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Aspects, Bangor’s festival of reading, writing and words starts next week with a full programme of events celebrating the written word. This year’s festival features a packed line-up, with something for everyone on offer, from top authors to poetry, exhibitions, history and politics.

Opening the festival on Wednesday 27 September is the Galicia Exchange and Concert with poets Keith Payne and Xavier Quiepo at North Down Museum. Galician Xavier is visiting Northern Ireland on a Cultural Exchange and will spend a month at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre as part of the experience. The evening will also feature music from award-winning Galician musician Su Garrido Pombo.

North Down Museum is also hosting some fantastic book events with Judith Mok presenting her memoir The State of Dark there on Saturday 30 September. Judith Mok is a Dublin-based classical soprano, a leading voice coach, novelist and poet. She was born in the Netherlands to Jewish survivors of the Holocaust trying to rebuild their shattered lives. The State of Dark is a memoir and a detective story which delves into her family’s past. Join authors Fionola Meredith and Olivia Fitzsimons also in North Down Museum, on Thursday 5 October, as they discuss their new books The Stamp of Beauty and The Quiet Whispers Never Stop with Nuala McKeever.

The stunning Chamber room in Bangor Castle is the location for many of the festival’s events. Award-winning composer of Riverdance Bill Whelan will join Neil Martin in conversation in this beautiful venue on Sunday 1 October. Bill’s new book The Road to Riverdance charts his life from his childhood right up to that spectacular Eurovision performance which went on to become a global phenomenon. Glenn Patterson takes to the stage in The Chamber on Friday 6 October to discuss his latest book Two Summers, a pair of novellas, set over two pivotal summers in the lives of two young men from Belfast, as they recall the constraints of the place where they were born and the times in which they are living.

For those who want to enjoy literature in the great outdoors, author Maggie Doyle will lead a creative walk along Bangor’s beautiful Coastal Path on Saturday 30 September. Using her new book Mountain Notes, A Nature Diary for inspiration, the walk will include readings and sketching.

Poetry lovers are also in for a treat at this year’s Aspects; the popular Poetry Slam returns on Saturday 30 September at Studio 1A, Bangor. This dynamic competition pits poets against poet, working against the clock and their peers to showcase original work. The outright winner will be crowned Aspects Poetry Champion and the winner and runner-up will go forward to the Ulster Poetry Slam Final in Derry~Londonderry in early November.

Aspiring writers will enjoy the Festival Club which returns to the Imperial Bar, Bangor on Monday 2 October. Writers are invited to take part by reading a short passage of their own original work in a relaxed atmosphere at this special event.

Aspects Festival runs from 27 September to 7 October at various locations around Bangor. For more information on the full programme and to book tickets, visit aspectsfestival.com

After the recent announcement of their forthcoming new studio album, synth pioneers Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD) reveal details of their return to the stage, with the band taking to the road next year.

Across February & March 2024, OMD will play 22 dates across the UK & Ireland, including a night at the Ulster Hall, Belfast on 27 February.

“We are so excited to be able to tour again with a brand new album to showcase.” says Andy McCluskey. “It’s been six years since we learned new songs for live performances. The songs from Bauhaus Staircase will fit beautifully into our setlist – we just have to choose which five to play, as we have to treat people to the hits as well!”

The band also release ‘Slow Train’ – the second installment from their forthcoming new studio album Bauhaus Staircase – out October 27th. A raucous, glam-tinged explosion, ‘Slow Train’ arrives with help from the band;s only other external influence David Watts. Known as a rock producer, who helmed Sheffield band The Reytons’ recent No 1 album What’s Rock And Roll?, he brings a sharp, exciting new sound to the record.

“Slow Train is a bonkers song and the video is stunningly crazy!” Andy reflects. “It feels nice to be able to challenge people’s expectations of the band after 45 years of creating music”

The new album sees the band’s most explicitly political record and the crowning achievement of their desire to be both Stockhausen and Abba – born from the impetus to kickstart new explorations during lockdown. A broad, electronic, sonic masterpiece that lyrically tackles the topics of the future, it was predominantly written, recorded, and mixed by both McCluskey & Paul Humphreys (who has recently become a second-time father).

OMD have sold an astonishing 25 million singles and 15 million albums, which has established them as electronic synthesiser pioneers and one of Britain’s best-loved pop groups. Their 13 albums include reissued ‘Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’ (1980), ‘Organisation’ (1980), ‘Architecture & Morality’ (1981) and ‘Dazzle Ships’ (1983).

By rights, OMD should be in semi-retirement, performing classics like Enola Gay and Maid Of Orleans on the nostalgia festival circuit like so many peers. Instead, they’ve created a landmark album worthy of their finest work. If real life meant OMD were happy to get help, Bauhaus Staircase remains unmistakably the work of a duo who are still perfectly in sync 45 years after their first gig at legendary Liverpool club Eric’s.

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The John O’Neill Folk and Traditional Music Festival takes place in Donaghmore on 22 to 24 September. With a packed toe tapping festival programme at the Old Cross Arts Centre, organisers of the festival, which was established more than five years ago, are confident that the festival weekend, which is dedicated to honouring the life and legacy of legendary traditional Irish musician, John O’Neill, will be the best one yet.

A highlight in Co Tyrone’s traditional music calendar, the festival has attracted top-tier international talent to perform, an enduring testament to the true spirit of Irish music in the area. Festival goers will be enthralled and uplifted by the unforgettable sounds of some of the island’s biggest names in folk and trad music and the line up includes Four Men and a Dog, Deanta and Malachi Cush and friends.

Speaking about the festival which was created by John’s family through The John O’Neill Trust, John’s daughter Clare McCrystal said: “This year’s John O’Neill Folk and Traditional Music Festival programme includes a diverse range of musical talent which will appeal to all ages. From workshops for children to traditional music sessions and sets by some of the country’s most acclaimed performers, I am thrilled that the festival is firmly established in the trad music calendar as a lasting legacy to my dad’s memory.

“As well as entertaining trad music enthusiasts with our concerts, I am passionate about introducing trad music to the next generation and our music workshops will be open to children from four years and older.”

The festival begins on Friday night at 8pm with performances from Deanta and Niall Hanna. Niall will be accompanied by Rachel McGarrity and Damian McKee. On Saturday night, Four Men and a Dog and Malachi Cush and friends will take to the stage.

On Saturday morning, a range of workshops will be offered from 11am to 2pm. Suitable for all levels, children will be tutored by international performers who have a proven track record as teachers and educationalists. There will be workshops in singing, whistle, flute, guitar, bodhran, button accordion, concertina, fiddle and banjo.

NxNW will play at the festival club in Hayden’s Bar on Saturday evening at 11.30pm, with the festival coming to a close with an afternoon session in Hayden’s hosted by Donal Murphy and Ryan Molloy on Sunday.

Tickets for the festival club are priced at £12 with concert and workshop tickets priced at £25. Tickets can be purchased online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/jonfest or from Stewart’s Music shop in Dungannon.

Follow the John O’Neill Folk and Traditional Music Festival on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/johnoneillmusicfestival and on instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/john_oneill_trad_fest/

The grand finale of Music in the Parks is taking place in the grounds of City Hall on Saturday 30 September.

Organised by Belfast City Council, ‘Groove in the City’ will feature a range of live music from 12.30pm to 5pm.

There will be performances by:

• String Ninjas
• Wookalily
• Kerry Fearon
• Belfast Groove Collective
• Belfast Rock Choir

This is a free ticketed event with tickets available from Visit Belfast at  https://visitbelfast.com/event/groove-in-the-city/

Music in the Parks featured live music performances in several council parks across the city on Fridays and Sundays from May.

Councillor Micky Murray, Chair of Belfast City Council’s People and Communities Committee, said:

“Our parks and open spaces in the city are to be enjoyed throughout the year and we were delighted to host live music performances in various locations from May to September.

“We’re very much looking forward now to hosting ‘Groove in the City’ outside City Hall on Saturday 30 September marking the grand finale of the programme.”

For more information on events taking place in the city, visit www.belfastcity.gov.uk/events

Three of Ireland’s leading jazz artists, The RBG Trio will appear at Armagh’s Market Place Theatre this September to support the release of their debut album.

Renowned for their tight interplay and incredible storytelling, The RBG Trio features Meilana Gillard (tenor saxophone), Dave Redmond (bass) and Kevin Brady (drums). With blues always in their foundation, their sound ranges from pre- to post-bop, soulful to grunge, free to swinging.

The trio’s repertoire ranges from the traditional Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson to more contemporary and improvised output. It is an approach where free-form exploration rubs shoulders with reimagined music from the like of Nirvana and Soundgarden.

Ultimately, nothing is off limits. It is a band led by tunes – mainstream or lesser known, self-penned or reinterpreted, traditional or contemporary. If it works, it works. Additionally, each member of The RBG Trio composes for the band, which lends to the trio’s diverse output and constant surprise.

The RBG Trio will be on stage at Armagh’s Market Place Theatre on Friday 22 September at 8pm. Tickets are priced £15 and can be booked online at www.visitarmagh.com/marketplacetheatre or through the Box Office on 03300 561 025. This show is recommended for age 18+ as it may contain strong language and adult themes.

Aspects Festival is delighted to host a series of events which will celebrate and support new writers and new publications. This year’s festival takes place in Bangor from 27 September – 7 October.

Join authors Fionola Meredith and Olivia Fitzsimons in North Down Museum on Thursday 5 October, as they discuss their new books with Nuala McKeever. The Stamp of Beauty is Fionola Meredith’s debut novel. Fionola is a writer, broadcaster and commentator, based in Belfast. She is a long- established contributor to the Irish Times and to BBC Northern Ireland and writes a weekly opinion column in the Belfast Telegraph. Set in modern-day Ireland, The Stamp of Beauty is an unsettling novel that charts the course of an unlikely and deeply dysfunctional ‘age-gap’ relationship to its inevitable conclusion.

The Quiet Whispers Never Stop is Olivia Fitzsimons‘ first novel and was shortlisted for the 2022 Butler Literary Award. The book is set in Northern Ireland in the 1980s and 1990s, and is a story of love, obsession and escape, an uncompromising, lyrical tour-de- force that marks the arrival of an extraordinary new voice in Irish fiction. Olivia’s writing has appeared in numerous publications including The Irish Times, The Stinging Fly, Banshee, and broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

Glenn Patterson’s latest book Two Summers is a pair of novellas, set over two pivotal summers in the lives of two young men from Belfast as they recall the constraints of the place where they were born and the times in which they are living. Capturing the innocence of adolescent boys, their passion, confusion and yearning, Two Summers is for anyone who has ever been young.

Professor Glenn Patterson is an award- winning writer, screen-writer and broadcaster. He has been the Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University, Belfast since 2017. Join Glenn at his event in Bangor Castle on Friday 6 October.

On Saturday, 30 September, author Maggie Doyle will lead a creative walk along Bangor’s beautiful Coastal Path. Maggie will read from her new book Mountain Notes, A Nature Diary for inspiration as the group walks, take notes, pause for readings, sketching and stories.

Speaking about the events, Festival Director Patricia Hamilton said: ‘We are delighted that Glenn Patterson will be reading from his newly launched book at Aspects this year. New writing has always been important to the festival and we are pleased to be hosting fiction events with Fionola Meredith and Olivia Fitzsimons. Maggie Doyle will also join us and read for a unique festival event where we will walk along the coastal path and use nature to inspire our writing.’

Aspects Festival runs until from 27 September to 7 October at various locations around Bangor. For further information on the programme and to book tickets see: aspectsfestival.com

Belfast business and mindset event Momentum have announced head of software and machine learning at Datactics Fiona Browne as a speaker for their forthcoming Night At The Museum digital conference.

Fiona, who has over 18 years of research and industrial experience, is responsible for overseeing the innovation and development of the Datactics platform along with the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions.

Her talk ‘The AI Era: Harnessing The Power Of AI For Your Business’ will provide an informative and pragmatic approach to artificial intelligence and its application across business sectors, covering three major questions: ‘How can AI boost performance?’, ‘Can we actually trust AI to make critical decisions and what happens if it goes wrong?’, ‘And will AI take away our jobs?’

Momentum: A Night At The Museum, supported by Gekkoshot, will take place at the Ulster Museum on September 22, and Fiona is only one of the all-star speaker lineup being revealed that includes leading names in hospitality, mindset, marketing, ecommerce, data and much more.

Speaking of her involvement with the event Fiona said: “Firstly, the style of Momentum was really intriguing, and an exciting approach to thought leadership and networking within Northern Ireland.

“Secondly, there is a lot of hype at the moment around AI with swings from wild optimism on how transformative AI will be to the construct of superintelligence, which will be the detriment to us all – both views are not terribly useful.

“Instead, I want to inject some pragmatism to the conversation on how we practically apply this technology.”

According to organisers Warren Giffin and Amée Spence, the event plans to bridge the gap between business needs and mindset support.

“We’re delighted to be bringing Momentum back for a second event, building upon the resounding success of our inaugural event back in January at The MAC” explained Warren, adding: “Last time we had fantastic speakers such as self-made entrepreneur and CEO of Bellamianta & Iconic Bronze, Linda Stinson, as well as passionate mental health advocate and Let’s Face It podcast host, Domhnall Nugent.

“This time we’re excited to get ready to announce an equally special lineup of industry experts who will give our attendees a night to remember.”

Fiona revealed that the biggest issue in the world of AI are the inevitable operational and ethical challenges, stating that both the government and regulators need to catch up amidst the ever-changing AI landscape.

During Fiona’s talk on ‘The AI Era’, she hopes attendees will no longer fear or be overwhelmed by the noise surrounding AI.

“Instead, I hope to imbue the audience with a practical understanding of how it can be applied, encourage them to challenge one another on what we can do, and how they can harness this technology for the better.”

Tickets for Momentum: A Night At The Museum on September 22, 7:00pm-late are now on sale from thisismomentum.co.uk  

Roe Valley Arts Centre and Flowerfield Arts Centre have teamed up with Cinemagic for two special film screenings, which will support the vital work of local Foodbanks.

This Saturday, 9^th September, Roe Valley Arts Centre will screen The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales. This heartwarming animated film turns farm life upside down as it introduces you to a quirky cast of characters. Meet a fox with unexpected motherly instincts, a rabbit who takes on stork duties, and a duck with a Christmas dream. In this uproarious tale, the tranquil countryside isn’t quite what it seems.

On Saturday, 23^rd September, Flowerfield Arts Centre will screen Ernest and Celestine.  In this enchanting, animated tale two unlikely companions, a young mouse named Celestine and a gentle bear named Ernest, embark on an extraordinary adventure. As they evade the watchful eyes of the law, their heartwarming friendship blossoms, challenging the norms of their world.

Audience members are asked to bring along non-perishable food and other essential items which will be distributed to local families instead of paying an entry fee.

The initiative is part of Cinemagic’s Young Audiences Support Foodbanks scheme, which Flowerfield Arts Centre first took part in in the summer of 2021. Throughout 2022, the scheme collectively generated over 1.5 tonnes of donations for Foodbanks across Northern Ireland.

If you want to join us for these special events, pre-book your ticket by going to www.wegottickets.com/cinemagic or www.roevalleyarts.com/www.flowerfield.org and bring along your foodbank items on the day.

Please note tickets must be pre-booked in advance to avoid disappointment.

Foodbanks would be particularly grateful to receive – tinned sweetcorn, UHT milk, jam, fruit juice, coffee, super noodles, men’s razors & shaving gel, ladies’ deodorant.

Please check that items are in date and have an expiry of 1-3 months.

Food donated at the Flowerfield screening will support Causeway Foodbank, while the Roe Valley screening will support Limavady Community Development Initiative (LCDI) Foodbank.