‘CHECK IN’ ON ARTHUR’S DAY AND HELP RAISE €500,000   FOR THE ARTHUR GUINNESS FUND™

With only days to go, millions of people around the world are preparing to join in the Arthur’s Day™ celebrations which will commence at exactly 17:59 on Thursday, 22^nd September!

Across the island of Ireland, the celebrations have grown to include ticket events in four hub cities, including Belfast, Cork, Limerick and Dublin, whilst celebrations will also take place in over 1,500 pubs.

At 17:59 around the world, countries including Italy, Germany, Spain, Caribbean nations, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Singapore and South Korea will all join in the celebration.

Orla Flanagan, Senior Brand Manager, Guinness® commented: ‘Arthur’s Day is a truly global celebration. The eyes of the world will be on Ireland at 17:59 as it kicks off the festivities, which this year takes place in 40 countries and for the first time Belfast will be at the heart of the celebrations. Renowned artists such as Kelis, Horslips, The Enemy and DJ Fresh as well as home grown talent, Ash and Cashier No.9 will come together to perform in the intimate surroundings of a local pub and raise a toast to Arthur in front of packed audiences.

There are a limited number of tickets left for The Ulster Hall and pub venues around the city. The big question on everyone’s lips on the night will be, “where will the studio acts turn up to perform in the official Arthur’s Day pubs?”  One thing’s for sure, good things come to those who wait!’

All ticket proceeds from Arthur’s Day directly benefits the Arthur Guinness Fund™, which identifies and supports social entrepreneurs aiming to make positive changes in their communities. To date, twenty social entrepreneurs on the Island of Ireland have received funding from the Arthur Guinness Fund with a total of €1.65 million distributed since 2010.

Arthur was the original philanthropist and to continue his legacy, a further €500,000 could potentially be donated by Guinness to the Arthur Guinness Fund on Arthur’s Day, with the help of Guinness fans who will be celebrating on the day.

Guinness fans with smart phones are invited to ‘Check-In’ via Facebook whilst in the pub on Arthur’s Day. For every ‘Check-In’ to a pub via Facebook places, Guinness will donate £5 to the Arthur Guinness Fund up to a maximum of €500,000! Check out facebook.com/GuinnessIreland for full details.

Tickets can be purchased from Ticketmaster until 4pm on Wednesday, 21^st September.

Local baker Jeannie Johnston shows off some of her more unusual creations for weddings in preparation for the Quirky Weddings Alternative Wedding Fair.

“I love working with couples who want something different for their wedding cake” explains Jeannie.
“ More and more couples want to really inject their personality into their day and not just stick to the traditional fruit cake with white icing. It’s great to get a chance to come up with something really special and unique. I recently made a wedding cake with mathematical symbols on it for a couple who were both maths teachers! I’m looking forward to meeting more creative couples at the fair”

Quirky Weddings, the brainchild of two local entrepreneurs, Cate Conway and Saima Akram, is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland to offer “couples to be” an eclectic mix of unusual yet remarkable ideas to help in the all important Wedding Day preparations.

Changing tastes, styles and trends have sparked a revolution in the wedding industry with more and more people looking for alternatives to the traditional approach. The Alternative Wedding Fair organised by Quirky Weddings, takes place on Sunday 9 October at the Crescent Arts Centre on University Road in Belfast.

Co-Founder Saima Akram explains  “To add to our alternative approach we have launched a wedding listings site with a difference. Our Facebook page is growing in popularity daily. It’s become the go-to page for couples trying to source something out of the ordinary. Couples can expect to see some very unusual offerings at the fair. It’s perfect for anyone looking for something that little bit different…or completely different!”

When I was invited to sample the delights of the Lough Erne Resort with a guest a few weeks ago I jumped at the chance as Fermanagh is not an area I am overly familiar with and having a busy job & three children – my husband and I rarely get the chance to spend quality time together.  We arrived at Lough Erne Resort at approx 3pm on Friday afternoon – full of anticipation of what the next 24 hrs had in store and we were not going to be disappointed.

A lovely warm Fermanagh welcome awaited us at check in from Nichola and  Sinead Maguire who gave us a quick tour of the hotel.  “Gordon the Golfer”  took us and our small bag (we travel light!) to room 221 while filling us in on a brief history of Lough Erne resort and going to great lengths to point out every facility in the room.  The room…what can I say – opulent, luxurious, comfortable, well appointed with a view of the lake as promised, tastefully decorated with all the standards you would expect from a 5 star room and then some.

My first impression of the resort was “over delivery” – just the way I like to run my own business…… “under promise and over deliver”.   We took some time to  take in the “Room with a View” (not a hint of Julian Sands in sight though!)  before making our way to the Thai Spa via the private stair case (purpose built for guests to make their way to and from the spa without having to navigate through the main hotel area).  We were greeted with grace and warmth and invited to make use of the Thermal Suite  (Infinity Pool, sauna and steam rooms) which overlooks Castle Hume Lough and the 18^th green of the Faldo Couse.

After a swim in the 14 m pool and a spell in the steam room we were guided to the pre- treatment Sabi Sabi Area, (Health and Happiness) for a taste of  Thailand with an exotic fruit juice of the day (coconut, pineapple and banana) before our treatment.  We were called by name at 4pm by our respective  therapists ( mine was Lek ) and led down a long hall which transported us to the far east for a completely unique experience.

My husband had opted for a traditional Thai massage which he would later find out was a brave choice for a newbie – described in the brochure as  “Exotic and unique this is the ultimate sublime body workout. Using techniques passed down though generations, this treatment is a blend of deep tissue massage using pressure points and stretching techniques. Traditional Thai Massage releases tension, increases vitality and flexibility and synchronizes the mind, body and spirit, and he certainly got a work out but thoroughly enjoyed it.   I had selected the Relaxing Aroma “Indulgence Abandon your body to a state of deep relaxation. Lemongrass melts away tension while orange calms busy minds. Enjoy a moment of serenity unwind and exhale.” An hour of indulgence…

Both treatments followed a foot bath and personally speaking was probably one of the most sublime 60 minutes I have ever spent.  Thank you to my thai massage therapist Lek who was most considerate asking me if the pressure was ok for me and made me feel very comfortable during the treatment after which we were  led to the Lap Sabai, meaning ‘deep sleep’ area and offered  an infused herbal tea, fresh fruit and advised to drink water.

The Thai Spa brings the only wholly Thai Spa experience to Ireland and the UK withThai treatments, by Thai therapists who originate from and are expertly trained in Thailand, using Traditional Thai Therapies and Thai-made Ytsara products. Ytsara is a range of Thai products and experiences which offer a unique approach to age-old Asian holistic practices for use in the modern spa.

We spent some time relaxing here before returning to the pool area for a quick jaccuzi before returning to our room to get ready for dinner….

We managed a quick drink at  the Blaney Bar before being greeted by the lovely Clare who showed us to our table, at the window in the Catalina Restaurant, where Anna introduced herself , presented us with menus and told us the special main course of the evening. The Catalina is headed up by award winning Noel McMeel, recently voted ‘Best Chef’ (Ulster),  at the Santa Rita/Sunday Independent Irish Restaurant Awards 2011.   Now, trust me, I am no culinary expert that’s for sure but my parting comment to Clare as we left was “I think I can safely say that’s the best meal we have ever had” and that’s an understatement! With freshly baked soda bread (from a choice of three breads) which was just bread to die for, a pre starter, starter, main course and desert – each course was more than worthy of the two AA Rosettes for culinary excellence so proudly displayed comprising fresh, local produce.

I had the chicken while my husband had the pork – see the menu we had to chose from HERE.  We were offered more potatoes and vegetables (served in mini copper saucepans) but quite frankly that would just have been greedy! The portions served were more than enough.  For desert I had the Chocolate and Nigel went for the Strawberry – see the full desert menu HERE which was just heavenly. In fact we couldn’t speak after it – and for anyone who knows me that’s no mean feat ..

I am a stickler for customer service no matter what the business. In a previous incarnation of me I worked for Gulf Air for 3 years and was lucky enough to fly to approx 40 -50 cities from Euope and Africa, across the middle and Far East and as far as Australia.  I have stayed in some amazing hotels – luckily good old Gulf Air did not scrimp on our accommodation and can safely say that the Lough Erne resort is world class.  Nothing is left to chance – every detail taken care of. From checking in when Nichola noticed my husband carrying my laptop for me (thanks Nigel!) and offered me a wifi voucher for the duration of our stay – to check out.

And how pleasant on returning to our room from dinner to find our rooms tidied and the bed turned down for the evening and to top it all off there was a firework display over the lake later that night thanks to the wedding party  – for details on wedding packages see http://www.lougherneresort.com/weddings/ – the only venue where you can arrive by seaplane!!

The last line in the Resort Room Guide is “enjoy both a pleasurable and memorable stay” – we did. The location is breathtaking, service outstanding , facilities amazing. You will not be disappointed.

I would like to thank Lough Erne Resort and their superb level of professionalism and service and for making our stay one that we will certainly never forget.

Highlight of the weekend – seeing my husband’s face when the waiter (Ryan you wee legend) saying he would be back to “decrumb” the table.

To find out more go to www.lougherneresort.com .  See the Thai Spa Brochure HERE. Click HERE for current special offers including Thursdays at Lough Erne and Spa September.

As part of the Good Vibrations film, Snow Patrol are playing a free, acoustic set at the Ulster Hall and a limited number of tickets have been made available on the door. The audience will be filmed as extras in the Northern Irish film before being treated to a special performance from Gary Lightbody and Nathan Connolly.

Tickets for this show were snapped up in a matter of hours but we have some additional tickets to give away to any fans who missed out!

Remember this is a gig of two parts- you will be filmed as an extra as you watch actors fill the parts of Rudi and The Outcasts for the film Good Vibrations- the story of Terri Hooley. Then Nathan and Gary will close the evening with some of your favourite Snow Patrol tracks as well as some tasters for the new album ‘Fallen Empires’

This is a unique opportunity for the lucky entrants to hear these songs in the iconic setting of the Ulster Hall.

To be in with a chance of taking part in the filming and show, people should show up when doors open at 6.30pm. The doors will close at 7pm for filming. It is expected that there will be an extremely high demand for these tickets so organisers advise that you arrive early!

Full schedule available here:
Featuring

Weekend of International Films – Zombie-Aid Charity Walk – Premiere of BOTB: Directors Cut – LicX Live on Stage – Rockband Challenge – Special Guest Mike Leeder – Award Ceremony – Premiere of The Last Light – Movie Star Ball -… Competitions and Prizes – and Much, Much, More!!!

And this time we are going to town – or coming to town rather, as we move location and dates for an all new, all better event! Taking place at the fantastic BLACK BOX at the Cathedral Quarter, Belfast, guests will now be able to access the festival a lot easier and have many other needs close by…

Tickets are available at the door. Festival begins Friday 16th at 5pm until Sunday 18th at midnight. Don’t miss the action packed film event of the year!

FOR those unable to get tickets for the BBC’s Proms in the Park event at Castle Park in Bangor this Saturday night, the event will be shown on the Live Screen in the grounds of Belfast City Hall.

As well as live coverage from Bangor, there will be link ups to London’s Royal Albert Hall and the world famous Last Night of the Proms.

With the event running from 8pm to 10 45pm, it is expected that the public will congregate on the front lawn of City Hall from around 7pm. A picnic area on the East Lawn will have food stalls offering a selection of choices to ensure a real sense of occasion.

Popular soprano Lesley Garrett and Belfast-born pianist Barry Douglas will be featured on screen alongside internationally acclaimed Australian guitarist Craig Ogden, multi-talented singer/songwriter Declan O’Rourke and other well known names in classical and contemporary music.

This weekend’s Proms coverage will be one of many live screenings in the run up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Ireland versus Australia Rugby World Cup game will be screened at 9 30am on Saturday 17 September with the Rugby World Cup Final being screened from 9am on Sunday 23 October.
Belfast is one of 21 Live Sites operating at locations across the UK. It has been erected and is run in partnership between the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), the BBC and various Live Site venues, in association with London 2012 partners BT and Lloyds TSB, supporter Cisco and the National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributor.

The Belfast Live Site screen is assisted locally by Belfast City Council, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure and the Department for Social Development.
No tickets are required for Saturday’s screening and entry is free.

You can view a schedule of events and live screenings at www.belfastcity.gov.uk/bigscreen

More than 1,000 Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen’s tickets worth £25,000 are being made available to community groups throughout Northern Ireland through the Ulster Bank Community Tickets scheme.

Groups and charities are being encouraged to register their interest in securing on-the-house tickets via the www.belfastfestival.com website. Tickets are being made available to some of the best acts in this year’s festival including the opening concert featuring Joanna McGregor, Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares, Irish Sea Sessions, Shlomo, Woyzeck on the Highveld, and Animals and Children took to the Streets.

Over the three years of the scheme Ulster Bank will have made tickets worth a staggering £75,000 accessible to community groups throughout Northern Ireland.

Richard Donnan, Chief Executive of Ulster Bank, Retail Markets, says the scheme has proven to be hugely popular.

“Ulster Bank is playing a vital role in making the arts accessible to all,” he says. “An event featuring plays and concerts of international class should be available to everyone. People and community groups throughout Northern Ireland who may not usually have the opportunity to experience visual arts performances or live theatre will now get the chance through the 1,100 tickets we are offering.”

Festival marketing manager Seana Skeffington says the arts are an essential part of life.

“Anything which helps bring the arts in all it forms to people who might not have easy access to them is very welcome. We are delighted this scheme is back this year and look forward to greeting over a thousand more festival goers in addition to the 50,000 expected,” says Ms Skeffington.

To register your interest log on to http://www.belfastfestival.com Tickets will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Transport may be provided to and from the venue for those successful applicants who live outside a 20 mile radius of Belfast city centre.

Lough Erne Resort is proud to introduce Ytsara to The Thai Spa, a range of Thai products and experiences which offer a unique approach to age-old Asian holistic practices for use in the modern spa. Always striving to ensure the very best world class experience for all clients at Lough Erne, the journey continues with Ytsara.

Welcoming the Ytsara experience to The Thai Spa, Thai Spa Manager Orla Gallagher said: “I am delighted that we are improving The Thai Spa journey for the client. There are very few brands which totally encapsulate the full Thai experience, but Ytsara offers the purest and most potent ingredients to ensure Thailand stays on our customer’s doorstep. Ytsara will be exclusive to Lough Erne, with no other spa in Northern Ireland offering the Ytsara experience.”

“Ytsara really is inclusive of everyone, from the Ytsara Head and Face Treatment for Men which will ease away tension and stress, to the exciting introduction of a Ytsara treatment for children, The Nangfa. Exclusively designed for Lough Erne, we invite you and your child to discover a world of well-being under the caring touch of our Thai therapists.“
“We have many loyal customers who have been with us from the start of our Thai Spa journey here at Lough Erne and we have ensured that we have kept some of our most popular ‘Lough Erne Signature Treatments’, from the Body Bliss to The Traditional Thai Massage. However we are always focusing on ways to improve the experience at The Thai Spa. We listen to our clients and ensure we are evolving our offering to suit their needs. We want to create a haven of serenity and tranquillity at The Thai Spa, and I look forward to welcoming our well established clients as well as new customers, to experience Ytsara at Lough Erne.”

Inspired by Thai healing and beauty rituals, the Ytsara organic skincare line & spa programs offer a global and unique approach to traditional Asian holistic practices.

All of the ingredients in Ytsara are organically grown in Thailand, and the herbs, roots, flowers and fruits used in treatments result in naturally radiant skin.

Florence Jaffre, CEO of Ytsara commented: “We are very excited to provide Lough Erne Thai Spa with our unique treatments and products. This will provide us with the opportunity to offer Lough Erne guests, journeys beyond their expectations, thanks to amazing techniques passed on through generations.  Guests will also discover how Ytsara products will help to improve their skin and increase their level of wellness.

“We take such care selecting the most potent and even secret Asian botanicals, plus, we spend so much time refining the treatments that will help to heal the body, mind and soul. We know Lough Erne guests will come again and again for the experience, the benefits and the pleasure of Ytsara treatments.”

Ytsara will be available to all customers at The Thai Spa at Lough Erne Resort from Friday 26th August.

DATE & VENUE Friday 23 September 2011, Belfast Waterfront, 7.45pm BOOK NOW For the seasoned concertgoer to the mums and dads who have made our Snowman concert a family Christmas tradition, the Ulster Orchestra’s World of Music has something for everyone – and our Popular Classics Series is a great way to ease yourself into that world. The Season kicks off on Friday 23 September with Russian Bookends, a Popular Classics concert with two great Russian pieces either side of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A, played by the outstanding pianist Paul Lewis. Between now and Christmas we have a host of Popular Classics for you to enjoy. Jack Liebeck makes a welcome return on 30 September playing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, there’s the Festival of the America’s concert on 14 October, Australian star guitarist Craig Ogden plays Rodrigo’s well known Concierto de Aranjuez on 19 November with The Snowman on 3 December and Handel’s Messiah six days later. They are called ‘popular’ for a reason, so to avoid disappointment, please book early. TICKETS £10 BOX OFFICE 028 9023 9955 RUSSIAN BOOKENDS Date Friday 23 September 2011 Venue Belfast Waterfront, 7.45pm This is Paul’s second time with the UO. He was last with us four years ago and this was the earliest we could get him back – just shows you how much in demand this popular soloist is. Tickets £8-£25 LIEBECK PLAYS BEETHOVEN Date Friday 30 September 2011 Venue Belfast Waterfront, 7.45pm Incredibly Jack’s violin was made 31 years before Beethoven wrote the Concerto he is performing! Like Paul, this 2010 Classical Brit Award Winner is back by popular demand. Tickets £8-£25 Reg No. N.I. 14222, Ulster Orchestra Society Ltd. Ulster Hall, Bedford Street, Belfast BT2 7FF info@ulsterorchestra.com Email Marketing by The Design Zoo

The iconic Belfast Harbour Commissioner Office, built over 150 years ago for the princely sum of just £8000, is set to make history this week as it turns itself into an arts venue for two nights only on August 25th (Thurs) and August 26th (Fri). The building will change its status from a Belfast iconic building to one of the most FUNKY venues you could ever imagine.

The Italian palazzo architecture is set to rattle and roll to the sounds of James Brown, Stevie Wonder and George Clinton, for two nights only, when one of Ireland’s top up and coming DJ’s take over  the venue with 6 international dancers and a eager audience keen to enjoy the very best in FUNK! The show is part of a nationwide tour by the award winning Dylan Quinn Dance Theatre Company, whose new show, FUNK!,  takes over the Belfast building with this new show, which has been described as the “most captivating, brilliant, fun and downright funky shows ever attempted in Northern Ireland!”

After this unique dance show in one of Belfast most iconic buildings, the DJ will take over and the audience takes control, dancing the night away to some of the most iconic sounds of FUNK ever recorded. From the original Godfather of FUNK, James Brown, George Clinton and Bootsy Collins with “Party on Plastic”, the one and only Stevie Wonder with the magical “Superstition” and finally to breathtaking Gloria Walker with “You Hit the Spot”, FUNK is certainly going to hit the right spot in Belfast!

“Tickets are on sale now and are priced at only £6/£4(con) for this historic moment in not just Belfast’s history, but the history of FUNK” commented Dylan Quinn. “Tickets can be purchased on the door, online at www.dylanquinndance.org/ or via the ticket hotline on 028 6632 8686.

The founder and main performer with the Dylan Quinn Dance Theatre commented “So far we have performed to great audiences across Northern Ireland, however we are particularly keen in performing in this magnificent building which is one of the most wonderful buildings I have ever seen.”

“Under the guidance of Dylan Quinn, one of Northern Ireland’s leading dance practitioners, FUNK! promises to be a highly engaging performance that will showcase some of the very best local and international dancers working in this genre “ commented Gilly Campbell, Dance and Drama Officer, Arts Council of Northern Ireland. “The Arts Council is pleased to support FUNK as it tours venues across Northern Ireland.”

“If you want to come along in your full FUNK gear, please don’t be afraid to dress up and dance or simply sit back and enjoy the show!  After the performance the DJ will play on, drinks will be available and you can go back to those heady days of the 60’s when FUNK ruled!” concluded Dylan Quinn. For ticket, group discounts and tour date information call 028 6632 8686.