A new study commissioned by HBO has revealed that one in four adults choose where to go on their next getaway based on their favourite TV show or movie.

And with Northern Ireland playing a starring role in HBO’s Game of Thrones®, Tourism Northern Ireland has welcomed news that The Causeway Coast and Glens has been placed third in a list of 30 film and TV destinations adults most want to visit.

Northern Ireland joins a cast of hit productions with New Zealand where Lord of the Rings was filmed topping the bill, while New York takes second place for popular TV series Sex and the City.

Tourism Northern Ireland’s Director of Product Development Laura McCorry said: “We are absolutely delighted that the Causeway Coast and Glens has been placed third in the list of film and TV destinations adults most want to visit. We join some of the biggest names in film and TV including locations where blockbuster films Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones and Harry Potter were filmed as well as hit TV series Sex and the City, Downton Abbey and Broadchurch.

“It comes as no surprise to Tourism Northern Ireland that the Causeway Coast and Glens has been placed in the top three of this list. It is an absolutely stunning part of the world with rugged landscapes, breath taking scenery and a fascinating history of myths and legends and also offers visitors lots to see and do along the route.

“Thanks to Game of Thrones®, Northern Ireland’s stunning mountains, forests, lakes and countryside are now familiar to millions of people around the world having helped create the magical backdrop that much of the show’s action is filmed against. Whilst the scenery is amazing onscreen, there is nothing like seeing the stunning sights for yourself and we look forward to continuing to welcome TV viewers from around the world in the years to come,” Laura added.

Some of the locations based across the Causeway Coast and Glens that Game of Thrones® fans can visit for themselves include The Dark Hedges which is King’s Road, Downhill Beach/Dragonstone, Larrybane/The Stormlands, Ballintoy Harbour/Pyke, The Iron Islands, Cushendun Caves/The Stormlands, Cairncastle/North of Winterfell, Murlough Bay/Storm’s End and Slemish/Dothraki Grasslands.

The Northern Ireland industry has really embraced the global interest in Game of Thrones® and developed a range of exciting visitor experiences– self guided, guided tours and immersive experiences such as replica costumes, themed menus and interactive adventures.

For further information on the Games of Thrones® filming locations or to book a short break in Northern Ireland click on www.discovernorthernireland.com/gameofthrones.

Theatre at The Mill is delighted to celebrate our 5^th Anniversary of summer youth projects with a special performance of Lionel Bart’s classic musical Oliver!, Friday 24 July to Saturday 1 August.

Come join us for this summer treat featuring some of Northern Ireland’s most talented young artists, under the direction of leading director Sean McNamara and his team.  Musical Director, Mark Dougherty leads a band of professional and young musicians as they accompany the cast through memorable musical numbers including: Food Glorious Food, I’d Do Anything, Where is love?, Consider Yourself, As Long as He Needs Me, Who Will Buy, and the classic I’m Reviewing the Situation.

Lionel Bart’s sparkling musical adaption of Charles Dicken’s novel tells the story of 9 year old orphan Oliver Twist who falls in with a group of street-urchin pickpockets led by the Artful Dodger and mastermind by the wily and devious criminal Fagin. When Oliver’s intended victim, Mr Brownlow, takes pity on the lad and offers him a home, Fagin’s partner in crime, Bill Sikes, conspires to kidnap the boy to him from talking.

Tickets: £15, £13, £11 (Concession Available)

Time: 7pm nightly and 2:30pm (Sat 1 Aug)

(The performance at 2:30pm on Saturday 1 August will be a relaxed performance.)

To secure your seats for Oliver! please visit our website www.theatreatthemill.com or call our box office on 028 90340202

Join us for an encore screening of the Shakespeare classic The Merchant of Venice by the Royal Shakespeare Company Saturday 25 July in the stunning setting of Mossley Mill’s Civic Square.

By special arrangement, Shakespeare’s uncompromising tragedy will be transmitted on the big screen in a magical outdoor theatre experience. This is a unique opportunity to experience this new production by the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Polly Findlay (Arden of Faversham 2014) directs Shakespeare’s uncompromising play with Makram J. Khoury, one of the most celebrated actors in Israel, in his RSC debut as Shylock. The cast also includes Patsy Ferran as Portia, also making her RSC debut following her recent role as Jim in Treasure Island at the National Theatre and Jamie Ballard, returning to the RSC as Antonio, following Written on the Heart and Measure for Measure (2011).

In the melting pot of Venice, trade is God. With its ship plying the globe, the city opens its arms to all, as long as they come prepared to do business and there is profit to be made. With gold flowing all is well, but when a contract between Bassanio and Shylock looks to exact the ultimate price for a deal sealed in blood.

For the full outdoor theatre experience, audiences are encouraged to bring their own picnics, rugs and low back seating along to the event as well as clothing suitable for all weather conditions.

Tickets: £20 & £18 (Concession)

Show time: 9:00pm (Grounds open 8:00pm)

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.

• 1 night Dinner, Bed and Breakfast, Europa Hotel, Belfast. From £80pps. Enjoy overnight luxury accommodation with Full Irish Breakfast, plus 4 course dinner in the bistro style Causerie Restaurant and complimentary WIFI in the public areas of the hotel. To book call (028) 9027 1066. Available until July 31.

• 4 night Midweek Break, Finn Lough – Waterside Lodges, Leggs, Enniskillen. From £21pp per night. Summer at Finn Lough means the great outdoors, building tree forts, exploring the lake on your Hobie kayaks and lakeside barbecues…but most importantly it means family and precious time spent together enjoying the abandon of summer. To book call (0) 2868 380360. Available until September 30.

For further information, contact TNI on 028 9023 1221 or view on www.discovernorthernireland.com/offers.

This summer, W5 are pleased to introduce RoboThespian, the newest member of their team. RoboThespian is a life sized, humanoid, interactive robot who can move, speak, educate, interact and entertain.

Made by British company Engineered Arts Ltd, RoboThespian is the world’s first commercial robot that behaves like a person. Now in its third generation, with more than ten years of continuous development, RoboThespian has been used in academic research institutions around the world and visitor attractions such as NASA Space Centre in Florida.

Adrian Lutton, Head of Exhibitions, Design, and Marketing at W5 explains;

“RoboThespian is primarily a robot actor and performer. He is fully interactive, user friendly, and capable of communicating and entertaining in a way that few people will have experienced before. This humanoid robot can be controlled by the visitor, via a touchscreen panel, and can sing, greet, inform, act and even do impressions. Visitors can choose from a wide range of pre-programmed performance sequences or can even control RoboThespian’s movement and voice to create performance pieces of their own!

In 2014, we introduced Climbit, the first multi-story climbing structure of its kind in the UK and Ireland and in May 2015 we introduced RoboThespian, the first robot of it’s kind in Ireland. W5 are continuing to add to and enhance the visitor experience by bringing new innovative interactives to fire the spirit of discovery in everyone.”

Will Jackson, Founder and Director of Cornish-based Engineered Arts Ltd is the world’s only maker of commercially available life sized humanoid robots. They are produced in a factory in Penryn, Cornwall. Jackson states;

“I made my first robot when I was 12 years old, it was a thing with 2 wheels and it scuttled off underneath the bed with a felt tip pen and coloured the carpet purple. When I founded Engineered Arts in 2004, I had the slightly more ambitious idea to create an interactive humanoid robot that could communicate with and entertain science museum visitors all day long. Now we make RoboThespian humanoid robots, each with individual personalities that are loved by people all over the world.

We are delighted that the first RoboThespian to travel to the island of Ireland is joining the team at W5 and look forward to following his adventures.”

To celebrate the arrival of RoboThespian, W5 have jam packed the summer with robotic events programmed to amaze and entertain! For further information visit www.w5online.co.uk.

Tourism NI has put together a list of 10 exciting things to do in Northern Ireland next week (July 6-12).

• Mr Stink, Bangor Castle Walled Garden, Castle Park, Bangor, Co Down, July 2-5. Enjoy an outdoor show packed with fun, humour and a heart-warming message suitable for the whole family. Watch the fabulous characters from the celebrated novel by David Walliams come to life in Heartbreak Productions’ adaptation of Mr. Stink for the outdoor stage. Shows: 2pm & 6pm.

• Ulster Scots Festival, Reivers House, Newcastle Street, Kilkeel, Co Down, until July 11. Come along and experience our Ulster-Scots culture at first hand. The festival will highlight the best of Ulster-Scots traditional music and dance performances. This will include highland dancers, fifes, Lambeg drums and traditional fiddles. Children’s entertainment will also be available.

• Summer Concert at Downhill Demesne, Mussenden Temple, Seacoast Road, Downhill, Co Londonderry, July 11.  The National Trust presents an evening of acoustical pleasure in the stunningly beautiful surroundings of Mussenden Temple. For timings follow on Facebook.

• Maiden of the Mournes Festival, Warrenpoint, Co Down, July 9-16. The Maiden of the Mournes International Festival continues to offer something for everyone from the free open air musical entertainment each evening, the children’s events, the fireworks display, sports events, the festival banquet, brass and accordion bands, through to the Selection and Crowning of the ‘Maiden of the Mournes’.

• Armagh City Walking Tours, departing from Armagh Visitor Information Centre, English Street, Armagh, Co Armagh, July 8 – August 29.  For those who want to explore everything the Ecclesiastical capital has to offer, a guided walking tour is a must. You’ll walk through Armagh’s rich history as you hear stories and anecdotes about the area, learn about the City’s renowned Georgian architecture and stroll along the distinct cobbled streets as you unearth some of the City’s hidden gems along the way. Tour Times: Wed – Sat 11am and 12.30pm.

• Summer Extravaganza at Share, Shanaghy, Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh, until August 31. Enjoy an exciting and innovative activity programme at Share Extravaganza including archery, banana boating, canoeing, climbing, orienteering, circus skills, combat corps, sailing, windsurfing and mountain biking.

• Rogue Robots – A Lasertag Activity, W5 at Odyssey, Queen’s Quay, Belfast, until August 30. Have you got what it takes to be a member of RoboSquad? Rogue Robots is W5’s new lasertag activity for summer 2015 and is a fun challenge for all the family. So get yourself down to W5 and take part in a short, story driven challenge to deactivate as many robot targets as you can in the time available.

• Ballycastle Town Market, Ballycastle Sea Front, Ballycastle, Co Antrim, July 12 and 13. At the Ballycastle Town Markets there are some amazing local artisan producers, artists and crafters displaying and selling their goods. You can also meet the makers, try some local produce and learn more about the goods they produce and sell. Opening times: 11am-4pm.

• ‘The Holy, Holy Bus’, Lyric Theatre, Belfast, until July 10. Head down to the Lyric Theatre for a hilariously madcap adventure about love, hope, happiness and faith. ‘The Holy, Holy Bus’ will have you laughing, crying and even praying for some divine inspiration along the journey! Show times: Tues – Sat 7.45pm / Sat & Sun 2.30pm.

• Children’s Street Theatre, Station Square, Kerr Street, Portrush, Co Antrim, from July 10 – Aug 31. Come and join us for a fun filled afternoon with excitement and laughter at your local Street Theatre in the heart of Portrush. It is a free family entertainment event on a weekly basis as part of the Causeway Coast and Glens Council’s programme of summer entertainment. Suitable for all ages. From 1.30pm.

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

The Comber Potato Festival begins on Thursday 2nd July with the Comber Farmers market, a Cookery Masterclass from Radio Ulster’s resident chef Paula McIntyre and a Potato Festival pub quiz in North Down House.  The festival Tractor Run and BBQ will then take place on Friday 3rd July, starting at 7pm in Parkway.  Comber Earlies will be then be available for sampling at the Comber Potato Festival on Saturday 4th July from 10am to 5pm, along with other local artisan producers who will have the very finest of local produce on display and also featuring cookery demonstrations, celebrity chefs, vintage tractors, children’s activities, live music and a petting farm.  The event draws to a close on Sunday 5 July with a Thanksgiving Service in Comber Square at 3.30pm.

Armagh

Armagh’s iconic Mall will come alive with the sound of music throughout July as it plays host to a series of musical performances on the bandstand each Friday and Saturday.  The free musical events will showcase a wide selection of local musicians ranging from the world-famous Armagh Rhymers to easy listening jazz music, Irish folk music, silver bands, classical brass ensembles and traditional music. Two performances will take place each day with the afternoon performance from 4.30pm – 5.45pm and the evening music commencing at 6.15pm – 7.30pm.

Fermanagh

The Bash at the Bridge – Carrybridge rock and blues outdoor festival takes place this weekend 4th and 5th July featuring some of Ireland’s best bands including Million Dollar Reload, Trucker Diablo, BillyBoy Miskimmin’s Mercy Lounge and Kaz Hawkins and her Band O’ Men. Support bands include Blues Direct, Enniskillen’s own Sidewalk Boogie. Saturday bands midday to midnight. The Hardchargers play in the Lodge on Friday night (Free to ticket holders or £5 at door). Free camping available from Friday night to Sunday midday. Tickets £25 online and in person at Carrybridge Lakeside Lodge and Carson’s Ecowash, Tempo Rd Enniskillen. Food, drink and band merchandise available on site.

Tyrone

Following their very successful CD launch in the autumn, the Monday Men return to the Square Box Dungannon this Saturday 4th July with an exciting new show.  In celebration of 4th July, Independence Day, this concert will have a distinctly American theme, charting the journey of traditional folk through to contemporary rock.  The Monday Men play clear, confident and classy arrangements and present old songs with a new twist.  You will find something to make you think, something to provoke memories and a whole lot to smile about. With over 150 years’ experience between the members, musical diversity is assured.

Derry/Londonderry/Legenderry

Limavady  celebrate local food and food producers in the Roe Valley Arts & Cultural Centre and Drumceatt Square this Saturday 4th July. Watch cookery demonstrations, sample and purchase some of the tasty produce for sale. There will be free entertainment for children and special offers in local shops.

Antrim

Join young Mary Lennox as she unlocks the mystery of the secret garden accompanied by an array of woodland friends this Thursday 2^nd July.  This is an outdoor performance in the Civic Square at Mossley Mill Newtownabbey and will go ahead in all weather.  This enchanting story, loved by children and adults alike, is brought alive with music, song and beautiful woodland puppet creatures.  For the full outdoor theatre experience, audiences are encouraged to bring their own picnics, rugs and low back seating along to the event as well as clothing suitable for all weather conditions.  Performance Time 7pm.

Belfast

Rogue Robots is W5’s new lasertag activity for summer 2015 and is a fun challenge for all the family (W5 actively encourage mums and dads to join in too!) Take part in a short, story driven challenge to deactivate as many robot targets as you can in the time available.  This challenge activity lasts around 5 minutes and is free with admission to W5. Rogue Robots Lasertag is suitable for 6 year olds and over. Young children must be accompanied by an adult.

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.

Award-winning poet and novelist Mary O’Donnell, bestselling crime writer, Anthony J.Quinn and Armagh-born playwright and screenwriter, Daragh Carville, are among the top writers leading creative writing workshops at this year’s John Hewitt International Summer School.

Supported by The Open University, these popular writing workshops provide a unique opportunity for anyone interested in developing their writing to take part in workshops led by highly-regarded, published writers who all have wide experience of directing writing workshops.

Leading the ever-popular Memoir writing workshop will be Maureen Boyle who won the Ireland Chair of Poetry Prize and the Strokestown International Poetry Prize in 2007, and in 2013, was awarded the Fish Short Memoir Prize.

There are, as always two Poetry workshops, and this year’s poetry tutors, Niall Campbell and Siobhán Campbell,are coming from Scotland and London respectively. Niall Campbell has been recipient of an Eric Gregory Award and a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship. His collection, ‘Moontide’, was given a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. Siobhán Campbell is an award-winning poet whose collections of poetry include ‘The Permanent Wave’ (1996), ‘The Cold that Burns’ (2000) and ‘Cross-Talk’ (2009).

Daragh Carville, popular Armagh-born  playwright and screenwriter,will lead the scriptwriting workshops. Daragh’s films are ‘Middletown’ and ‘Cherrybomb’ and TV credits include ‘Being Human’ (BBC3),’ 6Degrees’ (BBC NI) and ‘The Smoke’ (Kudos/Sky One).

Proving very popular to date is Mary O’Donnell’s Prose Fiction workshop. Mary is an award-winning poet and prose writer whose best-selling novels include ‘The Light-Makers’, ‘Virgin and the Boy’, ‘The Elysium Testament’ and ‘Where They Lie’ from which she read at JHISS 2014..

The Crime Fiction workshops will be taken by Co Tyrone novelist, Anthony J. Quinn, whose debut novel ‘Disappeared’ was shortlisted for a Strand Literary Award in the US. Two more of his Celcius Daly novels, ‘Border Angels’ and ‘Silence’, are to appear this year.

Leading the workshop on the Short Story will be Heather Richardson who is the author of ‘Magdeburg’, a novel, and ‘Chilled, a short story collection’. Her short fiction and poetry have been published widely in the UK and Ireland.

The Open University has worked in partnership with the John Hewitt Society since 2010 to host three of the seven creative writing workshops at the annual Summer School in the Marketplace Theatre, Armagh.

Associate Lecturers from The Open University devise and deliver workshops on themes such as memoir, poetry, script, and historical fiction. The Summer School culminates with a creative writing showcase where participants can present their work to their peers and in front of an audience. This takes place at 2.15pm on Friday 31^st July and is free to the public.

The workshops will take place at the Market Place Theatre, the AmmA Creative Learning Centre and Armagh Pipers’ Club.

Places on each Creative Writing Workshop course at JHISS will cost £40 per course and these can be booked now at The Market Place Box Office on 028 37521821 or online at www.marketplacearmagh.com. The full Summer School programme is also available online at www.johnhewittsociety.org

Jump onboard a new return visitor service to Armagh departing at 10am from the Visit Belfast Welcome Centre each Friday and Saturday.

The coach operates as a hop-on/hop-off service; bringing visitors direct from Belfast to Ireland’s Ancient Cathedral City with stops at the following attractions:

– Armagh Cider Company (New juice & cider tours at 11am)
– Armagh Planetarium
– Armagh County Museum
– Armagh Gaol
– Navan Centre & Fort
– Saint Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral / Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich
Library
– Saint Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral / Armagh Public Library & No 5
– Lough Neagh Discovery Centre
– Rushmere Shopping Centre

Fancy a good laugh? Spirits are running high at Tubby’s Farm where the organisers of Sunflowerfest, Northern Ireland’s leading music and arts festival have been confirmed as Guinness World Record Title Holder for ‘largest laughter yoga class’.

Laughter yoga, yes you read that correctly – a whole bunch of people got together for a massive giggle in the blazing sunshine last August at Sunflowerfest, and now the clipboard-toting experts at Guinness World Record ltd have solemnly decided that this was officially the biggest group of laughing yoga participants in the entire history of the world – ever!

This may sound a bit light-hearted – it is meant to be – but it’s quite serious really. The unusual event was inspired by Jackie Ingram a Laughter Yoga Teacher who sadly passed away after a battle with cancer 2 years ago and by Sunflowerfest regular Linda Quigley, whose 6 year old daughter Joy is currently in remission from blood cancer. Linda and the organisers wished to raise public awareness and support for the charity Delete Blood Cancer and to pay tribute to Joy’s courage, and to others who’ve found comfort and healing at this lovely festival which transforms attitudes and feelings in a positive way.

Festival goers turned out in droves on the Sunday morning to support the World Record attempt, needing 250 to surpass the previous record, beating it with a whopping 398 confirmed adults laughing yoga-style in front of the main stage. “We are thrilled to inform you that your application for largest laughter yoga class has been successful and you are now the Guinness World Record Title Holder” Guinness World Records Ltd.

Sunflowerfest co-organiser Vanessa Magowan said, “We hoped the World Record attempt would raise much needed awareness for Delete Blood Cancer and that our supporters will now register with the charity. In order to achieve this we had great help from the founder of the Lighthouse Centre Siobhan Bogues, and of course Kathy Barenskie and Michelle Major, our Laughter Yoga instructors who lead the crowd 400 plus crowd, in 30 minutes of blissful daftness to help us achieve the world record!”

Linda Quigley said: “Joy and I were overwhelmed at the support on the day, and to stand on that stage and see 400 people laughing together for half an hour was just spectacular! I would like to thank Michael and Vanessa; they have a dream, and are doing something about it. There is no capital profit to be gained from their festival, only enrichment of self-beliefs, and my experience with them has been the most reaffirming, spiritually lifting and strength-giving of my years”.

Sunflowerfest has built a reputation for being one of the friendliest and most inclusive festivals in Northern Ireland and 2015 will include performances, attractions and experiences to be enjoyed by all ages and backgrounds.  Taking place on Tubby’s Farm, Hillsborough, from 31^st July to 2^nd August 2015, this year’s festival will deliver the unique musical acts, child-friendly activities, local crafts, alternative therapies, theatrical performances, camping and a number of new elements to the weekend to ensure big surprises for all guests. For further information visit www.sunflowerfest.co.uk