Friday 7 October – Thursday 13 October

Friday 7 October, Talk: ‘Recording Ireland’s First World War Landscapes’

North Down Museum, Bangor

Starts 1pm

Free. Join us at North Down Museum for an afternoon lecture discussing the archaeological investigations into the training of Kitchener’s Irish divisions during the Great War.

The research brings together archaeological and historical analysis on British training camps in Ireland within a much broader historiography of the First World War.

Info: northdownmuseum.com, (028) 9127 1200

Saturday 8 October, Guided Tours: Tea with the Lord

Ballywalter Park, Ballywalter

Embrace this superb opportunity to visit this beautiful stately home of the Dunleath family for over 150 years.

Become a member of the gentry for the afternoon as the affable Lord Dunleath guides you around his remarkable home and joins you for a chat over tea and scones, in the historic conservatory.

2pm – 5.30pm

Tickets £18 Ad, £9 Ch (under 14). Tickets include a light refreshment.

Info and Booking: visitardsandnorthdown.com, (028) 9182 6846

Sunday 9 and Monday 10 October, Peninsula Food Showcase: Loaves and Fishes (Flyer attached)

Ballywalter Park, Ballywalter

The ancestral home of Lord and Lady Dunleath, is the venue for the Loaves and Fishes, a programme of masterclasses in local seafood cuisine and traditional bread making delivered by chefs of international repute.

Part of the Seafood Week 2016, this unique event is aimed at catering professionals and the public. This event is supported by the Northern Ireland Regional Food Programme.

Info: visitardsandnorthdown.com, (028) 9182 6846

Thursday 13 October, Historical Society Talk: Scrabo Tower and the Londonderry’s

North Down Museum, Bangor

Starts 8pm

Free for members, £4 for non-members

Info: northdownmuseum.com, (028) 9127 1200

Tickets now on sale for…

Wednesday 26 October, Guided Walk: Halloween Walking Tour

Conway Square, Newtownards

Discover the ghosts and ghouls of Newtownards

Departs 7.30pm

Tickets £6 Ad, £4 Ch

Info and Booking: visitardsandnorthdown.com, (028) 9182 6846

Halloween in Ards and North Down

Saturday 22 October, Seapark Fireworks

Holywood

Fun, food and a fireworks finale

4pm – 9pm

FREE

Info: visitardsandnorthdown.com, (028) 9127 0069

Wednesday 26 October, Halloween Walking Tour

Conway Square, Newtownards

Discover the ghosts and ghouls of Newtownards

7.30pm

(Adult £6 / Child £4)

Info: visitardsandnorthdown.com, (028) 9182 6846

Saturday 29 October, Halloween Crafty Kids

North Down Museum, Bangor

10am-12noon.

Come along during half-term to make your very own Halloween craft and bring it home. The price includes all materials and children are welcome

to bring a drink or nibbles if they would like (no nuts please) Suitable for ages 5 to 11yrs.

£5, early booking is essential.

Info: northdownmuseum.com, (028) 9127 1200

Saturday 29 October, Halloween Fun Day

North Down Museum, Bangor

12noon-4pm.

A perfect afternoon for the little ones! Bricks4kidz Clay, meet creepy crawlies and find out all about them,

Magic shows and all day we will be showing child-friendly Halloween Films.

Little ones can come in fancy dress! Check website for timings of activities.

FREE

Info: northdownmuseum.com, (028) 9127 1200

Saturday 29 October, Ghostly Grey Abbey

The Abbey, Grey Abbey

Halloween themed food, drinks, tours and activities. Part of the Peninsula Food Showcase. This event is supported by the Northern Ireland Regional Food Programme.

5pm – 9pm

FREE

Info: visitardsandnorthdown.com, (028) 9182 6846

Sunday 30 October, Halloween Fun at Cockle Row Cottages

Groomsport

Creepy creatures, crafts and traditional music

1pm – 4pm

FREE

Info: visitardsandnorthdown.com, (028) 9127 0069

Exhibitions

Exhibition: Meet the Maker ‘Nature’s Treasures’

Saturday Until Saturday 29 October

The Space Gallery, Ards Crafts, 31 Regent Street, Newtownards

An exhibition of Jewellery design by Newtownards-based Gillian Downing.

Info: (028) 9182 6846, visitardsandnorthdown.com

Exhibition: Barbara Allen Art

Until Friday 28 October

The Community Gallery, North Down Museum, Bangor

This watercolour exhibition highlights the seafood’s harvested around our shores.

Info: northdownmuseum.com, (028) 9127 1200

Exhibition: The Irene Sendler Window

Monday 31 October

The Nostalgia Gallery, North Down Museum, Bangor

David Esler worked with a group of ex service personnel, nurses and older people who experienced

the conflict in N Ireland to create the Irene Sendler Window in honour of the holocaust hero.

Info: northdownmuseum.com, (028) 9127 1200

Exhibition: 100 Years of the Cubs

Tuesday 11 October – Thursday 10 November

The Long Gallery, North Down Museum, Bangor

The adventurous world of Cub Scouts and how it has developed and grown locally throughout the years.

Info: northdownmuseum.com, (028) 9127 1200

Unleash the crafter in you at a free drop in Willow Weaving Saturdays on 8^th, 15^th and 22^nd October 2016.

Join us at the Navan Centre & Fort, Armagh to learn how to use this natural product to create some stunning pieces of work. It is amazing what can be achieved with nimble fingers and willow. In the past we have made fencing,

baskets, and even our beautiful pig ‘Sow-Anne’. Now it’s your turn to get involved.

Help us to make a Celtic Bull for the 2017 Wickerman Celebration. We are going to make this part by part, legs, horns, ears etc….

Suitable for 6 years + everyone is welcome to participate! Call in and join in all the fun.

For information please contact: Navan Centre, 81 Killylea Road, Armagh.  BT60 4LD.  Tel 028 3752 9644 or www.navan.com

A new exhibition about Victorian Coleraine opens in the Town Hall on Thursday, October 6^th.  It explores the period from 1837 – 1901 when Queen Victoria was on the throne.

Through images and objects from Coleraine Museum’s collection, the exhibition looks at what was happening in Coleraine during this time and introduces you to some of the people that lived and worked in the town during Victoria’s reign.

Visitors will have the opportunity to explore the development of the town during the Victorian era, which saw the building of Coleraine Workhouse (1841), the Model School (1847), Courthouse (1852), Railway Station (1855), Coleraine Academical Institution (1860) and even Coleraine Town Hall itself (1859) among other buildings. It is interesting to note that many of these buildings are still in the town today.

The Coleraine Chronicle started printing in 1844 and its archives provide a wealth of information on the happenings in the town and the people that lived in the area.

It reports on a horse fair in 1857 with 600 – 700 horses in the Diamond! It also gives details of court charges. These include the case of Hugh McNaught, one of the ‘best bad characters’, who was charged for drunkenness in 1898. There are many more stories such as this to be discovered in the exhibition.

Items from the Victorian Coleraine loan box will be available to handle, alongside replica bonnets and Victorian toys. On Saturday October 22^nd from 11.30am – 1.30pm there will be a free ‘make and take’ event with local craftspeople and artists in Coleraine Town Hall. This event is suitable for the whole family, so why not come and enjoy the history.

The exhibition is open until October 29^th, Tuesday – Saturday, 11am-4pm in Coleraine Town Hall. Entry is free.

This weekend at The Market Place sees Shakespeare, Shaw and superb music to meet your entertainment needs.

There is no greater way to celebrate Shakespeare’s 400^th Anniversary than with C21 Theatre Company as they bring Shakespeare magnificently to life on stage with the much-loved ‘Macbeth’. Edited and directed by Arthur Webb, this fast-moving production follows the eventful life of the evil Scottish warrior and his power-hungry wife. Prophecy, witchcraft, murder and revenge all play a part in their tragic demise and guarantee a captivating production for audiences of all ages. Macbeth will be staged on Thursday 13 October at 7.30pm. Tickets are £13.50 and £11.50 (concession).

On Friday 14 October, London Irish Theatre present ‘Bernard Shaw Invites You’, a one-man show about the author of ‘Pygmalion’ that went on to be a huge screen hit ‘My Fair Lady’ starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison. Playwright, orator, novelist, critic, essayist, politician, energetic self-publicist, controversialist – George Bernard Shaw, as he styled himself, divides opinion today as he did in his lifetime. In this award-winning show the man himself invites you to celebrate his 90th birthday on the 26th July 1946. However, his celebrations are rudely interrupted by Paddy O’Keeffe, an obsessive Shavian who is determined to discover the real Bernard Shaw. Tickets are £13.50 and £11.50 (concession).

The 4 Of Us return on Saturday 15 October at 8pm. The musical career of Newry-born brothers Brendan and Declan Murphy spans more than two decades. They shot to early fame with their debut ‘Songs For The Tempted’, which featured the massive hits ‘Mary’ and ‘Drag My Bad Name Down’. The follow up ‘Man Alive’ made Q magazines ‘Top 50 albums’ and included the UK Top 30 song ‘She Hits Me’. The Murphy brothers have notched up an enviable catalogue of timeless songs and six top 20 Irish charting albums, and their music has also been featured extensively on American, British, and Irish TV soundtracks. Their new album ‘Sugar Island’ is being released in September 2016. Tickets are priced £15 each.

Tickets for all performances can be booked through the Box Office on [028] 3752 1821, or online at www.marketplacearmagh.com 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.

Autumn Arts, which runs from 15 October to 29 October, features a wide variety of wonderful workshops and exciting events in a number of locations within the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough, offering the opportunity for culture vultures of all ages and abilities the chance to harness their creative and artistic talents.

Speaking at the launch a slightly clay covered Lord Mayor of Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon,  Councillor Garath Keating said,

“I am delighted to be involved with Autumn Arts. The programme is a perfect palette of arts, crafts, music and movies. The events and workshops highlight the terrific artistic talent we have on our doorstep and give everyone the chance to show off their creative side.”

Highlights include Arts in the Garden at the F.E. McWilliam Gallery and Studio on Saturday 15 October where an abundance of artists and craftspeople will demonstrate the skills and techniques involved in producing amazing works of art.

You would be potty to miss Perfect Porcelain Clay with local ceramicist Brendan Fitzpatrick on Thursday 20 October. This workshop which will give you the chance to create a delightfully delicate ceramic and is just one of the many workshops Autumn Arts has to offer.

Look for the pop up art gallery taking pride of place in Newry Street, Banbridge throughout October which will showcase the work of many local artists.

The annual Craft Fair in Solitude Park on Saturday 22 October gets a tasty twist this year with the addition of a fabulous food marquee which plays host to celebrated chef and author, Jenny Bristow, Ireland’s Good Food Ambassador who will be presenting a series of mouth-watering cookery demonstrations throughout the day.

For mini movie fans Cinemagic will be presenting a cinematic celebration of the wonder and magic of Roald Dahl on 28 and 29 October to mark the centenary of the amazing author’s birth. Filming screenings including The BFG and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory will delight children who can then continue the wonderment with a selection of workshops based on Dahl’s best loved stories.

This is just a small selection of the many events and activities Autumn Arts has to offer, so as the leaves on the trees turn from green to brown it’s time to turn your thoughts to all things creative.

Full details of the packed programme including booking information can be found in the Autumn Arts brochure which is to download at the link below or by contacting Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council on 028 4066 0605

To celebrate World Mental Health Day on Monday 10 October, Antrim Civic Centre, Ballyclare Town Hall Clock Tower and Mossley Mill will be lit up purple in support.

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council have teamed up with Action Mental Health (AMH) New Horizons, Antrim to help raise awareness of their services to adults recovering from mental illness.

AMH New Horizons Antrim assists adults, recovering from mental ill-health, offering a range of person centred programmes in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere to support recovery. AMH provide a range of training programmes to help increase confidence and self-esteem, gain new skills and qualifications and improve career opportunities.

Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor John Scott commented “one in five adults in Northern Ireland will show signs of a mental illness.  I am delighted to be able to support AMH New Horizons Antrim, who offer hope to those affected by a mental illness”.

An art exhibition ‘Art as Therapy’ by Ross Thompson will run at Clotworthy House from Thursday 6 – Friday 14 October. Artist Ross Thompson from Coleraine is a service user who was supported by AMH New Horizons Antrim.

If you are unemployed, living with a mental illness and are interested in taking part in the New Horizons Employment Program, contact your Community Mental Health team, Condition Management team or Jobs and Benefits advisor, and ask for a referral to the service.

We’re used to banks lending money, but Ulster Bank is also lending out its branches as a stage for up-and-coming performers to mark its support for Belfast’s largest arts event.

Branches around the city will host artists such as musicians, dancers and magicians over the coming weeks in the build-up to the Ulster Bank Belfast International Arts Festival (11^th – 29^th October).

Supported by Arts & Business NI, the initiative is intended to widen access to the arts and encourage customers and members of the public to engage with this year’s festival.

Performances will take place on set days and times in some branches from Connswater in the east of the city to Andersonstown in the west, starting on Monday (October 3^rd).

To promote the initiative, local musician James Downey joined Ulster Bank’s ‘Bank on Wheels’ and performed on its journey from Belfast to serve customers in locations such as Carryduff.

Ulster Bank Head of Northern Ireland, Richard Donnan, said: “As title sponsor of the Ulster Bank Belfast International Arts Festival, we’re really excited to provide as many people as possible with access to the arts, and we’re delighted to be working with Arts & Business NI and the Festival to do so”.

Brona Whittaker, Arts Manager, Arts & Business NI, said: “The Ulster Bank and Belfast International Arts Festival is a partnership which connects Ulster Bank customers and reaches into local communities drawing in wide ranging audiences. The partnership brings an eclectic range of creativity to inspire and engage the city. Put the dates in your diary and get in on the act.”

Performers participating in the initiative, which runs between 3^rd and 14^th October, include musician James Downey, singer Marie Mullan, magician Caolan McBride, blues band Reverend Doc, and brass heavy band Fat Lip.

Further information is available at www.belfastinternationalartsfestival.com

She’s starring in her smash hit one-woman comedy drama, In the Window, which has sold out across Northern Ireland and wowed audiences as far away as Edinburgh, Kansas City USA and Mumbai, India!

In the Window is the story of Margaret, a woman who decides to end it all, only to be interrupted by an under-age intruder, a nosy match-making neighbour, and a tall policeman. A tall, handsome, policeman!

The evening is fraught with misunderstandings and little white lies as the characters struggle to untangle confusions and overcome painfully hilarious longings.  With her usual virtuosity, Nuala plays all the characters.

She said: “I’ve been thrilled to play In the Window to audiences in India and the United States, where people really loved Margaret and the other characters. Although In the Window is set in Belfast, it is a universal story and audiences were both moved and highly entertained by this heart-warming tale about our need to belong.”

Awarded a five star review by Broadway Baby, this black comedy about the resilience of the human heart in the face of just about everything that can go wrong in our crazy modern lives, delivers a cocktail of humour and disaster that’s just to die for.

In the Window contains some strong language and adult themes and is suitable for ages 16 years and above.

To book, contact the Arts Centre team on 028 7776 0650 or for further information and full autumn programme listings, visit roevalleyarts.com

She’s starring in her smash hit one-woman comedy drama, In the Window, which has sold out across Northern Ireland and wowed audiences as far away as Edinburgh, Kansas City USA and Mumbai, India!

In the Window is the story of Margaret, a woman who decides to end it all, only to be interrupted by an under-age intruder, a nosy match-making neighbour, and a tall policeman. A tall, handsome, policeman!

The evening is fraught with misunderstandings and little white lies as the characters struggle to untangle confusions and overcome painfully hilarious longings.  With her usual virtuosity, Nuala plays all the characters.

She said: “I’ve been thrilled to play In the Window to audiences in India and the United States, where people really loved Margaret and the other characters. Although In the Window is set in Belfast, it is a universal story and audiences were both moved and highly entertained by this heart-warming tale about our need to belong.”

Awarded a five star review by Broadway Baby, this black comedy about the resilience of the human heart in the face of just about everything that can go wrong in our crazy modern lives, delivers a cocktail of humour and disaster that’s just to die for.

In the Window contains some strong language and adult themes and is suitable for ages 16 years and above.

To book, contact the Arts Centre team on 028 7776 0650 or for further information and full autumn programme listings, visit roevalleyarts.com

Todds Leap are hosting a charity 5K off road fun run in aid of Chest Heart & Stoke on Sunday 6th November.

Team entry is £25.00p/p (minimum of 4 per team) or solo runners are priced at £30.00p/p. Price includes a free t-shirt and goody bag.  Pre-registration is at 10am with the run starting at 11:30am with free family fun event from 12pm.

Register online at www.toddsleap.com/gettomuck