|
|
Dear friends and colleagues,
|
|
The team at the Office of the Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels, would like to wish you all the very best for 2021, we hope you enjoyed some good music and online entertainment during the Christmas break.
|
Now that we are back to work, our weekly Newsletter continues to showcase excellent Northern Ireland arts, musical events, reading suggestions and recipe ideas among others.
|
January can often feel like a low month after the end of year festivities and especially this year as we continue to have restrictions in Brussels and Northern Ireland, but the Out to Lunch Festival launches online today and will give you plenty to lift your spirits for 2021. You will see familiar faces from previous performances in Brussels and we also have our own collaboration 'A Taste of Belfast and Brussels' streaming live on 19 January. It was my absolute pleasure to be part of the recording and discuss with the fantastic Anthony Toner how important the #BrusselsPlatform has been to our work in the office over the last 9 years.
|
As well as performances there is the opportunity to delve deeper into the NI literary world as another old friend of the office, Jan Carson and EastSide Arts take you through a Showcase of Writing from Northern Ireland.
|
In Belgium, there are gateaux to celebrate festivals around the Christmas period, with the Galette des Rois on 6 January and La Chandeleur on 2 February. Following these great traditions, we bring you Paula McIntyre’s delicious recipe for buckwheat pancakes with apple compote and maple cinnamon cream, the perfect recipe for this time of year.
|
|
We would be delighted to connect with you during 2021 and look forward to meeting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The annual Out to Lunch festival launches today and runs until 30 January 2021 with a wealth of online shows announced. The programme features many previous Brussels performers who are friends of the office and we have highlighted their shows below.
|
Our Office was privileged to get a slot and create and film our own show ‘A Taste of Belfast and Brussels’, live on 19 January.
|
|
Make sure to book your free ticket here and enjoy some great performances from our NI artists.
|
|
|
|
Teresa Livingstone: A lunch date & a Break-Up Song For 2020
|
|
|
|
Listen to Teresa Livingstone’s entertaining song saying Goodbye to 2020! Our Brussels audience will remember Teresa for her show during the one of the funniest Culture Night we have seen so far in the office. You want more? The annual Out to Lunch Festival offers you lunch with Teresa on 29 January. Teresa Livingstone is a classy lady, at least she tries to be despite everything being a 40-something Northern Irish woman throws at her. She spent her thirties being delighted by the success of others and her ever-fluctuating weight but her forties are here and there’s no time like the present to rewrite the rules. Your free ticket is available here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joshua Burnside: Opening Tonight in the Out to Lunch Festival
|
|
|
|
Relax and spend this Friday evening with the experimental folk artist Joshua Burnside who performed at Culture Night Brussels 2019. Balanced with a diverse palette of sounds, Joshua deftly blends alt-folk and elements of the Irish folk song tradition with South American rhythms and Eastern European influences, whilst introducing synthetic and found-sounds, synths loops and crunching beats to create a stormy world that shifts and swirls perspective like a lingering lucid dream. Make sure you book your space for the show.
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Taste of Belfast and Brussels
|
|
|
|
Join us on Tuesday 19 January at 2pm CET for an uplifting concert celebrating Northern Ireland music and spoken words. The pre-recorded programme features musicians, Anthony Toner, Ursula Burns, Ciara O’Neill and writer, Stephen Connolly, performing in the beautiful and historic Rosemary Street Church. This concert is brought to you through a partnership of the Office of the Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels with the Arts Council NI, the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival and Culture Night Belfast.
|
|
|
|
Lessons of War with Matt McGinn & Guests
|
|
|
|
Matt McGinn performed at Culture Night Brussels with Ciara O’Neill in 2018 when he charmed the audience with songs from his third album ‘The End of the Common Man’. He did explain his project ‘Lessons of War’ that sought to bring together musicians from areas of conflict across the world to play their part on this 4th album. This is your chance to have a relaxed Sunday afternoon on 24 January. Reviews of the album include the lead single Bubblegum featuring Ciara O’Neill (their first collaboration was at our very own Culture Night in 2018) which has been labelled as “one of the best singles you will hear this year” by HOT PRESS magazine. The live stream link is free and is available here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Live Podcast with Martin Lynch
|
|
|
|
We have welcomed Martin when he came to present his play, Two Sore Legs, at the Bozar theatre Brussels in 2017. Meet him on 28 January for lunch as the Out to Lunch festival join forces with the Best of Belfast podcast for a live streamed conversation with one of Belfast’s most celebrated playwrights and a genuine force of nature - Martin Lynch. Martin’s work has been performed across the world, including the Sam Goldwyn film ‘A prayer for the Dying’ starring Mickey Rourke, Bob Hoskins and Liam Neeson. Book your free ticket on the CQAF website.
|
|
|
|
|
|
NI Writers Symposium: Prophets, Makers and Risk Takers
|
|
|
|
Curated by another friend from the office, Jan Carson and EastSide Arts present ‘Prophets, Makers and Risk Takers’, a free live stream showcase of writing from Northern Ireland on 14 January 2021. This brings together leading voices in writing from NI to discuss how writers are approaching global issues and themes; revisiting ideas associated with the history and politics of N.I. but finding new ways to tell the stories; what opportunities exist outside N.I. and how best work can be promoted internationally; and showing what makes writing from Northern Ireland so distinctive. The event features Susan McKay, Damian Smyth and Dr Dawn Miranda Sherratt-Bado who joined us in the Brussels office to present her book Female Lines.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Prepare Pancakes with Paula McIntyre
|
|
|
|
We may not be able to have her cook for you in person this January as we did last year, but we could not start the year without a magnificent treat from Paula McIntyre. Follow this step by step recipe for some delicious buckwheat pancakes with apple compote and maple cinnamon cream. Many more ideas can be found on the BBC Radio Ulster programme.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
