CultureHUB - Issue 2

CULTURE

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ECLECTIC BELFAST

IAN KNOX GENIUS WITH A PEN

WEIRD BELFAST HISTORICAL INSIGHTS PLUS INTERVIEW WITH REGGIE CHAMBERLAIN-KING

MARTIN LYNCH

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HELLO! Welcome to CultureHUB Magazine.

CultureHUB aims to give a voice to the many diverse cultural parts of our society that make up the rich mix that is Belfast.

CONTENTS ARTICLES

4 • Culture 6 • Literary Events Belfast 7• Songwriters Festival L I TBelfast E R AT- Nashville URE

Each issue will take the reader on a journey of learning and exploration of Belfast culture, from a contemporary, diverse and historical perspective.

8• Ian Knox - A Genius With a Pen

CultureHUB provides an enticing portrayal of Belfast, previewing, reviewing and viewing the broad spectrum of cultural expressions from which to choose when out and about in the City.

12 • PICAS - Promoting Cultural Diversity

CultureHUB Team. From the team at Culture HUB. Happy reading folks

16•St Patrick’s Show

10•Belfast Writers’ Group 13• Weird Belfast 14• Arrivals2 17• Visiting Artists in March 18• Libraries NI - Creativity Month 19• Martin Lynch - The Theatre Impresario

Creative Director: Anna Wherrett Editor: Scott Boldt Sub Editor: Joe Nawaz

20• Belfast Buskers 22• Windrush Island Cafe - Review 23• Selma - Film Review

Cover Design & Layout: Root Design Belfast Art Direction: Root Design Belfast

24• Brilliant Corners - Jazz Festival

www.rootdesignbelfast.co.uk

26 • Belfast Documentary Making

info@rootdesignbelfast.co.uk

30• Beyond Skin

Journalists: Donald Twain, Conor O’Neill, Cara Gibney,

32•Baby it’s Cold Outside - Preview

Melanie Brehaut, Terry Corr, Stacy Fitzpatrick,

34• Weird Belfast

Conor Charlton, Aishling Gallagher, Ahmed Al Sarraf, Caitlian Rafferty, Scott Boldt.

35• Reggie Chamberlain-King Interview 36• One Sandwich Short of a Genius - Preview

CultureHUB Publications Ltd Merrion Business Centre Office 1-2, 58 Howard Street Belfast, BT1 6PJ Tel: 02895 622 162 Mob: 07548 928 115 www.culturehubmagazine.co.uk info@culturehubmagazine.co.uk

38 • Sunflowerfest 39• Book Reviews 40• PhotoHUB Competition 42• Album Reviews 44•Scream For Me Belfast 45• CultureHUB - Free Tickets!

46• Ulster Museum - Modern History Gallery

© CultureHUB Magazine Ltd

48• Father Frank Browne - Through the Lens

All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced

50• Brenda Murphy Interview

or transmitted in any form by any means,electronic or mechanical CULTURE

without permission of CultureHUB Magazine.

HUB

E C L E C T I C B E L FA S T

CULTURE

Welcome to CultureHUB Magazine where we think the word ‘culture' means at least two things, and this understanding guides the ethos, content, design and ethics of our magazine.

F

irst, we believe that culture is simply 'the way we do things around here' and this definition is accepted by anthropologists and similar folks who study societies and the way people behave. In other words, culture is the expression of our underlying values and beliefs. In particular, we think it is our creative expressions in the broadest sense and this includes how people create their food, how they have a laugh,

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what they do to decorate their flat and the ways that 'we' do things at a venue, on the stage, on a page, in the streets and on the screen; these all point to what Belfast culture is.

Second, we like the Latin and French origin of the word 'culture' which had to do with the cultivation of land but then came to be used in relation to the things of society which cultivate the mind and manners.

Matthew Arnold understood it like this - “Culture, the acquainting

ourselves with the best that has been known and said in the world�.

CultureHUB is interested in the ideas, customs and social behaviours of the people of Belfast as they have come to be in 2015. We take into account the established and mainstream aspects of our culture, but also we are fascinated by those things that are hidden, outside the norm, near the margins, in development and not yet widely known.

The WE of Belfast has changed considerably over the past 20 years. The new normal is an increasingly diverse society with a wider array of values, beliefs, foods, music, art, expressions and ways of being. We are excited to learn about and present to you the way this emerging WE is 'doing things around here'. Equally, we are passionate about what is forming the centre of the cultural life in Belfast and how it is being recognised internationally as well as right down to the local level.

We see that culture has a great many expressions across social classes, ethnicities, religious identities and throughout the great city of Belfast. Gandhi reminds us that, “No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive”, so we hope to introduce you to aspects of Belfast culture with which you are not familiar and hopefully encourage you to venture into new territory while inviting others into yours. Culture is alive and it is always moving and changing. Even the most exclusive, tightly held types of cultures cannot but be affected by wider factors and movements.

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All objects, all phases of culture are alive. They have voices.

They speak of their interrelatedness and history. And they are all talking at once! - Camille Paglia

The purpose of CultureHUB is to reflect, explore, view and present these voices and the variety of cultural happenings in Belfast. Of course, we cannot cover them all in an issue, on our TV show on Northern Visions Television, on our website or Facebook pages, so we humbly yet passionately attempt to capture a wide and eclectic mix of activities, events and people that indicate 'the way we do things around here' and help us to cultivate our mind and senses.

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And if we knew the real value of this word we would be cultured enough not to give it so much importance” – Pablo Picasso.

Scott Boldt

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E V E N T S • B E L FA S T Purely Poetry open mic night 6 March 9.30pm - Crescent Arts Centre, Tickets - £4 Purely Poetry fosters an open, laid back and encouraging atmosphere, for people to read their work and to listen in comfort.

Please visit www.poetryni.com for more details.

Lisa Harker - NI Author Event NI Libraries 5 Mar to 9 Mar 2015- Belfast Central Library - Free An opportunity to engage with Lisa to gain insight into her distinctive style of character creation. Her first novel ‘50 Shades of Red, White and Blue’, later adapted for the stage, sold-out theatres across Northern Ireland.

Children's Story Writing Workshop 8 March Belfast - Waterfront Suitable for children aged 8+, running alongside the Festival in a day, there is lots for kids to do in addition to honing their writing skills, and lots of free events for families to partake in.

Arlene Hughes – Debut Book Launch Martha's Girls 9 March 7pm - Belfast Central Library The library will play host to Alrene Hughes who will delight the public with a personal preview of her debut novel ‘Martha’s Girls,’ a heart-warming story of family bonds and wartime romance set in 1939,of a close-knit, fiery Belfast family.

Sheena Wilkinson – Still Falling Book Launch 10 March - Ulster Hall Still Falling, Sheena's new novel is a story about the struggle it can be to love someone who doesn’t love themselves – and why it’s worth it.

Brian Kielt - Alternate State – A solo exhibition 12 March 6-8pm - Duncairn Cultural Arts Centre, Belfast Alternate State’ is a solo exhibition by Brian Kielt whose works explore methods of depicting the phenomenological. The exhibit is a highlight of works produced in the past two years from Brian’s studio in Belfast, LOFT.

Michael Longley 12 March 7.30pm - Island Arts Centre, Lisburn – Tickets £6 Michael Longley has long been acknowledged as one of our greatest living poets: Seamus Heaney once described him as ‘a keeper of the artistic estate, a custodian of griefs and wonders’.

Word of Mouth (with Vona Groarke, Natasha Cuddington and Sue Morgan) 13 March 1pm - Linen Hall Library, Belfast - Free The Linen Hall has been working in partnership with Word of Mouth Poetry Collective to develop this forum to support and encourage local writing talent.

Randall Stephen Hall - A Touch of the Green 14 March 12pm - Linen Hall Library Through storytelling, poetry and music, Randall illuminates St Patricks day with projected illustrations and a bit of craic.

Admission free but advance booking recommended.

Literary Lunchtimes – The Bedford Street Letter Writing Club 18 March - Ulster Hall Discover the lost art of letter writing and spend an uninterrupted hour corresponding the old-fashioned way. We’ll provide the paper, envelopes, snacks and a spot of soothing music. Don’t forget to bring your own pen and money for a stamp.

Reading Group: Clara Callan by Richard B. Wright 26 March 1:10pm - Linen Hall Library A reading group that meets monthly to discuss the chosen book of the month. This month sees the group discuss Clara Callan, a novel written in diary and letter form chronicles the lives of two sisters living in the time of the great depression.

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Grammy Award winning legends are beating a path to Belfast this spring.

The first week in March belongs to the 11th Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival, where songwriters from around the globe will join local artists in concerts, showcases, workshops and panels to celebrate the art of songwriting. Panarts Director Colin Magee describes it as, “putting the people who write the songs centre stage.” For local artists this is priceless. For local audiences, it is an exceptionally rare chance to see remarkable acts.

Country bluegrass legend Jim Lauderdale will be performing with Cara Dillon, Foy Vance and Paul Tully at a recording of the Music City Roots Show in The Belfast Empire on Friday 6th March. (This will incidentally be broadcast into 60 million homes across the USA). Iconic Canadian folk/rock guitarist Bruce Cockburn will feature in three separate events during the festival, one of which will be an ‘In the Round’ gig with local artists.

Then there is Andy Fairweather Low of Amen Corner, and Grammy Award winner Don Henry, whose songs have been recorded by legends including Ray Charles, Patti Page and Conway Twitty. Not content with all this though, there is also an annual trip to Nashville for four local singers, to showcase their songs in renowned music venues like Bluebird Café and Music City Roots Show. This is a highlight for Colin Magee.

“We can connect them with professionals in the industry. It opens doors for them.”

As I sat with festival volunteers Ruth, Veronica and Aine at the launch, I gained a sense of how it all works, and why they have been volunteering with the festival all these years. Ticket holders are obviously in safe hands with this team. They introduced me to Anne Coulter, the Festival Manager, who recruits new local singers into the fold. “They pick up hints and tips at a workshop”, she explained, “or they play a set that puts them right outside their comfort zone, and you can see it builds their confidence. You see them start to blossom”.

“The arts have been cut to shreds” she continued.

“The Arts Council has a hard job with their funding so drastically cut.” This is where the festival’s many sponsors deserve their credit. Too many to mention they include Tourism Ireland, Cool FM and Holiday Inn; and they have helped keep the whole endeavour stay afloat.

Les Hume of Dawsons Music, who have been the primary festival partner for three years, told me, “this festival is different because it inspires our local singers; it gives them access to real masters of the craft. Not just through attending, but through the workshops and performances as well.”

Joanne Cassidy of local band The Dandy Horses explained, “As a result of playing last year, we were approached by local promoters and an Irish radio station. The impact was immediate in terms of getting gigs and reaching a wider audience. The international aspect is amazing, and you can learn so much from attending the songwriting conventions, and events run by PRS and the Musicians Union, giving guidance on the more 'business’ side of the industry. I also just love the whole buzz, and the mini jams around the Holiday Inn!” On Thursday 5th March, Jim Lauderdale plays ‘In the Round’ with locals Amanda Agnew and Stephen Macartney. This is followed by Mandy Bingham sharing the stage with NJ McClean and Tony Villiers. Triona, and Gary Quinn are performing with one of Nashville’s finest songwriters James House on Friday. The Dandy Horses will be playing on Saturday 7th March, with Runabay and The Sandrunners. There’s too much to list, the programme is massive.

Cara Gibney

Best visit www.belfastnashville.com for tickets and information.

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IAN KNOX A Genius with a Pen Cartoonist for the Irish News Ahmed Al Sarraf Ian Knox, Cartoonist for the Irish News has found himself in the local media spotlight since the attacks on the satirical French newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris last month. I had the opportunity to interview this Belfast legend.

Three days after the attacks on Charlie Hebdo I attended a vigil for the victims in front of City Hall.

There were lots of people there, but Belfast being Belfast, the one person I struck up a conversation with was none other than renowned Irish cartoonist Ian Knox! A remarkable coincidence.

I had the honour of interviewing him in his house, which could be described as a museum of his life.

Surrounded by cartoons and bicycles I talked to Ian about Charlie Hebdo, his career as a cartoonist and Belfast. Cycling also featured heavily in our conversation, Ian is a keen cyclist, but that is for another article...

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CHARLIE HEBDO Ian explained to me that in principle he supports the satirical newspaper but he's not convinced by all of their cartoons. Nonetheless he described the attack on Charlie Hebdo as a "huge shock". To him Charlie Hebdo is very French in its style and we have nothing like it in Northern Ireland.

I asked him if he felt intimidated after the attacks and he replied "I feel entirely safe. I haven't done anything quite like Charlie Hebdo did."

Moving on to his own experience of drawing political cartoons in Northern Ireland, Ian told me he has never been seriously intimidated. Further into our conversation, it became clear he was almost Banksy-like in his desire for anonymity in the past, "I like to be anonymous and I'm not that keen to talk in front of cameras." During the Troubles he never revealed his identity, preferring to use the pen name "Blotski".

About his life and Belfast Ian Knox has lived and worked in many different countries but he is a proud supporter of Belfast.

He has experienced both the highs and lows of the city including the Troubles. When I asked him about his experience as a cartoonist I discovered a man with many talents. He started out as an architect before moving into animation which took him to London, Montreal and Toronto. Later he was a political cartoonist for several left wing magazines and started to sketch the Troubles: Interestingly, most criticism of his work came after the ceasefire. Currently he publishes 6 cartoons per week with the Irish News and shows no signs of slowing down at the age of 71.

the future for cartoonists I couldn't let the interview come to an end without asking him an obvious question: what advice do you have for young and aspiring cartoonists? I thought it would be a quick response, but he hesitated for a moment and a look of disappointment crossed his face.

"Surprisingly few want to do it. I don't quite understand why so few want to do it. It seems to be a rare thing... I don't know why. People who want to illustrate the world... it's quite rare."

But he remains optimistic and thinks any young cartoonists out there should not quit but keep working. "Have some stamina, don't give up" says the 71-year-old cartoonist. .

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I have often thought of attending a writers' group, but somehow never got round to it. Well, I finally took the plunge and attended The Belfast Writers' Group, which is conveniently located off the Lisburn Road, turn into Lower Windsor Avenue then right into Lorne Street, and the Morton Community Centre is just on your right.

It is a small amiable group that make you feel instantly welcome. The Morton Community Centre is conducive to facilitating a creative atmosphere, with nine writers nestled around a set of tables in a large comfortable room. Tea, coffee and nibble are provided by attending members, and a fee of 50p-ÂŁ1 per member covers the room hire.

Attending members take it in turns to share their ongoing work with the group, and constructive criticism is offered from the attentive audience. This in itself is insightful, but the candid discussions that ensued regarding the difficulties of receiving feedback in said environment, along with the process of writing and editing offers both the novice and the more experienced writer a wealth of knowledge upon which to draw.

The group also runs creative writing exercises, and while newcomers are encouraged to participate, no demand is put upon them to read their work aloud. In that sense, the newcomer can feel his/her way into the group, sharing and developing as confidence grows.

The group has recently had an anthology of its work published called Ghosts in the Glass, paperback and Kindle copies are available at www.TitanFest.com. They are also collecting stories for a Mythological Creature Anthology, so if you have created something weird and wonderful bring it along to the group, or send it in.

I thoroughly enjoyed my evening and would whole-heartedly recommend that you give it a go. The group runs on the second and last Wednesday of the month.

Donald Twain

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Question and Answer Session with DT: How long has the group been running, who founded it?

DT: Does it have a role in promoting the work of its members?

LM: I started the group roughly 3 ½ years ago when I was living in the Queen’s University area of Belfast. I’d just completed a creative writing course at the Belfast Met and when I mentioned to some of the other students that I would try and find a writing group to join, they convinced me to try setting up one instead.

Ever the optimist, I thought it sounded like a great idea, so, I put up an ad online, put up flyers and asked the teachers at the college to email past pupils and let them know what I was attempting to do.

LM: Belfast Writers’ does have a role to play in promoting the work of its members. We’ve produced an anthology Ghosts in the Glass and are currently putting together a second one with a Mythological Creature theme. We’ve also taken part in a number of readings of our work at various venues and events including the European Heritage open days and as part of ‘Yarnspinners’ at the Tullycarnet library. We share links to competitions, writing opportunities and other places to showcase our work. Whilst it’s not exactly promotion of our writers, every November, we host NANOWRIMO (the National Novel Writing Month) where writers write a short novel in a month long writing sprint.

The first meeting was a bit of a disaster. We’d arranged to meet at the cafe in the McClay library at QUB, but when everyone arrived it had closed early, so we had to meet in the foyer of the library instead. It wasn’t a very successful meeting, but it did demonstrate that there was the desire for a writers’ group in the area, so I pushed ahead and found us a venue at the Morton Community Centre. People have come and gone over the years, but we’ve slowly built our numbers up.

DT: Does it have a philosophy when it comes to developing its writers?

LM: Our philosophy is simply to encourage writers, both with compliments and critiques, helping writers find their strengths and weaknesses. Writers can be very shy about sharing their work; writing is an intensely personal thing and it can be difficult to expose your work to other people’s eyes. We understand this, but we support and encourage everyone to share their work, either online or in the group as it really is the best way to improve as a writer. It’s fantastic to get great feedback on something that you’ve written, but I find that it’s equally as important to hear comments like ‘that section didn’t really work’ or ‘I didn’t understand exactly what you meant there,’ because it does demonstrate areas that you need to work on. Once you get a feel for where you’re going wrong, you’ll eventually get it right and you’ll improve as a writer.

DT :Do you have ties or links with other writing groups?

LM: There’s not really any links with other writing groups, unfortunately - most in Northern Ireland don’t have a great online presence, so it’s a little harder for us to do. It’s something that I would definitely be interested in though. Perhaps that’s the next stage of the group’s development.

DT : What advice would you give to newcomers who are thinking about joining your writing group?

LM: If anyone was interested in joining, I would simply say, come along and say hello. You might find that we’re exactly what you’ve been looking for, or that we’re not for you; I think everyone has to try what works for them. We do tend to get a little noisy at times, which only happens because it can be a relief to find people who share your love of reading and writing, which might be a little daunting, or a whole lot of fun. Even if you decide that the group meetings are not for you, we do still have a support network online that anyone can join from the comfort of their sofa, or you could email/ PM me poems and prose for critiquing which I’m always happy to do. Do a search for Belfast Writers’ Group on Facebook (the group, not the page) and you’ll find us, then just join up and join in.

The Belfast Writers' Group Morton Community Centre Lorne Street (off Lisburn Road) Second and last Wednesday of the month

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PROMOTING

CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN NORTHERN IRELAND

Making It - The Picas Intercultural Conference 2015 Through a range of sessions and settings in Belfast, an attempt is made to explore, learn and share different concepts and practices supporting intercultural arts for intercultural dialogue.

Independent Artists Forum

Monday March 2nd, 10am to 7pm

Venue - Cathedral Quarter Facilitated discussion event: A day of exploration and enlightenment

My Shoes Might Fit You

Wednesday March 3rd, 2pm to 4pm

Venue - The Exchange Space, Belfast Exposed This is an interactive photographic exhibition in partnership with Belfast Exposed and RRCANI Romanian Roma Community Association NI. This exhibition is by Roma teenagers and challenges the stereotypes of Roma people and their culture.

Making it Work

Thursday March 5th, 1.30pm to 4.30pm

Venue - Factory Space in The MAC Along with exhibitions from Artsekta and Wheelworks, this is a networking and welcoming event, looking at the work of PICAS and its journey, and Beyond Skin's work From Kurdistan to Ardoyne and Back Again. Discussions on intercultural sensitivity and creativity and workshops on developing creativity in an intercultural context.

Making it Real

Thursday March 5th, 7-9pm

Venue - Bus will collect attendees from Writer’s Square at 7pm going to John Paul Youth Club Ardoyne A discussion of young people’s experience of the event along with contributions from the Beyond Skin team and youth leaders. A visiting WOMAD artist will discuss the joint Jamaican/Kurdistan music and dance workshop, with all free to join in.

Making it Last

Friday March 6th, 10am to 4.40pm

Venue - The Factory Mac A series of talks on the journey of celebrating intercultural diversity and collaboration, a recognition of what has been achieved so far, and outlining hopes and plans for the future

Making it Great

Celebrating the Network Friday March 6th 8pm to Midnight

Venue - The Barge on the River – Oxford Street This is a networking celebration with music by Sufi Punk and Love Music Hate Racism's fusion project, including Spoken Word and DJ Project.

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Weird Belfast

Est. 2014

Reggie Chamberlain-King author of ‘Weird Belfast’ See interview page 35

Price 2P

THE GREAT BALLOON ASCENT

Found among the annual reports of The Belfast Botanic and Horticultural Society Illustration Samara Leibner

July 8th, 1864

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n Thursday evening, Mr. Coxwell, the celebrated aeronaut, made an ascent from the Royal Botanic Gardens in his new mammoth balloon, which he has called the “Britannica”.

This balloon is announced as the largest in the world.

It is 100 feet in height and requires 100,000 cubic feet of gas to inflate it. It is many years since there was a balloon ascent in this town and this circumstance, together with the well-known eminence of Mr. Coxwell as an aerial voyager and the brilliancy of the weather, gave to the speculation a degree of interest far exceeding anything we have had here for a long period.

The occupants of the balloon, eleven in number, were the following: Mr. Coxwell; Captain Matthew Hale, Cameronians; Captain Tullock, 96th Regiment; Mr. Rowan, 62d Regiment; Mr. Douthwaite and Mr. Sharp, Cameronians; Mr. Alexander P. Henderson, University Square; Mr. Alexander Porter, University Square; Mr. Robert Kingan, a gentleman from Armagh, and Dr.Corry, Clarendon Place. Mr. Alexander F. Herdman, Donegall Square South; and Mr. George M’Tear, Jnr., Carilise Terrace, were also anxious to go up and were in the car for that purpose,but Mr. Coxwell considered that eleven was the greatest number he could safely allow to ascend. The following is an account of the voyage by one of the gentlemen who made the ascent:

THE JOURNEY: Anyone who has witnessed the start for the Derby St. Leger or any other of the great English races will know something of the excitement of the crowd and the feverish anxiety of those interested in the event and the longing for the flag to be dropped and the start to be made. To a very considerable extent, this was the feeling of the occupants of the “car” of Mr. Coxwell’s balloon, as they waited anxiously for the minute when the crowd which pressed around on every side would fall back and enable the balloon to get a fair chance for its ascent.

The spectacle, as we left the Gardens, was one of the most extraordinary it is possible to conceive.

The upturned faces of many thousand people, as they watched us start on what most thought a perilous journey, was for an instant a perfect study, but we soon rose clear above them and even lost the majestic strain of our National Anthem, which was played as we left terra firma, and the cheers which greeted our departure.

In a couple of minutes after leaving the Gardens, we were fairly over the Ormeau Road, not very far from the bridge and could see distinctly the crowds who thronged around. The wind at this time seemed rather inclined to carry us towards Belfast Lough and, as a precautionary measure, Mr. Coxwell got out his grapnel. In a few seconds, however, as we ascended, the wind changed and we were carried in almost a straight line from Ormeau to Shaw’s Bridge, over the canal. We were now beginning thoroughly to get at home and the view that stretched out before us was magnificent. Two loughs – Belfast and Strangford – were thoroughly in sight from end to end. We were on the look out for Lough Neagh and, suddenly, what had appeared to be the sun shining on a cloud burst forth to our view as Lough Neagh. This, in some respects, was the most enjoyable part of our trip. The magnificent view that we saw all around us – the fertile valley of the Lagan, with the silvery river glittering through it and the hamlets sleeping quietly in the evening sun – was a scene which cannot be forgotten.

The perfect stillness was, if possible, still more wonderful. We were still ascending rapidly and in a very short time, after remaining almost stationary, we passed through out first cloud. The effect of this was marvellous. As we ascended, it appeared as if we were passing through a white, fleecy kind of smoke, but stillwe could catch glimpses of the earth. A second or two more and we had fairly got above the cloud and could see far above us the clear unbroken sky and the sun shining brightly. The earth was entirely lost in its place and we had the clouds lying at our feet like snow.

A change in the wind seemed likely to drive us seaward once more and Mr. Coxwell deemed it prudent to attempt our descent. This was much more easily managed than we had at all anticipated. Our grapnel caught first in a tree, but did not take there; next it entwineditself in a hedge, but once more broke loose and, after leaving itsmark in a field, we came safely to anchor in a grass field of a Mr. William Martin, of Lisdoonan, about three miles from Saintfield.

We had necessarily a few bumps in our descent, but, owing to the clear directions and admirable skill and coolness of Mr.Coxwell, none of the party received even a scratch. It was here that we saw the advantage of having the car made of an elastic material like basket-work. A more solid structure would have been broken to pieces. The country people were assembled in crowds and rendered their best assistance in getting the mammoth balloon safely ungassed and packed and sent off to Belfast, although they would light their pipes whilst the gas was escaping in all directions from the heaving monster.

The whole party returned by the last train to Belfast from Ballygowan. To those who have never undertaken a journey in a balloon we may say that the motion is not in the slightest degree unpleasant and it would indeed be more correct to say that it was quite imperceptible. The interest excited by this event was very great. Whenever we came in our journey near enough to distinguish objects, we could see crowds of people eagerly watching our movements. The entire time of our trip was, as nearly as possible, twenty-six minutes and the highest point which we reached was about a mile and a quarter from the earth.

INTERVIEW WITH Reggie- Chamberlin-King

R e g g i e quickly sped past youth and education into decrepit e a r l y adulthood, becoming, by cold hard luck, a writer, musician, and He makes broadcaster. frequent appearances on Radio Ulster’s Arts Extra.

He has written several plays, including The Ballad of Lilliburlero for BBC NI Events, and The Down Chorus, for Wireless Mystery Theatre. His work has appeared on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4 and has been broadcast in Germany, Canada and the United States.

He is a Co-founder, actor, musician and continuity announcer with Wireless Mystery Theatre and author of the cult mystery series The Brittaine & Molloy Inquiry Quarterly. Weird Belfast is his first book.

Interview Continued Page 35

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EXPERIENCES OF NORTHERN IRELAND’S VISIBLE MINORITIES TAKE CENTRE STAGE Racist slogans, burning vehicles, and residents forced out of their homes this January. Last year’s annual Human Rights and Racial Equality Benchmarking Report from the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities highlighted 982 racist incidents in 2013-2014 compared with 750 the previous year, an increase of 31%, and in the same period a staggering 47% increase in racist crimes.

One pioneering theatre company, based in East Belfast, is tackling the subject head on with a dramatic production touring Northern Ireland from 11 March.

Building on the success of last year’s Arrivals about new immigrants to Northern Ireland, Terra Nova Productions now turns the spotlight on the next generation in Arrivals2, offering audiences five new plays, with four professional intercultural actors, and music

by Anthony Toner, all in one evening. This time, the focus is on Northern Irish people who just happen to have a parent who was born somewhere else in the world.

Terra Nova Productions is Northern Ireland’s only professional intercultural theatre company, set up by Indian-born Canadian Director, Andrea Montgomery.

“The Terra Nova intercultural mission is fundamental to tackling the issue of racism,” says Andrea. “Our ethos of working from the ground up, and involving everyone who doesn't normally get onto the mainstream stage, ensures that. But make no mistake.....

“We don't create 'issues theatre'.

When you come to see Arrivals2 you're coming to see great, intriguing, funny and moving stories that just happen to be intercultural.”

Montgomery and Company Manager, Tom Finlay, and four trained intercultural facilitators have spent months working with people all across Northern Ireland. This fed into opportunities to join a three-day intercultural masterclass with the playwrights and professional actors that gave the Arrivals2 writers their creative stimulus.

“They wrote whatever inspired them,” says Montgomery. “It’s a wild mix.”

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In Arrivals2, you will have the opportunity to experience a haunted house; a budding romance; the challenging first meeting between a long lost half-brother and sister; a funny and terrifying monologue set on the hills outside Belfast; and a drunken Halloween party where God might just be one of the party guests.

Poets James Meredith (Newtownabbey) and Deirdre Cartmill (Tyrone) who made such successful contributions to Arrivals last year have both written new pieces for Arrivals2. They are joined by award-winning actress Maggie Cronin who is now turning her hand to playwriting; emerging Belfast writer Fionnuala Kennedy, whose first play Hostel was successfully toured by Kabosh Theatre Company; and award-winning Armagh writer for stage and screen Daragh Carville (Language Roulette, This Other City, Middleton and Cherry Bomb).

Director Andrea Montgomery has cast Northern Irish actress Louise Parker; mixed-race London actress Melissa Dean whose mother is from Ardoyne, emigrated from Belfast in the 1970s, and whose father is from the Caribbean; and second generation black British actors Robert Bertrand whose family is from St Lucia, and Nathanael Campbell whose family is from Jamaica.

Arrivals2 can be enjoyed by audiences across Northern Ireland from 11 – 28 March. For more information and booking details 15 visit www.terranovaproductions.net/arrivals2.

St Patrick’s Day Show Stacy Fitzpatrick March has arrived, a fresh shift is clearly in the air. The expectation of warmer days and brighter nights lifts the excitement and increases the hunger for culture and entertainment.

Musically it’s going to be a mighty march. Belfast boys ‘The Emerald Armada’ are set to mark March 14th in epic style with their annual St. Patrick’s Show in The Empire Music Hall, a change from previous venue Voodoo. The party, growing year on year, has become a tradition for band and their fans. “The atmosphere is different “ explains lead singer Neil Allen, “its such an energetic crowd that you can't help but feed off it.

We always try to mix it up a bit.” Now in its fourth year, it will be a rousing night of homegrown vibrant music.

The Alt/Irish-Folk five piece formed in 2010, creating music laced with familiar Celtic vibes and a modern fun twist.

Their songs, performed with sincerity and passion reflect a clear love of making music. Eclectic beats and rocky riffs grasp you unconsciously as down to earth, sentimental lyrics tell stories that you can relate to and feel.

The hypnotic bodhran rhythm unites emotive vocals and beautifully balanced harmonies of Old Tree Top from current EP Five Beating Hearts, that lift you into a different zone for a few gratifying minutes. Jangling fast energetic strums in Be Loved instantly capture you, initiating finger tapping before thigh slapping, until you actually can’t hold back.

Tracks to try: Old Tree Top, Make It Good

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Joining them, Belfast’s own New Ancestors, originally a duo, will be charging an electric atmosphere exclusively playing their first live show ever as a four piece full band. Neil says, “We really wanted the New Ancestors because we started out with those guys and it’s great to see their growing success: it is a bit of nostalgia playing with them again.”

With Alt Folk at the core of their sound, they hold their signature style of thought provoking lyrics and acoustic strums combining rock influences in Brother (I’ve been there before). The upbeat pace of new single Annabelle, an enthusiastic, high-energy track filled with attitude unites the now four piece with fresh motivation.

Tracks to try: Annabelle, Don’t Feel Sad Local band Runaway Go ‘s style of Indie Pop will add to the celebrations with soft distinctive vocals and timed beats. “They have such a talent for shutting the room up with such great songs and delivery”, says Neil. Current single Ashes with its catchy chorus, reflects their sound with ethereal instrumental sounds, gentle cross over harmonies and clear lyrics.

Tracks to try: Ashes, Jump Start Houdini Dax will also share the stage with The Emerald Armada bringing their zealous Indie Pop Rock sounds to Belfast for the first time. The Welsh trio will have the crowd buzzing as Neil promises, ‘A great, highly energetic and charismatic band’ to complete a gripping showcase.

Track to try: Green Gate With the hint of new music from The Emerald Armada and stacks of Paddy’s Day craic, this looks set to be a stellar show for sure.

Elsewhere that evening, Belfast/Dublin band Cruising will be performing at The Menagerie.

New to the scene they are already causing intrigue with their dynamic style fusing punk, garage and psychedelia in their debut track You Made Me Do That. Loud, fast and charged with band members names as unique as their sound. If you want to get sweaty, this is probably the place to be!

VISITING ARTISTS IN MARCH Among the more established acts playing Belfast in March are: The Kooks at the Mandela Hall on the 1st, Noel Gallagher and the High Flying Birds at the Odys sey Arena the 3rd, The Unthanks at The Empire March 13th, Idlewild at The Limelight 2 on the 20th and Morrissey at the Odyssey Arena on March 24th.

Here are some of our March picks for gigging in Belfast.

Royal Blood The unassuming two piece Royal Blood continue their sold out UK tour with a gig at the Ulster Hall on Sunday March 08. Heavily influenced by bands such as Led Zepplin (they recently met Jimmy Page who attended their New York gig) the Brighton lads bring their distinctive bluesy rock garage sound to Belfast, one that has received global acclaim. Tracks to try are Little Monster, Out of the Black and Figure it out.

The Bonnevilles The two piece band from Lurgan play their full pelt blend of rock and roll garage blues at the Menagerie Friday March 13, echoing the sounds of Seasick Steve with the tempo turned up and the rock and roll in full overdrive. Don't blink or you'll miss it. Tracks to try are 10000, and Just the Right Distance from the Sun. Their last album is Folk Art and the Death of Electric Jesus. They make the Black Keys look tame in comparison.

Franz Nicolay This is Franz's second return to the province, and he plays the Bar with no Name on Monday March 16, touring his new album To us the Beautiful. The ex-key boardist of the Hold Steady has now turned enigmatic frontman. The music is a fusion of folk, rock and indie, that's slightly frayed with a shambolic punk edge.

His lyrics set his work apart. Among many of his methods of songwriting, Franz belongs to a songwriters' circle that meets monthly at a book club, with artists writing individual songs based on their experiences of chosen books. His lyrics have a cutting elegance, and melodically the fusion and movement of the music is challenging, shifting gears two or three times in a song, giving the listener the precious gift of the genuinely unexpected. Tracks to try are Do the Struggle and Your Body and the Borderline

Chuck Ragan and the Cameraderie Chuck Ragan and the Cameraderie visit Voodoo on Thursday March 19. Chuck tours his album Till Midnight as part of The Pedal Down Tour. He is a seasoned musician and has toured the world with The Hot Water Band. His music is an explosion of Americana and rock and roll, with a rasping voice that drives the songs with power and verve. He is a brilliant songwriter and performer, a must see. Tracks to try are Vagabond, You and I Alone, and Something May Catch Fire.

The Handsome Family The duo of Rennie and Brett Sparks bring their unique brand of Alternative Coun try to the Empire on Wednesday March 25, touring their new album Wilderness.

Coined as Goth Americana, the husband and wife team weave a black humour through their songs that cover suicide and murder ballads; a surreal country sound that has received critical acclaim. Songs to try are Frogs and Far from Any Road. There is an other-worldly quality to their music, a cataloguing of the demise of the human condition delivered with a wry barbed sense of humour.

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L I B RA RIE S NI

Creativity

Mon t h

For the fourth successive year, Libraries NI is participating in Creativity Month, an initiative of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.

You do not have to be a library member to attend and everyone is welcome, all events are free. CultureHUB has previewed events taking place in the Belfast area.

Creative Writing Writer in Residence – Brian McGilloway Crime novelist Brian McGilloway will attend Meeting Point reading groups across the province, joining in the lively discussions. The Belfast venue is Cregagh Library.

Cregagh Library Tuesday 4 March 11:30am - 12:30pm t: 028 9040 1365 e: cregagh.library@librariesni.org.uk

Julian Friers - Art demonstration and talk Enjoy a talk and demonstration by renowned landscape painter Julian Friers.

Opportunity to view an exhibition of the artist’s work.

Light refreshments provided.

Ormeau Road Library Saturday 22 March 2:00pm - 3:00pm t: 028 9050 9228 e: ormeauroad.library@librariesni.org.uk

Recording Sessions Mixed - Enjoy Your Own Recording Session In Our Soundproof Recording Booth!

We will record you singing, playing an instrument or reciting poetry, in just 15 minutes – and at last you will have the opportunity to hear yourself professionally recorded on CD!Booking Advisable.

Belfast Central Library Saturday 22 March 11:00am – 4:00pm t: 028 9050 9150 e: belfast.central@librariesni.org.uk

Art Acrylic painting workshop Renowned landscape painter Julian Friers will provide insight into how he paints exciting, lifelike images. Join in and take home your own masterpiece.

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Refreshments provided. Booking essential.

Ormeau Road Library Saturday 22 March 11:00am – 1:00pm t: 028 9050 9228 e: ormeauroad.library@librariesni.org.uk

Photography Smartphone Photography Photographer Geoff McGrath will help you unleash your creative flair with your smartphone, capturing great images, processing them with apps and will cover the basics of photo-editing processes. He will also show you how to use social media to get your work shown on a wider platform.

Holywood Library Wednesday 5 March 12:30pm – 4:30pm t: 028 9042 4232 e: holywood.library@librariesni.org.uk

Genealogy Why You Can’t Find Your Ancestors Even Though They’re There Workshop Enjoy this event with genealogist and author John Grenham. Among his publications is Tracing your Irish Ancestors(4th edition).John will give an illustrated presentation followed by a workshop on how to find your elusive ancestors. He is Ireland’s best known genealogist and writes the weekly Irish Roots column in The Irish Times as well as running the Irish Times Ancestors website.

Booking essential.

Belfast Central Library Wednesday 12 March 12:30pm – 2:30pm t: 028 9050 9150 e: belfast.central@librariesni.org.uk

Creative Writing Clinics Brian also runs creative writing clinics, Participants should submit their work 1000 words (short fiction or novel extract) by date detailed at venue. Submissions to elizabeth.mcaleer@librariesni.org.uk Dates for submission Belfast Central Library: Thursday 6 March Creative Writing Clinic Belfast Central Library Thursday 13 March 12:30pm - 5:00pm t: 028 9050 9150 e: belfast.central@librariesni.org.uk

contact www.librariesni.org.uk/creativity-month to view local library events in your area

Lynch Martin

Before heading off to the sunshine to write, CultureHUB caught up with theatre impresario Martin Lynch to gather his thoughts on writing, to dip into his past and hear his plans for the future.

ROM teenage school drop-out to Belfast’s Ambassador to the Arts and from the Docks to Ulster Tatler’s Arts Personality of the Year, Martin Lynch has come a long way. Adding to his live continuum, he’s donned the cap of a cloth-cutter, revolutionary, keen amateur self-coiffeur, poet, mighta-been-Georgie-Best, book-runner for the classics and loving son and grandfather. He’s synonymous with Belfast theatre. CultureHUB should have found a perfectly pleased gentleman of NI's artistic elite, but as he was on the cusp of rewriting his first ever play and eager to get things started, a sense of urgency filled his every answer.

CultureHUB tries to fit in as many questions as possible, and Lynch doesn’t retract from one; interrupting when necessary and detailing in full as the interview takes on a life of its own.

Daunted by this force of nature laying simply the facts on writing and the importance of good writing, I try to keep my noggin logged on. Asked if he was a child prodigy of the English language, the answer comes without hesitation: “Was I fuck! If I was a prodigy at anything it was combing my hair and playing football.” A would-be Teddy Boy with the hope of working in Belfast’s Docks and little ambition beyond, Martin's shipyard dream was quashed because he was the third son, thus disqualified under the ‘three member per family rule’. A school drop-out at 13-and-a-half, Lynch found himself being book-jockey and Woodbine gopher to his father, before taking up the poetry call in his latter teens and becoming a keen amateur footballer with the Belfast News Boys.

Interview continued page 28.......

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Belfast Buskers

For a relatively small city, Belfast has a surprisingly varied busking scene. Both the old and the young will showcase their wildly differing talents. From the guitar-strumming adolescent Buddy Holly-lookalike Hugo Boitel-Gill to Jamie Knight’s unique football juggling skills the scene is sharply contrasting and diverse. I was given the chance to interview some of my favourites. Conor Charlton

Key West It’s not too often you get full bands playing on the streets of Belfast, but Key West, eager to spread awareness of who they are came up to busk in Corn Market. One of its

Tell me a little bit about the style of music, I hear a little country influence in the indie mix.

Glover: On the street here, we only have the instruments we’ve got here – if I’m playing the acoustic guitar it’s going to feel a bit country but in the studio we like to mix things up as well. Our style would be rock and pop.

guitarists, Glover took some time out to tell me a little bit about the band.

And your influences?

Glover : So broad, I grew up loving guitar bands like Radiohead and Muse, the singer grew up with Aretha Franklin and soul singers, he’s got his Mam to thank for that. The other boys grew up in England so I’m not sure about them.

You’ve released one album so far?

Glover: We released our debut album a couple of years ago. We’ve done it all independently so it’s a long road using it as a springboard for recognition. Getting out on the street has been the best thing we’ve done for recognition. You can send in a promo to a radio station and think you’ve done something right, but at the end of the day are they really listening to you? Let’s just get out there. It seems to be working well for us.

You’re playing here?

Glover: We’re playing in Mandela Hall on March 6th, it’s our first big gig up here. We’re excited and nervous.

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You have a dangerous act?

RS: To be honest, it’s fire, it is dangerous.

Where there’s fire, you’re gonna get burned!

What other cities have you performed the act in?

African Warriors We then asked Tanzanian born Afrikan Warriors troupe leader Rahim Saphy about his acrobatics and pyrotechnical displays.

RS: Pretty much anywhere, we’ve been to Derry, Belfast, which is kind of our home now, Galway, Limerick, Cork and over Christmas we did Dundalk for the turning on of the lights which was really good.

So we should expect to see you at the Festival of Fools?

RS: Well, the Festival of Fools is our main one, fingers crossed we’re probably going to be there, depending on your vote!

Jamie Knight Although only in his early twenties, Jamie Knight is a veteran of the busking scene making “keepy-upsies” cool again.

How many hours would you busk for a day?

JK: Anything from 3 hours to six hours It’s a pretty high intensity performance JK: You can take it easy if you want but my style is energetic and it takes it out of you. I’m never cold in the winter months, usually I’m roasting within a few sets.

Can you tell me about your Cirque de Soleil experience?

JK: Basically I applied online to be auditioned for The Cirque Du Soleil’s new world tour as they were looking for freestyle footballers. My application was successful and they invited me to Paris for an audition. The audition went well for me and I was the only person not to make a mistake; however, it was quite clear that they were looking for natural performers and showmen more than technical capabilities and unfortunately I didn't get selected, but it was a great experience.

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Windrush Island Cafe is conveniently located on 45 University Road, just down the street from Queens Student Union, heading towards Belfast. As I walked into the restaurant I was greeted with the harmonious tones of Dennis Brown. The cafe is intimate, brightly coloured with upturned electricity cable spools as tables, that gives the place a genuine island shebeen feel.

I was greeted by Wendy, a resident of Belfast for twenty years, who was extremely accommodating. I decided to try the lentil coconut curry, and though it wasn't on the menu, Wendy kindly prepared a fresh one. This is a curry from Trinidad, made from coconut, and prepared with Scotch Bonnets. It has a similar texture to chana dal, with a subtle hint of coconut and delivers a spiced earthy flavour. The Scotch Bonnet added that little extra bite. Served with rice and peas, plantain and cabbage, the dish had a nice variety of complimentary textures and flavours. I had a glass of fresh guava juice to accompany my main that was light and refreshing.

I had a Rasta Brownie for desert, served with a creamy ice cream and cream. The Rasta Brownie is stunning.

It has a rich chocolate lushness that is lightened with a floral note. Quite simply a dessert to die for. I finished off with a rich smooth Indonesian coffee. A beautiful lunch, all for ÂŁ13 including drinks.

There is a varied Caribbean menu to choose from, including Jerk Chicken Pork and Beef, Barbeque Pot Roast Pork and for the more adventurous there is Goat Curry (must try). There is also a range of freshly baked Caribbean Cakes such as mango and banana, and a drink list that includes fresh island fruit juices and sodas. Try grape soda if you get a chance.

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The venue is intimate, but there is also seating upstairs and can cater for 70 people and private parties. The relaxed and easy going atmosphere is enhanced with the bubbly and smiling host Wendy.

Wendy hosts Caribbean Cooking classes starting in May, there is still some places left on the course if you’re interested in extending your culinary skills.

For vinyl fans, Wendy provides a record player so guests can create their own soundtrack for the evening.

Donald Twain

C U LT

URE

SELMA

HUB ECL

ECT

EL IC B

FAS

T

QUEENS FILM THEATRE. COM

“BEHOLD the birds of the air: they sow not, neither do they reap ” ,

Martin Luther King and his array of equally enthused and enraged advisors decide to march from Selma to the state capitol in Birmingham, Alabama to highlight the injustice denied yet enshrined in the US constitution. The only problem being neither President Lyndon Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) nor state governor George C Wallace (Tim Roth) see black equality as a great concern. Branded by F.B.I chief J Edgar Hoover (Dylan Baker) as a “political and moral degenerate”, The film follows King from Nobel Peace Prize recipient to a jail cell. Director Ava Duvernay (I Will Follow, Middle of Nowhere) treats the tumultuous two years featured in the movie with great tenderness and humanity. She along with script writer Paul Webb refuse to hold King up on the pedestal we all now look back and upward to, but as a man with frailties.

King’s wife Coretta (Carmen Ejogo) is presented as a woman in turmoil.

With her husband away so often and threats being issued down the phone-line on a daily basis, the audience watches as she reaches breaking point. A shadow is cast

over King’s infamous infidelities and Coretta is troubled throughout the entire movie yet she remains loyal and first-lady-like despite the storm surrounding her husband.

This however is not a two or three character movie. A fine cast of supporting actors brings this film to life and at times offers the only humorous scenes. There are simply too many to name, but one who inevitably stands out simply due to her fame is Oprah Winfrey, now a veteran of six movies. Her character shares the same ideals and devotion to the cause as her comrades, and she often finds herself on the wrong side of an electoral official or more violently is battered by state troopers as the mania grows over the march.

The initial march with only 500-odd attendees and without the leadership of King ends in carnage at the town’s border at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. With tactics worked out and arranged by the activists everything is caught on camera and the images are flashed around the world.

President Johnson is aghast at the public reaction which brings support from numerous sectors of society.

Though the film focuses on MLK and his activists, Duvernay also reaches into the White House and the historical backdrop of the times including the Vietnam War. Johnson is shown not as the monster we may assume him to be, but rather as a human being in an extraordinary time under immense pressure. It’s this tapestry which makes Selma unmissable.

“For they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they?”

This Biblical quote said to Martin Luther King near the beginning of the movie as he faces one of his trials sets the tone of Selma and the often thwarted march in 1965. King (played by British born David Oyelowo), a small time preacher from Atlanta, finds himself thrust forward as the leader of the civil rights movement. The acting is top notch throughout, the story is not preachy and if you’re into historical films and the undeniable will of humanity seeking equality then this film will not dissappoint.

Conor O’Neill

“If you’re into historical films and the undeniable will of humanity seeking equality, you’ll love this film”.

Four out of Five Stars

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Brilliant Corners

A Festival of Jazz in Belfast The results of a recent Spotify report, which looked at music genres and the listenership in various cities throughout the UK, were reported in The Guardian recently. Belfast, it turns out, is #1 for jazz and punk; which might surprise a few but makes perfect sense to Moving On Music (MOM) – the organisation behind ‘Brilliant Corners – a festival of jazz in Belfast.'

For 20 years the organisation has been championing underrepresented music in Belfast, including jazz, and there has always been an appetite for it.

The music company has been at the forefront of music programming since 1995, and whilst jazz was heavily featured in the annual Moving on Music showcase, it was three years ago the company decided to take the plunge and start a dedicated jazz festival. Cork, Sligo, Limerick, Derry even Doonbeg all have one, so why not Belfast?

“Before Brilliant Corners, there was The Moving On Music Festival, which showcased all kinds of music.

Jazz always featured heavily and we saw a real opportunity to develop this and give it an identity and package it as a jazz festival,” said Michael, the marketing officer for MOM. This is the Brilliant Corners’ third birthday. In Year 1, it snowed so heavily they lost one day of the four-day festival, because of cancelled flights, stranded bands, electricity cuts - that sort of thing. Michael grins sheepishly. “What did happen was really well supported and the gigs were great, but it was hard to really know how it went. It was a bit of a false start. ” Year two couldn’t have gone any better. “Everything sold out. It was so heartening to see. We could feel that something was really happening.” The grin wasn’t so sheepish at this point. “Now in year three, we’re really excited to see what happens. The programme has bits of punk, post rock, big band, math, experimental, traditional. That’s kind of the idea behind the event.

Certain images and sounds are conjured up when we hear the word jazz. But it’s so much more than that. It touches on pretty much everything.”

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When asked what he recommends, Michael stops to think. “It’s hard to say. If you’re into the more experimental stuff, Fred Frith (of the great Henry Cow), if you want big thumping tunes then Get The Blessing, if you’re into electronics and loops then Troyka. Then there’s the Dublin City Jazz Orchestra…who doesn't like a big band? There really is something for every music lover.”

The local jazz scene is vibrant with The Crescent Arts Centre playing host to a line up of acts highly regarded as the driving force for the recent resurgence in jazz music here. A double bill on Thursday 26th is the gig not to miss; with the incredible Scott Flanaghan Trio (S.F.T) and Meilana Gilard’s Balance quartet.

Keyboardist Scott Flanaghan brings together experimentalist drummer Steve Davis along with Bassist Neil O’Loghlen to form his trio. These groupings are rare and when the opportunity presents itself it’s advisable to catch them when you can. The S.F.T have been described as one of the freshest and most dynamic groups playing the Irish jazz scene.

Headlining the Crescent Arts event is saxophonist Meilana Gillard who is no stranger to The Brilliant Corners festival having appeared every year; an exceptional player whose energy and rare talent has been igniting the Belfast jazz scene for several years and there’s no sign of her turning down the heat. Having great jazz musicians playing the local scene is what justifies this festival happening here in the first place.

Born in Belfast, Gillard has lived most of her life in the States where she studied and played before returning home to blow us away. Her new band ‘Balance’, a tight and robust quartet featuring local Drummer David Lyttle who has just released his third album ‘Faces’ to favourable reviews. David, as well as drumming, runs LYTE records, which feature artists such as Jason Rebello and Jean Toussaint to name but a few. David is no stranger to the international jazz circuit and brings a depth of quality rarely experienced. Pianist Jamil Sheriff, an amazing arranger and composer from Leeds, is worth the ticket price alone. The quartet is completed with ‘World Service Project’ bass player Conor Chaplin, who was the winner of The Peter Whittingham Award in 2010.

Belfast is the perfect city for this festival as it makes its journey through four vibrant nights leaving tradition behind and abandoning any so-called rules. A festival like this takes a less travelled route, discovering the new, the unfamiliar and the rewarding. Showcasing the popular, finding the next sure thing isn’t what this festival sets out to achieve. It’s about the experimental.

Breaking through the new frontier, finding your very own Brilliant Corner.

Why stand still when it’s better to take the journey and go beyond. This makes Belfast the perfect place to host this festival.

The Brilliant Corners Festival takes place in various venues between Wednesday 25th and Saturday 28th March. The Black Box is holding the rockier, punkier, post-jazz gigs. The Crescent Arts Centre will host the more traditional jazz events; and the more contemporary, freer artists like Fred Frith, and Steve Davis’ Human, will be appearing at The MAC. Let’s all hope the snow stays away.

All of the line-up info, with videos and background can be found on the Moving On Music website. www.brilliantcornersbelfast.com Terry Corr www.scottflanigan.com/music/ www.babel-label.bandcamp.com/album/being-human www.jamilsheriff.co.uk

The quartet will be premiering a brand new suite composed by Gillard, ‘The Balance Playbook’, which has been commissioned for Moving on Music. Gillard shows she is not only a great player and interpreter but a terrific composer too. 2015 is looking like her year as she is set to release her second album this summer.

Another Belfast artist headlining at The MAC is the experimental drummer Steve Davis with his band Human. Described as the new world-class quartet, Human create the kind of jazz which verges into the new-music territory. Freeform, spontaneous bringing a fresh and contempory side of jazz to the festival.

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BELFAST DOCUMENTARY

MAKING Mark Cousins. If you don’t know who that is well that may say something about this industry in our boxed off corner of the world. Cousins first asserted his place within film in 1994 by taking over the sacred reigns of BBC2’s much missed, Moviedrome – a sort of film club for introverted cinephiles who had nowhere to be on a Friday night. With an idiosyncratic voice much parodied, Cousins has since become a leading figure in film critique with documentaries like the groundbreaking, The Story of Film: An Odyssey, a colossus 915 minute exploration of the history of cinema spanning our entire globe. This is an impressive career for a Belfast film-maker yet Cousins work, until recently, did not derive here and owed little or showed few clues towards his Northern Irish roots.

This is about to change however with the release this year of I Am Belfast, his ‘fictional documentary’ as he calls it, scored by David Holmes, which will attempt to navigate a way through many reboots and sequels of our evolving streets. I caught a glimpse of the film’s foundations during a Q&A showing at last year’s film festival and it is exciting; however it also exalts the chasm of influential documentary film-making taking place here, and the absence of other factual auteurs.

In terms of television, this could not be more different. In fact we are a virile force for news and current affairs, consistently winning awards and producing world class investigative programmes like Spotlight which has been running for more than 40 years as well as superb journalists like Darragh Macintyre. Cult figures such as Jeremy Paxman cut their teeth in BBC NI’s current affairs department for Spotlight stating: “There was a war going on and nobody was reporting it.” This, as we know soon

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swung violently in the opposite direction with the Troubles becoming the bread and butter of NI reporters and any others who wanted to come over and take a slice.

The talent and resources are of such a top level that the BBC produces much of its flagship show, Panorama here and there are many production companies producing features for outside parties such as RTE. So there is a strong launching pad for any fully fledged local documentary film waiting in the wings.

The real issue is funding. The process for green lighting a potential idea is a lengthy process. An idea, if viewed as potential, often goes through much metamorphosis only to be hastily dropped when the budget can’t be met.

Network channels and independent production companies do work together if they can but even then it is often not enough to cover a project. With the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure struggling, (it only received a small amount of extra money in the recent budget reshuffle which will go mostly towards saving our very important film and art festivals), a change is probably not on the horizon; which seems rather foolish considering the access we have to the already discussed resources, talent and a world stage bothering feature film industry. Could Cousins’ film change that? Could it entice outside production companies to part with their cash and fund local projects fully? With such an unpredictable business this is impossible to predict but hopefully some ripples may be set in motion. I am Belfast is currently in post production but keep an eye out as it potentially could herald a shift in our cultural map.

Aishling Gallagher

“Having set up my company 2012, I have built up my vintage mobile cafe business. I have gained respect from office workers, tourists and the local media in Belfast City Centre.

According to my customers, I make the best coffee in Belfast, which is in fact, roasted in Belfast. I have all the relevant health and safety certificates, including a 5 star “scores on the doors” for hygiene, but rather than reading the length of a small novel, you might fancy taking a look at my business over the last year, shown in pictures. “

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Lynch Martin

The start of the Troubles in 1969 put paid to any sporting future. With his family moving to Turf Lodge, he soon found socialism and after joining the Official Republican Movement in '74 Lynch says, “They brought up the Non Stop Connolly Show, an 18-hour spectacular where you had to bring your sandwiches and a pillow for sitting on.” He was quickly given the task of showing two hour sections of the show in local community centres. Reflecting back on this job he says, “I was pretty annoyed to be asked to organise plays when there was a revolution going to be happening, but I watched it and it blew me away …

The only theatre I knew about was the Mater hospital’s operating theatre where my Da had an operation on his piles in the 1960s.”

A visit to The Lyric would prove to be the eureka moment that gave the 24-year-old Martin the idea he could write a play. While impressed with We Do It For Love by Patrick Galvin, Lynch decided that the Cork man’s “wishy-washy Alliance type understanding of the Troubles” wasn’t what he and his contemporaries were experiencing. He stated: “I thought I’d more in my belly about the Troubles and the condition and was arrogant enough to think that, but that’s just the way I felt. So, when I saw those two plays I said to myself, I could do that.”

Sitting in Turf Lodge he wrote We Want Work, We Want Bread, a play which is going to be produced again this coming year, which in the '70s toured round local community halls. After that effort, there was no holding him back and 30 plays in 30 years stands testament to his work rate and creativity.

On writing and after being asked if he can just turn it on and off at will he answers: “Yes, I can just turn it on

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when I want, and no I don’t require a regime. I know writers who start at five to nine, break at five to one, start again at two, finish at five and then do a little bit at night. I write because there is no regime. If I wanted one I’d work as a postman, a copper or a lawyer. That’s not to say I don’t go at it when I have to. It varies from two to four hours a day to 10 hours a day and sometimes through the night, though not so much these days, but in my prime I’d regularly do all-nighters to meet deadlines and that’s when some of my best work was done.”

With modesty and on the Lynch brand being suggested a definite box office hit, he interrupts: “Well some people say that but it’s not a guarantee. I did a play called Meeting at Menin Gate which didn’t get big houses. A lot of people didn’t like the play. Having said that I know that Marie Jones and myself would be the playwrights that get the audiences and that’s a great thing.”

With The History of the Troubles being watched by over 125,000 across the world and other plays showing in other far flung places, CultureHUB asks Lynch if his plays travel and does he adapt a play for foreign audiences. Once again the answer is self deprecating and frank.

“No, I don’t adapt and again, no, I don’t think my plays do travel that well. I’m not only Irish focused, I’m Belfast focused. I write the plays for my ma, Louis Small and Aaron Rae. If they don’t get it, I don’t write it, which is probably why my plays are very popular in Northern Ireland but don’t have the universal draw of other writers and I fully accept and understand that’s the case. I suppose I could write differently if I wanted but the truth is I don’t get the buzz from foreign audiences as I do if Charlie Duffy walks out of a show with a smile on his face.”

DESERT ISLAND Q’S CultureHUB ‘Desert Island Questions’. Five albums are quickly rhymed off and the one book - heavily thought upon, the only pause of the interview: “The Rolling Stones first album; the Beatles, Please, Please Me; Small Faces, Small Faces; Van Morrison, Astral Weeks and one of Leonard Cohen’s first two albums. As for the book, it’s impossible to bring these things down to just one but if I’m pushed I suppose the book which had a massive inspiration on me and one I’ve read more than once would be The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell. He was born in Ireland but worked as a painter and decorator in England. It’s based in Hastings which he renamed Mugsbourough and introduced me to socialism.”

THE ULSTER FRY Next up the all important Ulster fry: “Potato and fried-egg-farl because it’s as nice a food as I’ve ever eaten in any five star restaurant, a bit of bacon, a sausage, and although I didn’t get them as a kid, I love mushrooms. You get beans on Ulster fries these days which is an English or Republic of Ireland thing. It’s not a traditional Ulster fry and I feel very strongly about that.

Again, with so many nominations and awards thrown at his feet, Lynch, while not lashing awards or those seeking them, appears more than ambivalent on the whole fame and adoration thing stating: “I know people say this all the time, but awards don’t enter my consciousness.

Other directors and writers sit round talking about them and actually plan productions with the Irish Times Award in their view. My main preoccupation when writing, is, 'Will people come to see this?' If it works for audiences, I’m delighted.”

Speaking much more excitedly about his influences and love of the theatre, the former reads like a who’s who of working class socialist writers of the past two centuries: Sean O’Casey, Brendan Behan, Arthur Miller, David Eugene What of his own plays doesMamet, he hold his O’Neill, Willie Russell and Alan Bleasdale, heart dearest to? CultureHUB, sorry not forgoing writers such as John McGrath, rather myself and the rest of human Tom McGrath and Dominic Bain who all race, would assume The History of influenced his humorous and puncturing the Troubles (according to my Da) approach to writing and being a playwight. would be his baby, and probably paid aLynch, mortgage or two, Lynch unlike mostbut chefs who reveals don’t cook at home, can’t get ofenough of famous the theatre, two others ahead his most stopping in for a show in whatever play: “The History of the Troubles wascity he What afinds very himself personalin. play as ithas waschanged inspired in his theatre-going is his ability to by my father, plus there’s a walk lot ofout. As he puts it, “I leave at half-time if the play personal stuff in there like my experishows no promise. I can’t waste my time on ences behind the barricades in the drivel, I’ve left four in the past year”. early 70s, but the two most personal plays, twoown that plays still make What the of his doesme he cry hold his when I look at them would be Dockers heart dearest to? CultureHUB - and the rest and The Interrogation of Ambrose of human race - would assume The History of the Troubles to by my Da) Fogarty.

Dockers, (according again inspired would be and his baby, andgrowing probablyuppaid a my father my time mortgage or two, and but ILynch round the docks, cried reveals when two others ahead of his most famous play: “The writing it. Ambose Fogarty would’ve History of the Troubles was a very personal been the same writing about my own play as it was inspired by my father, plus experiences in police stations. I there’s a lot of personal stuff in there like laughed out loud when writing them. my experiences behind the barricades in Then you 70s, feel but certain it’s going to the early the two most personal transfer to the audience as well.” plays, the two that still make me cry when I look at them would be Dockers and The up GBLDockLynch as wellofasAmbrose setting Fogarty.

Interrogation Productions (the money maker ers, again inspired by my father to and my provide for his daughters), alsodocks, cham- and I time growing up round the pions writers through his second when writing it. Ambrose Fogarty criednew company Shoot would’ve Green been the sameProductions, writing about my ownenough experiences in police I but of theatre.

Martinstations. still laughedhis outwest loudBelfast when writing them. Then retains roots, brings yougrandsons feel certain going to transfer his toit’s watch Arsenal, and to the audience as well.” has to answer the mandatory Culture-

Lynch as well as setting up GBL Productions (the money maker to provide for his daughters), also champions new writers through his second company Green Shoot Productions, but enough of theatre. Martin still retains his Belfast roots, brings his grandsons to watch Arsenal.

As for writers starting out, he’s rigorous about people approaching him saying: ‘I’ve the first two scenes written of…’ “Just write until it’s finished, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s finished, and no-one is going to come to your door asking. You’ve got to open the door.”

Martin Lynch: elder statesman to young writers, outspoken from the start yet amiable, just don’t serve beans with his Ulster fry.

Conor O’Neill

You put beans on my Fry, you’ll be shown the door

HUB ‘Desert Island Questions’. Five

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Ardoyne & Bushmills Youth Unite through Kurdish & Jamaican Arts This March sees the continuation of a cross community intercultural arts project that has already achieved great success. The Return Journey, as it has been affectionately called, will see young people from Bushmills visiting Ardoyne.

At the end of last year two very innovative community relations arts projects came together.

• The Lion & The Den, Bushmills, a Beyond Skin / WOMAD Foundation project • From Kurdistan to Ardoyne and Back Again, Ardoyne, a Beyond Skin Programme for InterCultural Young people from the Den have been engaged on an empowerment programme through the arts working alongside WOMAD's Jamaican artist, Ripton Lindsay.

The project is to mentor young people to become community ambassadors and recently in November 2014 Ripton returned to Bushmills to work with the young lads from the Den on a one week programme leading up to an event with young people from Ardoyne.

Young people from John Paul Youth Club Ardoyne through the Beyond Skin PICAS programme have started a project exploring Kurdish & Irish culture, Muslim beliefs & traditions and Islam led by Karwan Shareef.

The Programme for InterCultural Arts Support (PICAS) is a new Community Arts Programme initiative supported by the Arts

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Council Northern Ireland offering a range of opportunities to support the delivery of key areas of the Arts Council Intercultural Arts Strategy.

This two year programme has been designed to assist communities and individuals, artists and activists to support the Intercultural Arts Strategy.

Ripton has also worked with John Paul Youth Club through the WOMAD in Northern Ireland outreach programme.

In a shared workshop held on 29th September 2014 in Bushmills, youth groups from Ardoyne & Bushmills met and took part in Jamaican dance, Kurdish music and language activities.

You can see Ripton Lindsay interviewed on the CultureHUB TV show on Northern Visions Television, Freeview Channel 8.

Moyle Councillor Cunningham said: “I am delighted that Moyle Council was able to again support Beyond Skin to deliver more workshops for our young people at The Den building on the legacy of the fantastic work done in September. I know the Bushmills group had a great time all week when Ripton returned to further the development of their Jamaican drumming skills and then for them all to have the opportunity together to work with Karwan and the group from Ardoyne on Kurdish arts and music in a very special joint event at the end of the week.

It was wonderful to see how both groups came together in a programme which will help them develop and better understand global and diverse cultures which in turn will help address issues such as racism and sectarianism. This was a great initiative and we are looking forward to seeing more similar engagements to promote understanding, develop confidence and foster leadership skills in our young people.”

Jan O’Niell from Moyle District Council also commented “The series of workshops and the showcase event in September was in itself a programme which created a lasting legacy for many of the groups that are part of the Causeway Coast and Glens community, but for there to have been an opportunity to build on this work with the young people of The Den in Bushmills was particularly special and significant. From the outset of ‘The Lion and The Den’ legacy project, the growth of skill, confidence and determination in the young people was very clear to see and this continued to increase as the week of working with Ripton progressed. The Den did themselves and all of us proud in how they welcomed the young people from Ardoyne at the special joint workshop at the end of the week. They were perfect hosts and guides as they showed off the best of their drumming and their town to the Belfast visitors.

All thanks to The Den for stepping up to the plate and making this legacy project such a success.

Also thanks to the Beyond Skin team, Ripton Lindsay and Karwan Shareef for their professionalism and dedication. Their ‘can do’ approach is key to their success and very inspirational to all of us who experience it.”

The entire week and event in Bushmills was a great success, a milestone in community relations and a foundation of a new relationship between the two youth groups.

“Throughout the week I have seen a great improvement in the young people at the Den, both musically & socially, interacting with each other and us the youth workers - as well as an amazing increase in self belief, aspiring to be the best they can.” Joy - The Den “The group of young people who are engaging with Karwan in the PICAS project, are normally a very hard group to engage with. They are a group of street lads (drifters) who normally would appear for a while at this time off year, when the weather changes for the worst. I am surprised they have been engaging with Karwan and are participating and interacting in the Cultural Awareness project. I have spoken to them and they are totally enjoying the experience - well done. Thanks” Jacqui – John Paul Youth Club “Just a quick email to say how great Saturday was to see teenagers and youngsters from Bushmills & Ardoyne walking up the main road together talking and laughing as if there was no divide. It brought a lump to my throat and a tear off pride to my eye to see this happen.

Photography: Hannah Mitchell

Being an ex-soldier who did 4 tours of duty in Northern Ireland losing colleagues in the violence in the 70's, it made me very humble to think that the arts was able to bring these two towns together using dance and drumming.

Perhaps in time with the help of people like Ripton & Karwan (facilitators) Northern Ireland can put its troubled past behind it and look to the future with combined heart” David Long - Volunteer Driver

The projects were funded by Moyle District Council Good Relations, Unite Against Hate & the Arts Council Northern Ireland (through Community Arts Partnership PICAS initiative) www.beyondskin.net For more information about PICAS visit www,comartspartner.org For more information about WOMADNI vsiit www.womadni.com

From Ardoyne to Kurdistan & back again Programme for Intercultural Arts Support

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BY CON OR O’N E ILL Following last year’s momentous run at The MAC and great reviews from the army of hacks NI wide, Brenda Murphy’s Baby it’s Cold Outside will hit the hallowed boards of the Grand Opera House from March 2 through to March 7.

Again directed by Martin Lynch and produced by his company GBL, Murphy and Lynch have decided to stick with the cast, namely Jo Donnelly, Kerri Quinn, Tanya Thompson and Kevin Elliot. Last time I watched it was opening night and along with the usual fledgling nerves, the unlikely four struggled to contain their own funny bones as they stifled giggles delivering Murphy’s delightfully blacker than a coal--man's hands scribblings.

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The plot is twisted, three lesbians up Black mountain - Patsy is heavily pregnant and in love with Sally, and the two are joined by close American friend Madison. Holed up after a freakish snow storm, the trio are joined by a freezing Joe. The laughter goes up several notches as we find out Joe is Patsy’s 'ex' and father to the unborn child. Dim-witted and not possessing the open mind the situation deserves, Joe is soon the butt of the gags as he tries to get his tiny mind round the idea.

Murphy who constantly makes last minute changes to the script, “to keep actors on their toes” spoke with CultureHUB and confessed after the success of the last run nothing is being changed. With a Murphy Script, the professionalism of Lynch and GBL, along with the actors in full flow, you can expect a great night out.

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Est. 2014

Weird Belfast

Reggie Chamberlain-King author of ‘Weird Belfast’ See interview page 35

Price 2p

BLONDIN AT THE BOTANIC GARDENS Annual reports of The Belfast Botanic and Horticultural Society August 16th, 1861

Illustration Samara Leibner Yesterday afternoon, M. Blondin, “The Hero of Niagara, the king of the Tight Rope, and the Wonder of the World”, made his “astonishing and perilous Cataract ascent” at the Botanic Gardens, in view of about 7,000 persons, many of whom had come into town by excursion trains from distant parts of the province for the purpose of seeing this prince of acrobats.

Death of a Somnambulist

It was announced that the rope on which M. Blondin would make his ascent would be 100 feet high and 500 feet long, instead of which it was 65 feet from the ground and the entire length did not exceed 300 feet. The wooden posts which supported it were firmly fixed in the ground and secured by numerous “stays”. At the top of each was a sort of seat, over which the rope – a very strong hempen one, about two inches in diameter – passed and it was tightened by means of a windlass. At equal distances of about thirty feet throughout the entire length,smaller ropes, with sandbags at the end and fastened to the ground by wooden pegs, were attached, so as to steady it and make it less liable to yield when pressed upon by the foot.

He bowed his acknowledgments to the spectators below and, taking up his heavy balancing pole, he prepared to start on his perilous journey. He proceeded very slowly and cautiously down the steepest part of the rope and gave the spectators the idea that the feat was one that cost him much exertion, but, after he had got over a few yards, he ran along quickly and did not stop till he was on the centre of the rope.

M. Blondin made his appearance at twenty minutes to four o’clock. He was dressed in the ordinary garb of an acrobat and wore on his breast two large gold medals, which were presented to him on the other side of the Atlantic in token of admiration of his wonderful feats.

At the middle of the rope, he again stopped and fastened his balancing pole to it by means of a cord, after which he performed various feats – such as standing on his head on the pole and throwing somersaults backwards,

At this stage of the proceedings, the sky became overcast and a heavy shower of rain began to descend. The spectators took shelter under the trees or under umbrellas, but Blondin, although wet to the skin, and with the rope made slippery and terribly dangerous, did not give up.

Story continued in next issue...

NERVE AND SKILL Nerve and skill are required to perform this knife and Hatchet throwing act. To be presented this week at the grand Opera House, by the sensational Carsons. This photograph was taken yesterday morning, when Miss Bolton a member of the Opera House Staff played the part of human Target.

Photograph “Northern Whig”

Madame Broneau, the wife of M. F. Broneau, of the dancing academy, Rivoli House, Belfast, during her sleep on Tuesday night walked out on the roof, fell down into the yard and was killed. It was stated at the inquest on Wednesday that the deceased lady was a somnambulist, and a verdict of accidental death was returned.

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AT BELLEVUE ZOO Mr Richard Foster, Head Keeper at Bellevue Zoo, with a 12-weeks-old pig, which is causing quite a lot of amusement owing to its smallness in size. It should be by right about six times as large.

Northern Whig October 14th, 1937

WEIRD BELFAST A Miscellany, Almanack, and Companion By Reggie Chamberlain-King Hardback £14.99 978-0-85640-921-9 Publication date: 6 November 2014 www.blackstaffpress.com

INTERVIEW WITH REGGIE CHAMBERLAIN - KING I met up with Reggie at the 'Kiln and Loom' on Ormeau Road, a quiet and convivial location to discuss Reggie's new book Weird Belfast, an almanac of weird and wonderful material drawn from Belfast over several centuries. It includes extracts from Victorian papers on issues as diverse as disappearing children, the capture of Jack the Ripper in Belfast and two Belfast lovers who took their lives on Cave Hill. It includes excerpts from essays and journals on witchcraft, fraudulent ghost stories and discoveries in science. There are also popular songs and ballads with macabre overtones.

Many interesting facets of the Northern Irish personality emerge within the book. Reggie takes the case of Nora Tattershall and George Arthur; the two young lovers shunned by society for their romance. A heartbroken Arthur shot Nora on Cave Hill before turning the gun on himself.

Reggie has an unerring love of Belfast and embraces the a-typical as a revealing part of life, and in many ways he has written the book in an a-typical manner. “It was an absolute pleasure to put the book together, it was the culmination of many years of idle speculation. It was material I had amassed when I was meant to be doing other research, and I would allow myself to be distracted by obscure articles I would come across”.

Reggie has amassed a huge wealth of material but for censorial and space reasons reluctantly had to leave some out. “There was a Victorian examination of the psychological landscape of the Ulsterman, and what it is that differentiates the Ulster Presbyterian from a 'slovenly Catholic Gae'l. The results were fascinating”' laughs Reggie, “and it's not as if they're even wrong, there's a question of mindsets that persist”.

Reggie's girlfiriend Aislinn had by chance been speaking to Patsy Horton at Blackstaff Press and intimated that Reggie had a lot of this material lying about, so when Patsy suggested that Reggie should catalogue it properly, Weird Belfast was born.

Readers may find it strange and refreshing to find no reference to the Troubles in the book. “When we originally planned the book we made a conscious decision that the 1950's would be the cut-off point. In the book there was a certain reverie in the gruesome details of murder and the macabre; the Troubles were too close in that respect.'

In writing the book, Reggie found the journalistic style of the time as revealing as the subject matter itself.

“When I started reading over the press bits that I'd accumulated, the type of English they use is not that of the journeyman journalist.

There is a highfalutin stylised component to it. On one hand it reflects the time they lived in, on the other they stylise and mythologise the city. This is so far removed from the press of today, it can actually be read as a sumptuous form of storytelling, it is so removed from our experience it may as well be fiction, and we can enjoy it in that sense”.

“Belfast is not a romantic city, they turned out in their thousands to see the funeral of the young couple, but it is a sentimental city. Irish people prefer a funeral to a marriage”.

Reggie also rued the omission of Robert Cromie, the Victorian Bank Manager from Belfast, who unsucessfully challenged H G Wells in court for copying ideas from his book A Plunge into Space. “This was probably among the first great human space exploration stories”. Wells's oratorical skill in court won out in the end. Reading the book gives a sense of a Victorian Belfast with a strong sense of itself, part of the second biggest industrial nation in the world at the time and a jewel in the British Crown.

Noel Coward's Brief Encounter.

Reggie and Co are currently working on Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder (Apr 21-25 at the Grand Opera House).

“Like Brief Encounter, the fundamental basis is a radio play performed live.

This has been expanded to include regular actors and stage players, and Gus Luther from Sonic Art Research Centre has brought his sonic technical genius”. 3-D sound effect of a train arriving and passengers disembarking.

This is a new experience for most people, and according to Reggie, “it particularly lends it self to suspense and horror”.

the magazine about escaping work for work sake, amassing a safety net and choosing to do things in life you enjoy acting with prudence without giving up the essential luxuries of life. What about tips for white collar worker under the cosh? Reggie advises: “Abuse it as best you can. I did so in several jobs, when working in a bank I wrote a musical under the desk”. Reggie's new projects include a WMT presentation, My Life as an Experiement at the Black As we move away from the Troubles, Box beginning on 1 March. He is also is it possible that Belfast can regain working on Kafka's The Metamorphothat sense of pride and belief? Reggie sis, claiming his German is a little rusty, believes it can but, “It's not here yet. but confident that he can make an There's a lot of inter-generational Reggie along with the Wireless Mystery interesting interpretation of this set of trauma that we have to work through, Theatre run a series of Literary Lunch- short stories through dramatisation and along with diminished expectations time events promoting Weird Belfast, music. largely created by theTtroubles, through drama, music and storytelling. Reggie is also a musician and plays in making it hard to see a sense of self The next event is in the Ulster Hall on the Chamberlain-King and Costello beyond that”. With the advent of the 22 July at 1pm. An example of the group, an off-shoot of the Andytown internet and global communication, Lunchtime event can be heard on Fruit Group - self named with tongue in the parochial outlook bound by Sound Cloud; it features Belfast's cheek - who write melodic pop songs religious strictures is loosening. infamous quack doctor, Dr Frew. with interesting time signature changes.

Reggie sees glowing possibilities in There is also a Weird City Radio App For the intrepid, you might try to locate the Lifeboat Poetry Sessions run by that uses music and drama to bring the Reggie's Cult Mystery Series Brittaine Stephen Connolly and the Shot Glass ghosts of Belfast's past to life, available and Molloy Inquiry Quarterly, only a Theatre Company run by Joe Nawaz. at the WMT website. few hand bound copies exist and are Connecting with this cultural extremely hard to come by, a mystery in Reggie also writes for the New Escapolmovement, is the Wireless Mystery ogist, a magazine that helps white collar themselves.

Theatre (WMT), the brainchild of workers excape the drudgery of the 9 to Reggie's partner Aislinn. Reggie is 5. In a new article, he writes of his love involved in the WMT as sound of stray dogs, and the importance to his technician, writer and narrator, and lifeof the simple task of walking them in they have had a successful run with the afternoon. There is a philosophy in

INTERVIEW BY

Donald Twain

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PREVIEW

BY CONOR O’NEILL

IT COULDN'T be easier, marrying off a daughter, could it? But Dad has cleared off to find himself, so who will give the bride away, make the speech to ‘the son we’ve always wanted', etc.?, Easy - get a stumpy English actor in to play the tall and ominous figure of the Ulster man missing-in-action. Thank the Gods that creators Zoe Seaton, Shelley Atkinson and director, Miss, Ms or Mrs Seaton, may just blow us away again The Big Telly Theatre Company (BTTC) for the second year running chomps One Sandwich Short of a Genius back to The MAC. And guess what, for as little as one bun short of a baker’s dozen, you too can get involved in the madness and touch ground, maybe, with the fabulous Talbots.

The average middle-class Ulster family not wanting to air their dirty linen in public take drastic measures not to become the joke they apparently are. With matriarch June Talbot (played by co-creator Shelley Atkinson) trying to keep her blissfully unaware daughter Becky in the dark, son Kenny smells a mouse which could turn into a rat as mother hen clucks her way through debt with a Hyacinth Bouquet (Bucket) front, frantically seeking the surging comfort of four Red Bull. Dumb and dumb-bell lifting Kenny knows something is up.

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Out of his depth English man, gay and out of touch with the NI customs finds himself in deep trouble. One phone-call, oh, how we hate that one phone-call, brings in the cameras. The agent has tipped off a network to what’s happening in the hope of financial reward … and so begins act two.

Featuring prestigious actors such as Shelley Atkinson (notice how that name keeps popping up), Michael Diana (who graces the stage in London’s West End), Conor Grimes (a Martin Lynch favourite), Clare Lamont (a sandwich of many different fillings from actor, director and theatre maker) to the final member of the cast, Patrick J O’Reilly, One Sandwich is not short of fine actors.

Undoubtedly this year’s run will be as good as 2014 and Atkinson, Zeaton and co. can bring us more tears of laughter - see you there.

For booking details contact The MAC @ themaclive.com or phone 02890 235053 Play runs from March 18 – 21

FEEL THE BEAT FEED THE SOUL FREE TO BE

120 ACTS 12 REALMS 1 BRILLIANT WEEKEND

31ST JULY - 2ND AUGUST 2015

The The most most exciting exciting 33 day day family family friendly friendly music music and and arts arts festival festival with with the the best best craic craic of of the the summer. summer.

WIN 2 FREE TICKETS TO SUNFLOWERFEST To enter the draw, just cut out the poster above and put it on your work notice board and share a photo of it on facebook,

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31ST JULY - 2ND AUG Feel The Beat • Feed The Soul • Free To Be

Over 100 more great bands, comedians, poets, actors and performers.

Sunflowerfest is a unique weekend festival of performance, arts, entertainment, activities and live music set in the beautiful Northern Ireland countryside.

The festival offers visitors a truly memorable experience through an eclectic mix of arts, crafts and entertainment. Sunflowerfest is a family friendly festival with something for all ages; the aim of the event is to enrich the visitors experience using Northern Ireland’s unique culture, heritage, and activities. Visitors to the event can avail of 2700 camping berths and 2300 day tickets for each day of the event.

Sunflowerfest offers visitors an authentic, engaging, personalised experience of Northern Ireland in one weekend through a wide range of superb live music, fantastic fun for all the family, performances in the Enchanted Glade, storytelling, poetry, interactive art, dance and music workshops.

Live music venues: The Main Stage, The Barn The Moot, The Campfire Stage, The Enchanted Glade, and the Pond Stage next to the Log Ship. Over 100 live acts perform on these 6 stages.

Enchanted Glade: Interactive 3D audio holograms where visitors can speak and sing into sunflowers with hidden microphones and hear it resonate in the forest.

Sunflower Bliss; Complementary therapies area offering Kinesiology, Laughing Meditation, Chocolate Yoga Life,,Wellness Coaching, Reflexology, Indian head massage, Singing bowl massage and gong baths aromatherapy. Kids workshops to take them on a safe journey where they learn to express and cope with their feelings.

REALMS Kids Zone: Seashell chimes, NI arts & crafts, circus workshops, hair braiding, paint by numbers, willow sculpting, puppet shows, dance classes, yoga for kids, clay modelling, and interactive workshops.

Craft village: Old style skills like green wood workshops, spinning, black smiths and other traditional Irish crafts, nature walks where guides will take visitors on a tour of the farm and point out edible herbs and medicinal foliage in the hedgerows and field margins.

If you would like to volunteer and become part of the team this year please fill in the form on fb or email us on info@sunflowerfest.co.uk

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Remember…..Sunflowerfest is good for you!

BOOK REVIEW

Tony MaCaulay All Growed Up: What Bread Boy Did at University

Eimar McBride A Girl is A Half-formed Thing

This is the third book from Tony in a series that charts the course of his life. Tony writes with a fluid colloquial narrative, and takes the reader on a hilarious journey from local bread boy in the Shankill to the dizzying heights of Ulster academia.

Gripped, thrown, spat out, moved, repulsed, released, dropped and abandoned. No, I am not attempting to extend my descriptive vocabulary, nor escape the confines of grammar. I ran the gamut of these emotions while reading Eimar McBride's award winning debut novel.

As the local boy made good, Tony takes you into the heart of Northern Irish culture and family life in the 1980s. Tony captures the strong family bonds and community that existed in seeming normality, despite the cultural turmoil of the time.

It is a nostalgic trip, and Tony uses Northern Irish sayings and phrases that seem like artefacts, relics of a lost culture.

Tony dons boots, leg warmers, and a buffed-up New Romantic hairstyle, taking us on a frightening trip through gaudy eighties culture, tackling The University of Ulster's intellectual elite. His attempts to establish his intellectual and musical identity are side-splittingly funny. Returning to the family nest, he tackles ma on feminism and granny on the philosophical underpinnings of Coronation Street.

The book takes on a more serious note as Tony explores his spirituality and his first ventures into love, with the quirky narrative resuming as he sets off on his quest for work. All in all, the book is a funny heart-warming tale of a journey from boyhood to manhood, nostalgically reflecting a time of stronger community and a less secular world.

The story follows the protagonist’s life from childhood to womanhood. Alienated in a fractured family, a traumatic event shatters the young girl's world and continues to haunt her. Eventually she escapes to college striving to establish her own identity and escape her past. At times reminiscent of Ginsberg's Howl, the young girl leads a drink-fuelled promiscuous existence, struggling to come to terms with her chaotic sexual identity. A crisis draws the girl back home with a strained family dynamic stretched to breaking point.

The writing style is often delivered in machine gun bursts of broken imagery, where the reader’s attention is arrested with twisting grammar. The effect is immediate, a sense-stretching experience bringing one into the mind and feelings of an isolated and vulnerable individual. It is easy to forget this is a work of fiction, but that is surely the goal. A Girl is A Half-formed Thing is subtly interwoven with touching moments of intimacy, that take on a poetic, dreamlike quality. From first to last page, the reader is enthralled by a challanging narrative with little relief; a beautifully written book, a brutally composed tale.

Donald Twain

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PHOTO

Winner

HUB

May Chan

Category - Documentary

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“Don’t Wake me up”

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ENTRIES Honourable views

Jamie Hunter: Category ‘People’

John Vaughan: Category ‘Architecture’

John Kerr: Category ‘People’

May Chan: Category ‘Street’

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ALBUM

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Grant Nicholas – Yorktown Heights

Fink - Hard Believer

Malojia - The Deer’s Cry

Feeder front man Grant Nicholas released his first solo album Yorktown Heights in June 2014.

For Grant it is a return to basics; an acoustic based album that aims to deliver a smoother flowing sound, emulating 70s’ artists such as Nick Drake and delivering sonic as opposed to lyrical concepts. He achieves this effortlessly with the opening track “Soul Mates”. It has an ethereal feel, the stripped back acoustic sound complimenting Grant's vocal style.

Album highlights include “Time Stood Still” and “Joan of Arc”.

It is very rare that you listen to an artist and are immediately captured by the sound, but such was the case when I listened to “Green and the Blue” by Fink on KCRW. Hard Believer is an intensely atmospheric album, fusing restrained guitar with mood setting piano and dry dub rhythms. The reverb on Fin Greenhall's vocals adds an otherworldly quality to the sound, a brooding intensity approaching Portishead but veering off in a blues direction. Check out their Lowlands set on YouTube.

This a gem of an album and is ideal to wind down to after a night out.

The first LP from Alt Folk band Malojian with its 12-tracks takes you on a journey through the quirky mind of songwriter Steve Scullion. The Deer’s Cry is a collection of tracks to suit every mood from the artfully produced “Mario” bringing nostalgic reminders of childhood gaming to the beautifully whispered vocals and gentle strums of “Watch The Rain” immersing you in the moment. A diverse mixture of songs with twists and turns, this album is like putting your hand in a sweetie jar with an assurance of being pleasantly surprised.

Donald Twain

Donald Twain

Stacy Fitzpatrick

REVIEW Simon Herron - Demons Demons - the second EP from Derry Songwriter Simon Herron - is one of those collections compounded with atmosphere and depth. Simon’s trademark angst-filled lyrics and delicate soft vocals are expressed throughout this four song collection unearthing a range of emotions. “A September Song” with its simple chords and lyrics allows a sweet sadness to envelop you. Songs sung with conviction, each track delivering the same emotional punch yet with different mood. From hurt and heartbreak to sentimental aches, if you feel in the mood to indulge and dwell on life this hits the spot.

Stacy Fitzpatrick

Rabid Bitch Of The North – Defending Two Castles Rabid Bitch formed and released an EP in 2010. Their second EP, Defending Two Castles, released in 2014, shows progression as songwriters and musicians.

The title track, which gallops along at a cracking pace, is pure NWOBHM, from the dense riffs, emphatic beat and vocalist Joe McDonnell's exhilarating voice.

Their 'rallying cry' song is “Us Against Them” with its defiant lyrics and impressive extended outro, it's a beast of a number that really showcases the band's growth.

Rabid Bitch have been climbing upwards since they formed. With performances at Bloodstock and notable support slots, they are poised to take their modern spin on NWOBHM into the stratosphere. It's their time – get ready to be bitten.

Melanie Brehaut

Maverick – Quid Pro Quo Released late last year, Maverick's debut album Quid Pro Quo is a loving homage to the Eighties hair metal genre. Shades of Motley Crue, Skid Row and Whitesnake peer out from such good-time tracks as “Snakeskin Sinner” and “Rock n Roll Lady”, whilst more sombre songs such as “Took the Night” and “Shackled” hint at a depth and darkness often missing from this genre.Vocalist David Balfour is a powerhouse singer, with a voice full of passion, richness and warmth. He is terrifically supported by the rest of this talented band.

For a band so early in their career, Maverick already sound impressively self-assured in their direction. The result is an album that will have you grinning broadly whilst nodding your head with approval (and singing, of course). A joyful debut.

Melanie Brehaut

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SCREAM FOR ME

BELFAST

OUR GUIDE TO BELFAST’S

ROCK & METAL

Hello, and welcome to CultureHUB's guide to the rock and metal scene in Belfast! Here, you will find an in-depth look at gigs by both local and international artists that fall within the broad 'rock and metal' spectrum. 2015 is shaping up to be a phenomenal year for shows, so let's jump straight into March.

First up, a few major international acts to whet your appetites. On the 3rd, the Ulster Hall plays host to Eighties hair metal legends Europe, with support from Black Star Riders. This is followed by pro wrestler Chris Jericho's band Fozzy playing the Limelight 2 on the 4th, with support from The Dirty Youth.

Local lads The Answer hit the Limelight 2 on Friday the 6th to demonstrate exactly why their star is growing brighter with every passing day – and album.

Venturing slightly outside of Belfast, the 7th sees Trucker Diablo and Gasoline Outlaws vying to see who can blow the roof off the Diamond Rock Club in Agohill. Or if stoner/doom metal is more your thing, Redbeard Promotions brings you Weed Priest, Astralnaut, Nomadic Rituals and Wardomised Voodoo on the same night. If you have any energy left, why not check out alt rock duo Royal Blood in the Ulster Hall on the 8th.

After such an epic week, it's time to take a few days' respite before The Distortion Project brings you NWOBHM legends Angel Witch, ably supported by Stereo Nasty, Darkest Era and Rabid Bitch of the North on Sunday the 15th (check out our thoughts on Rabid Bitch's latest release in our album reviews section). Then, St Paddy's Day sees Voodoo roll out the rollicking raucousness of The Pogues tribute act The Pogoes, so head on down for some Guinness and craic. If indie rock is more your speed – fear not, as The Empire has indie/post-punk rockers Peace lined up for the 19th, while Voodoo has Pretty Cartel on the 20th.

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GIGS Saturday the 21st poses a real conundrum: nu-metal nutters Papa Roach in Limelight 2, or Blazefest in the Empire? Blazefest, for those who may not know, was set up by parents Darren and Dawn to raise funds for the Royal Children's Hospital For Sick Children, where their son Blaze is treated for his ongoing battle with hyronephrosis (website link below). With a lineup that reads like a veritable who's who of local talent (Sinocence, Screaming Eagles, Conjuring Fate, Xerosun, Donum Dei, Irontown Diehards, Selene and headliners Maverick, who are also in our album reviews section), it's a tough choice.

Thursday the 26th sees alt rockers Midnight Transmission launch their debut album 'Face the Sun' at Voodoo, or if you prefer a bit of old-fashioned punk, head back to Voodoo on the 28th for The Cravats, with support from Eighty Four, Cadaver Club and Hardcase. For the rest of you, the same Saturday sees hard rockers The Quireboys and Lo Mejor hit the Diamond, metalcore bruisers Architects causing mayhem at the Oh Yeah Centre, and tribute act The Bon Jovi Experience creating a screamfest at the Empire. Decisions, decisions...

Closing the month with a bang will be a night of doomy, sludgy black metal when The Distortion Project brings Coltsblood, Ninkharsag, War Iron and Nomadic Rituals to Voodoo. Come along and have your face ripped off!

So, there you have it. Keep 'er lit, rockers!

http://www.limelightbelfast.com/ http://voodoobelfast.com/index.php http://www.thebelfastempire.com/ https://www.facebook.com/DiamondRockClub?fref=ts http://www.thedistortionproject.net/ http://www.redbeardpromotions.co.uk/ http://www.blazesappeal.co.uk/

Melanie Brehaut

CULTURE

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We will put all our likes into a draw the winner will receive 2 x weekend tickets for Sunflowerfest The winner is announced on Facebbok 31st March

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Ulster Museum: The Beautiful Modern History Gallery Located near Queen's University, the Ulster Museum has opened a new modern history gallery.

The gallery focuses on the modern era from 1500 to 1968 in Ireland, England and further afield.

The gallery is divided into five rooms representing five chapters of the modern era. William Blair, curator of the Ulster museum believes the way the modern history gallery has been organised makes things "easier for visitors".

Loftus Cup, 1593

1500 - 1600

This silver-gilt ceremonial cup was made for Adam Loftus who was born an English Catholic, but converted to Protestantism. In Ireland he was Archbishop, Keeper of the Great Seal and Lord Chancellor. He developed links to both Gaelic and English families.

The first chapter, and room of the gallery, is all about the Spanish empire and the conflicted relationship with England. You can learn about the great influences of the Spanish Empire, their territories, treasures from conquered lands, magnificent caravels and their influence on the island of Ireland. This room also includes different religious symbols under King Philip and a very brief history of Elizabeth I.

© National Museums Northern Ireland Collection Ulster Museum Armagh

1600 - 1700 Chapter Two focuses on the wars of the period, including the history of the Battle of Boyne, the Siege of Derry and the Nine Years War between the Gaelic Leaders and England. Cavalry armour is displayed as well as ancient texts and a multiple touch screen is available for further information. Cromwell's legacy and absolutism are also introduced in this room.

John Speed map, 1611 Taken from his atlas Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine, this map accompanied Speed’s history celebrating the stability of the monarchy. The images illustrate the reforms that the English Crown introduced to Ireland. © National Museums Northern Ireland Collection Ulster Museum

1700 - 1800 Between two revolutions! The modern era was inspired by revolutions and it is interesting to see how revolutionary ideas spread from 1688 throughout the eighteenth century. This period encompasses the French revolution (1789) and the Irish rebellion in 1798.

Armagh Observatory Medal This bronze medal commemorates the foundation of Armagh Observatory in 1789 by Archbishop Richard Robinson. He encouraged scientific discovery through astronomy and hoped that the observatory would form part of a university at Armagh.

The medal was made by William Mossop of Dublin. © National Museums Northern Ireland Collection Ulster Museum

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1800 - 1923 Chapter Four marks the start of the modern era's end. In the gallery you will find many things that remind us how the time was both tough and extraordinary, especially in Belfast. During the 19th century Belfast was the wealthiest city of Ireland but sectarianism increased after the great famine and mass emigration. This chapter of modern history also covers the growth of industry, the First World War, war propaganda, the Home Rule crisis, the Easter Rising and partition. You will find lots of materials illustrating this complicated but important part of the modern era. There are posters, official texts, flags and clothing. French, Russian and British First World War military uniforms are also displayed.

Proclamation of the Irish Republic, 1916 The Proclamation was read to the public by the leaders of the Easter Rising in Dublin in April 1916. The proclamation became an inspiration to Nationalists whose activities led to the establishment of the Irish Free State in the twenty-six counties. © National Museums Northern Ireland Collection Ulster Museum

1923 - 1968 The final chapter takes us through the Second World War, the Iron Curtain, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy's assassination. The modern era ends in the summer of 1968 with the student protests in France. The gallery boasts pictures and speeches of this complex time. The modern era shows how the legacies of many countries are directly or indirectly connected. It's an important time that the Ulster Museum is delighted to exhibit.

Ulster Unionist Council Carson Poster, 1953 Election poster featuring the statue of Unionist leader Edward Carson outside Stormont parliament buildings. He is shown with an enlarged red hand of Ulster, symbolising Unionist strength and resilience. © National Museums Northern Ireland Collection Ulster Museum

Ahmed Al Sarraf William Blair adds: "Often there is a stereotype of the Irish. Irish history is characterized and defined by conflicts. Somehow the Irish have been fighting. That's not the case. Actually with our history there are outstanding periods of peace and social progress, economic development and improving relations between Catholic and Protestants, particularly in Belfast".

The museum is open Tuesday- Sunday from 9.00am to 5.00pm. Admission is free and I have heard they do a great coffee in the café.

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This collection of photographs was discovered in 1985 by Father Edward O’ Donnell by chance as he was searching through an old basement and showcases the work of the “master photographer with an unerring eye’’, Father Francis Browne. His introduction to photography began around 1897 when he received his first camera to document his Grand Tour of Europe. Father Browne enjoyed adulation for his world renowned photographs of the Titanic’s journey from Cobh in 1912, when his photographs were published worldwide. In late 1915, he was ordained to join the Irish Guards as Chaplain and emerged as the most decorated Chaplain of WW1. Throughout this exhibition, it displays the utmost traditional life of a rising Ireland, Australia, England and further afield.

Throughout these journeys, he captured around 42,000 negative photographs. For almost 20 years, Father Francis Browne has been regarded as the best photographer in Ireland in the first half of the 20th century but is now a highly regarded photographer of “world stature”.

I was transported to a simpler time steeped in history and tradition. The photographs shown in this exhibition vary from different stages in Father Browne’s path to photographic recognition, beginning with a simplistic, yet beautifully composed photograph of Dublin Airport in 1946. Father Browne had an outstanding ability for timing and capturing a perfectly ordinary moment, allowing the observer to feel almost a part of it. One photograph in particular, “Greaser at Work, GSR Works, Inchicore, Dublin, 25th April 1937” illustrates Father Browne’s connection with traditional Ireland and the working class. In contrast the lady reading the time, in a heavenly white dress and bonnet with the lighting hitting her in such a stunning way showcases Father Browne’s talent as he communicates the purity and simplicity of traditional rural English life.

“Lady with Sundial, Heatherbrae, Norfolk. 1935”

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As I continued throughout the gallery, I realised, I was being taken ‘through the lens’ as the title suggests and following in the footsteps of Father Browne. He continues his journey through Merseyside, London, Plymouth, and Reading, before returning to his native Ireland. On his return, his photograph “Tree over the road, Frenchpark, Co. Roscommon, October 1914” illuminates his artistic flare, with particular attention to composition.

During this section of the exhibition, he concentrates on his personal photographs of Ireland, with one harrowing image from Galway “Barefoot Claddagh Girl in the snow.” Galway, 1925.”

As the exhibition comes towards an end, the photographs that follow document the last years that Father Browne actively photographed. This includes the time he spent in Australia, and his continued documentation of life in Ireland, and parts of the country where he would have spent time as a missionary. One such photograph from this time is the pinnacle of Father Browne’s talent, appropriately named named “Kilkenny Old & New - A Fantasy” Co. Kilkenny, September 1932.

This exhibition certainly brings you ‘through the lens’ of Father Browne and out to the other side. The exhibition is on show in the Andrews Gallery, Titanic Belfast until the 31st March 2015.

The last remaining photographs of the exhibition illuminate WW1 and ruminate with the viewer. These photographs were documented by Father Browne at the time of battle, where he served in Cologne from 1916 to 1919.

This exhibition is one of a kind, with photographs that take an ordinary moment and turn it into something extraordinary; Father Browne surely was “master photographer with an unerring eye’.

Caitlian Rafferty

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IN T ERV I EW WITH

BRENDA

MURPHY

INT E RVIE W BY CONOR O’NEILL After last year’s sell-out run at The MAC, award winning Belfast playwright Brenda Murphy’s latest offering is to kick off at the Grand Opera House in March. Directed by Martin Lynch, Baby It’s Cold Outside, runs from March 2 – March 7 before touring round the country.

CultureHUB caught up with her to discuss the play and to chat about her approach to writing.

There are no airs or pretences with Brenda; what you see is what you get and some of the conversation is not for the faint-hearted. After a few unprintable phrases, Brenda described her creative collaboration with Martin Lynch. “Yes we have our discussions. Heated critical debates, but we’re toe to toe and it all works out.” Compared to our last interview, where she said every word was scrutinised, dropped, changed, chopped, rewritten or rewrote, Brenda briskly states that after finishing the play and seeing it work on stage, nothing has been changed. “I tend to leave things alone after a good run as I’m too busy thinking about my next play.”

And the next play is: Crazy. Like Looking For Eric in which a postman talks to his hero Eric Cantona, Crazy is driven by a woman obsessed by Patsy Cline who has a song for every occasion in life. Murphy is again writing for her mum who told her at an early age, “There’s never a moment in life where a Patsy Cline song won’t fit.” Even today Brenda puts on Cline records when reminiscing about her mother. Crazy is awaiting its third and final draft; however, Brenda quips: “Martin would like 22 drafts, but he’s not f&%king getting them,” such is the style of the woman or is it simply her workload?

Brenda not only can be found teaching creative writing in her native west Belfast, but also she has a novel on the go. With the demands of composing her plays and poems, the novel has taken 12 years.

CultureHUB didn’t venture into how much longer it will take, but from the winner of three Aishling Awards, a Hennessy and a NESTA, there’s little doubt it will be more than readable.

With Crazy scheduled to open in The MAC theatre on May 26 and running until June 14, Murphy seems nonplussed about getting the final draft in on time. Asked about her role in the direction and who plays who, she’s very direct: “I knew from the start I wanted Caroline Curran. This is the first time I’ve written with an actor in mind. After that, the monologue turned into a two actor play, but when writing a third character popped up, so I asked Martin could I have another and he said 'yes', so a monologue went to a dialogue then the third character popped in; you never know when writing what’s going to come.” With a play being produced and another on the way, a novel sitting on the shelf and students to teach, Brenda Murphy is a busy woman.

I'm purposely omitting a synopsis of Baby It’s Cold Outside merely to tease you with my view that this short run should not be missed in March.

And looking ahead to Crazy, I don't think Ms Murphy will be left, “wondering, what in the world did I do?”.

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