Harvey, Group Marketing Manager of Hastings Hotels said: “Halloween is a fun time for all the family and with fantastic events taking place all over Northern Ireland, the Everglades Hotel and Ballygally Castle are the places to be to enjoy a special themed Halloween Afternoon Tea. Ballygally Castle also offers a really unique Halloween experience in the company of our resident ghost Lady Isabella Shaw.”

To book Halloween Afternoon Tea at one of the hotels or a spooky stay over at Ballygally Castle, call 028 9047 1066 or for further information go to www.hastingshotels.com

Northern Ireland’s favourite vintage shopping event, the spectacular Frock Around The Clock Vintage & Handmade Fair, will be returning to Bangor for its Fall into Winter extravaganza, appearing at Clandeboye Lodge on Sunday 1^st November.

This event will mark the 7^th Birthday of Frock Around The Clock and, now entering its 8^th year of delighting customers from all over Ireland, Frock Fairs still remain dedicated to sourcing the best in vintage dealers and fresh creative talent, so in addition to many of the old favourites there will also be a number of fresh faces to be seen, providing a spectacular variety of unique, quality and interesting things to see and buy. Whether you are in search of stunning fashion accessories, authentic vintage treasures, beautifully handcrafted designs, or delicious edible goodies, this event has it all! It is the perfect place to make a head start on your Christmas shopping, to find unique gifts for all your family and friends.
The event will showcase around 50 high quality vintage dealers and creative designers from all over Ireland, specialising in vintage, handmade and upcycled fashion, jewellery, furniture, homewares, collectibles, stationery, art, skincare, candles, artisan food, haberdashery, photography, children and baby goods, and so much more!

The impressive exhibitor list will include The Honeysuckle Bee and Me, creators of beautiful handcrafted goats milk soap and natural soy wax candles, Norma Jean Vintage, offering a fabulous selection of vintage collectables, The Natural Room Emporium, connoisseurs of authentic vintage furniture and homewares, Laird & Gillie, purveyor of stylish tweed décor & textile art,  Holmes & Moore, specialists in vintage china and collectable books, Bluebird Bakery, creators of scrumptious sweet treats, Ratty Tat Hats, showcasing unique handmade Steampunk millinery, and Emily Loves Vintage offering beautiful, limited-edition eclectic jewellery.

The Fall Into Winter Vintage & Handmade Fair will take place from 12-5pm on Sunday 1^st November 2015 at Clandeboye Lodge, 10 Estate Road, Bangor BT19 1UR.  Admission costs only £3 for adults, and children go free. More information on the event and the exhibitor list can be found at frockfairsni.com and on facebook.com/frockaroundtheclockvintagefairs.

Belfast’s Merchant Hotel has joined forces with a leading Northern Ireland textile designer to bring a chic local feel to the interiors of its stylish bedrooms.

Award-winning textile designer, Jude Cassidy has created a collection of bespoke Irish linen cushions to add an elegant local accent to The Merchant’s 36 contemporary Art Deco rooms.

Having started her business in 2009, Jude credits The Merchant as a key player in her success story.

Her first major commission was for a collection of cushions for the iconic five-star hotel, as it prepared to open its art deco New Chapter in 2010. Five years on, Jude has been commissioned by the five-star hotel for a second time to create a fresh, new bespoke collection of cushions as part of a refresh of The Merchant’s bedroom interiors.

Since her first collaboration with The Merchant, Jude has worked with other worldwide hotels as well as Christian Dior retail shops and well-known interior designers, including Peter Marino, David Collins and Helen Green.

A First Class Honours Graduate in textile design from the Glasgow School of Art, Jude developed her design skills working in Paris, London and Thailand. Reflecting back on the rich heritage of Irish hand weaving, linen is at the heart of her latest collection. The material for the cushions is designed and produced in her studio in Saintfield and uses a variety of yarns, including linen, cashmere and silk, with a neutral yet rich palette of greys and silvers.

Jude’s collection of cushions for The Merchant Hotel has been expertly hand-crafted on a traditional 150 year old loom. Luxurious linen is combined with a glowing palette of soft oysters, soothing tones of soft whites and cool greys with glistening flecks of metallic. This harmonising colour palette is only further enhanced by the refined simple elegance of the textures, which pairs beautifully with the chic interiors of Art Deco rooms.

Eve Tumilty, Head of Housekeeping at The Merchant Hotel said: “Jude Cassidy’s stunning luxurious range of cushions for our Art Deco rooms perfectly complements the contemporary elegance of the interiors. The Merchant is famed for marrying the best of international and Irish design and we are proud to once again partner with such a creative local design talent to being an accent of Northern Ireland into the furnishings of our stylish bedrooms.”

Speaking from The Merchant Hotel, Jude said: “Having a five-star hotel as one of my first customers has been a fantastic help to expanding my business and gaining attention for my work; it helped give customers confidence in my young business. I now work for five-star hotels worldwide but I feel a particular attachment to The Merchant Hotel, given the opportunity they afforded me at the beginning of my career.

“The cushions that I have designed for the hotel are the ultimate in linen luxury and set off the Art Deco rooms perfectly. All of my collections are focused on texture with subtle colours and the elegant backdrop of The Merchant Hotel provides the perfect setting for these cushions.”

The Market Place Theatre in Armagh is continuing its Autumn season of sensational dramas with two classic, timeless dramas, both guaranteed audience pleasers.

‘An Evening Of Irish Horror’ is the perfect, cosy scare for when the air gets cold and the night grows dark. Two classic Irish spook stories reanimated in the darkness, with live music. In ‘Dracula’s Guest’, the missing prologue from Bram Stoker’s masterpiece, Jonathan Harker finds himself under the watchful eye of an unknown force, while in an unknown country. While in J.S. Le Fanu’s classic, ‘Green Tea’, a village curate is driven to the brink of madness by terrible visions, but is there something unusual in his mind or in his drink.

‘An Evening Of Irish Horror’ will be staged on Thursday 22^nd October at 8pm. Tickets are priced £13 and £11 (concession).

London Classic Theatre Company return to The Market Place on Thursday 29^th October with the classic, ‘Waiting For Godot’. A country road. A tree. Evening. Vladimir and Estragon meet as dusk approaches. Estragon tries to remove his boot. Vladimir examines his hat. A conversation begins, a joke is interrupted. A carrot is eaten. The two men quarrel, then embrace. Unannounced, two eccentric travellers arrive. Seemingly master and servant, one stands weighed down at the end of a long rope, the other carries a whip.

So begins Samuel Beckett’s sixty-year-old masterpiece ‘Waiting For Godot’, a ground-breaking, anarchic meditation on the meaning of life and death. Part allegory, part burlesque,

Beckett’s unique, timeless play moves seamlessly between absurdist comic sketch and captivating philosophical drama. In 1999, it was voted the most significant English language play of the 20th Century. Tickets are priced £14.50 and £12.50 with special rates for school groups.

Details of all events can be found online at www.marketplacearmagh.com, and tickets can be booked by contacting 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.