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Dear friends and colleagues,
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For our last June Newsletter, we have a great selection of Northern Ireland news and entertainment for you to view. Enjoy music, readings and photography as part of the John Steinbeck Festival; watch the ‘Then and Now’ Postcard Collection by North Down Museum, a selection of performances for Make Music Day 2021 or this year’s NT Connections Festival. Finally, some good news for Northern Ireland’s potato crops!
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Enjoy your weekend and we look forward to hearing your feedback! @BrusselsNI.
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This Festival takes place each year in celebration of the important connection that American author John Steinbeck had with the village of Ballykelly, where his grandfather was born in 1830. Steinbeck's life and work were greatly influenced by his Ulster heritage. The festival, which began as a one day event in 2019, became a three day Festival a year later. This year, it takes on a new form yet again with events continuing to take place online throughout the year. This image won the Dust Bowl Photography Competition honouring the writer’s connection with Roe Valley.
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The dramatic photograph of the angry North Atlantic waves breaking over the Western wall at the Barmouth of the River Bank conveys a timeless story of man battling nature. You can re-watch the livestream of the Festival here which showcases music and readings from America and Ulster.
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Then and Now Postcards – Ards and North Down
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North Down Museum has over 1000 vintage and historical postcards in its collection, featuring scenes and images from all across the borough. This video was created as part of a project marrying old postcard scenes from Bangor, Ballywalter and Donaghadee with the same locations in the present day. It is lovely to see the changes in some, while others have remained very much the same!
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Make Music Day with Beyond Skin
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Beyond Skin is a group of creative innovators in Northern Ireland ‘enabling the Arts as the dialogue to assist the development of a more peaceful, equal and intercultural society free from racism’. For Make Music Day 2021 (June 21st), they partnered with Make Music UK and over 100 other countries to celebrate music’s unique ability to create a sense of connection and community. Some of the projects to come out of this partnership include a video performance of the John Cage piece 4’33”, documentary and music video ‘River’ Women in Music, Marching Metal and more.
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NT Connections Festival 2021
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Each year the National Theatre commissions ten new plays for young people to perform, bringing together some of the UK’s most exciting writers with the theatre-makers of tomorrow. Lyric Theatre works as a partner to welcome youth theatres from across the North and South of Ireland for a festival jam packed with young actors, musicians, writers and technicians taking part in workshops, technical rehearsals and performances. This year the work recorded on the Lyric stage, on zoom and filmed from home venues will be presented online. The performances will preview Friday 25th June and be available to stream until Sunday 27th.
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New Season Potatoes Arrive Early
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NI Good Food member Wilson’s Country has harvested the first of their Comber Earlies for sale in supermarkets. Wilson’s Country agronomist Stuart Meredith joined grower Hugh Chambers as harvesting got underway. The tremendous growth of all potato crops has been put down to the recent warm weather which was preceded by heavy rain. Potato consumption has boomed across Northern Ireland over the last number of months as many people enjoyed more home cooking experiences. Read more here.
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