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Dear friends and colleagues,

Welcome to the first of our December Newsletters!

As we approach the end of the year we continue to bring you cultural highlights from our region. This week we mark International Human Rights Day with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Festival. We also celebrate one of Northern Ireland’s literary giants, Seamus Heaney on the 25th anniversary of winning the Nobel Prize for literature. For musical entertainment, listen to the wonderful talents of the National Youth Choir Northern Ireland, and Ruth McGinley and Ryan Vail’s collaboration ‘Chrysalism’. You can also enjoy the jam packed Ardhowen at Home programme and check out the #BuyArtNI Christmas Campaign.

During these challenging times we hope that you and family are keeping well. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Team.

Best wishes,

Lynsey Moore, Director

Northern Ireland Human Rights Festival: Celebrating & Protecting Human Rights

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Consortium will host this year’s Northern Ireland Human Rights Festival entirely online. The festival will run from 7-11 December 2020 encompassing International Human Rights Day on 10 December. With the theme of ‘Celebrating and Protecting Human Rights’ the programme seeks to positively promote, challenge and engage the public in celebrating human rights. Lectures and workshops will be hosted by a number of organisations across Northern Ireland. See the full programme on the festival’s website.
Northern Ireland Human Rights Festival: Celebrating & Protecting Human Rights

Seamus Heaney HomePlace: A Nobel Celebration

Seamus Heaney HomePlace, the literary centre which celebrates the poet’s life and work, is staging a virtual event to mark the 25th anniversary of the award of the Nobel Prize in Literature to Seamus Heaney. The event which will be held on 11 December will be opened by actor Ciarán Hinds with a specially recorded reading of ‘Digging’. The occasion will include a discussion ‘Heaney and the Nobel’ with Dr Rosie Lavan and Roy Foster, and Lisa Hannigan will introduce her recording of Seamus Heaney’s ‘Anahorish’. For more information and to purchase tickets visit the Seamus Heaney HomePlace website.
Seamus Heaney HomePlace: A Nobel Celebration

National Youth Choir Northern Ireland Recordings

The National Youth Choir of Northern Ireland is releasing a series of virtual choir performances each weekend for five weeks on their YouTube channel. These recordings feature the final performances from the choir’s online courses which took place in October. Watch the performances here.
National Youth Choir Northern Ireland Recordings

Ardhowen at Home

Enniskillen’s Ardhowen Theatre has launched a weekly online programme of events and activities for all the family to enjoy. The programme which is available to view on the theatre’s Facebook page includes concerts, drama, book clubs, film clubs, festive arts and crafts and much more. For further information see the Ardhowen’s Facebook page.

Ardhowen at Home

Arts & Business NI: #BuyArtNI Christmas Campaign #buylocal

We are delighted to showcase the #BuyArtNI Christmas Campaign, launched this week by Arts & Business NI. This campaign has been created by the Arts Collaboration Network, a group of cultural sector support organisations from across the arts and creative sector in Northern Ireland. Learn more on the #BuyArtNI Facebook page or the Gift Guide, to discover a fabulous range of unique gifts made by local creators, and show your support by choosing to #buylocal art as a gift this Christmas.
Arts & Business NI: #BuyArtNI Christmas Campaign #buylocal

‘Chrysalism’ track is out now

Written and recorded remotely during the lockdown, award-winning electronic producer and musician, Ryan Vail has collaborated with contemporary classical concert pianist, Ruth McGinley, on this new track, ‘Chrysalism’ meaning ‘the amniotic tranquility of being indoors during a thunderstorm, listening to waves of rain pattering against the roof’. We had the immense privilege of welcoming Ruth twice in the Northern Ireland Executive Brussels office. Watch the new music video here.
‘Chrysalism’ track is out now