Quarter Beat | October 2013

A TOUR GUIDE’S PERSPECTIVE | NI WAR MEMORIAL | BELFAST RESTAURANT WEEK | WHAT’S ON

QUArter beAt

www.thecathedralquarter.com

Monthly News & Listings for Belfast’s Cultural Quarter

A toUr gUide’s perspeCtive Cathie McKimm

One of the landmarks this Blue Badge Guide always spots when guiding the city, crisscrossing the river and the streets surrounding the old town, is the Spire of Hope, balancing above the roof of Belfast Cathedral like a postponed rocket launch.

‘A spire you say? What kind of a spire is that for a Cathedral?’ ‘Well I guess it wouldn’t go amiss to get it in early, that Belfast is a city built on sand, or what the locals call ‘Belfast sleech’.

It’s an underground nasty for engineers and builders and up to the end of the 19th century the entire centre of Belfast was supported on a forest of log piles – with part of that forest still Quarter Beat October 2013, Issue 9 Published by Cathedral Quarter Trust 3-5 Commercial Court, Belfast BT1 2NB 028 9031 4011 | info@cqtrust.org Design by Rinky | rinky.org Illustration by SMG | 400facts.tumblr.com

doing its best to hold up Belfast Cathedral – but not quite...’

I go on to explain that the incongruous square structure from which the modern steel spire shoots up is the nave roof which the original architect had designed to accommodate a 210 foot bell tower that can now never be built as the Cathedral is slowly sinking on its foundations. Some are not long in pointing out that the Spire of ‘Hope’, a little like the ‘peace’ walls might be a bit of an oxymoron, while another more astutely observes, “‘Never’ you say? Never be built?

Seems like they’ve managed beautifully”.

Here arrives one of those observations, which if you catch it in time, bats its own commentary back right at you. Yes. I did say ‘never’. Maybe Supported by:

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OCT 2013

my language, like the architecture, doesn’t have to be so uncompromising.

However, I notice more and more, the fashion in which I’ve learned to tell stories is often uncompromising, drastic, and partial, concerning itself with all kinds of extremes and crises. It’s a regional hazard, a kind of psychological dialect, that’s now indulging Belfast’s propensity and fascination for things ‘going under’. The Albert Clock, suffering early from subsidence, now also draws attention to itself as the ‘Leaning Tower of Belfast’.

And there is also ‘that there ship’ sinking in enough dramatic fashion to become the mainstay of 21st century tourism in Belfast.

We even named a county ‘Down’ in 1570.

Scale’s another of our propensities and fascinations. What’s big is ‘giant’ – two yellow Krupp cranes get re-christened Samson and Goliath and in the very geography of the city’s hills we discern a sleeping giant. Further north another giant, Finn, in an epic stand off with an enemy builds a road that gets ripped up in the end and gives birth to a Causeway. When things are small however, we christen them ‘wee’ – a diminutive skillfully used to shrink the hell out of all kinds of natural sized stuff.

These days, going out into the city with the citizens of the world, I’m more and more aware of the clichéd narratives and more intent to dig beneath the sand and sleech to present other less visible narratives of Belfast.

I inevitably turn my focus to the old town – or Cathedral Quarter – the place where the river Farset meets the river Lagan and a name is born ‘Béal Feirste’.

By 1780 Belfast had 12,000 citizens and was earning a reputation for itself as the ‘Athens of the North’. Around the vicinity of the ‘four corners’ the old city grew up and Belfast’s grandest and first public building, the Assembly

Cnb365: WoUldn’t it be greAt iF it WAs like this All the tiMe?

Continued on page 3

Continued on page 2

Gary Hunter “I think Culture Night Belfast number five is the one where we all realise that this isn’t simply an amazing evening of fun, it’s a snapshot of what Belfast could so easily be like all year round.”

Adam Turkington, Culture Night Belfast Programme Manager.

Since 2009, on one special night of the year, Belfast’s public areas and streets are turned into performance spaces. Free performances, events, talks, tours and a whole range of interactive workshops take place throughout the evening for members of the public to participate in and enjoy.

Inspired by compelling stories and positive feedback from the public about the family-friendly, eclectic and inclusive nature of this well established, annual event, the Culture Night Belfast team pondered the questions how can we move closer to CNB 365? Why shouldn’t every night be culture night in Belfast? What lessons can we learn from this event that will enable us to make positive and lasting changes to our city?

The brief, at least, was clear: In previous years there were competitions in

CQ Uncovered:

the orpheus building Gary Potter, PLACE

Image: Carrie Davenport

The Meditation Flash Mob at Culture Night Belfast 2013: view more images and video at facebook.com/CultureNightBelfast and read a full review at thethinair.net

CNB365, continued from page 1 which the individual could win something.

So, in the fifth year of the festival, why not capitalise on this collective sense of positivity, harness all the energy and good will, and give the city itself the chance to be a winner?

The public were asked to contribute ideas and suggestions on the single thing they believed could enhance Belfast culturally, socially or architecturally. Licensing laws, traffic-free zones, eating al fresco in the streets, or something amazing seen on holiday that would work really well here on our own streets, or perhaps the reconfiguration of a neglected space. All ideas, from the eminently sensible to the visionary and surreal, were encouraged and gratefully received.

The three ideas which best exemplify the spirit of CNB and provide the opportunity to effect real, tangible change on the ground were:

Road Closure: The proposition is, with local business support, to campaign to have the historic Hill Street area in Belfast City Centre closed off the cars for most of the day, making it accessible and enjoyable by all throughout the year without fear or disruption of traffic. Obviously the issues of, for example, disabled access and goods delivery would have to be addressed.

organisers to put on events all year round that help contribute so much to the vibrancy and unique character of Belfast.

On Wednesday 11 September, the poll by which the public can register their vote for their favourite issue, went live via the CNB Facebook page. The team have a dedicated #CNB365 Tumblir account and provide regularly updated information on how the voting is progressing.

To help you decide which option you think is the most exciting and viable, CNB will be posting the thoughts of respected and knowledgeable advocates for each issue. Who knows? You may even read something that will inspire you to change your mind and vote differently from your original choice! If you want to play your part in making a real change for the better in Belfast, do not miss your chance to vote at facebook.com/CQBelfast.

Maybe, with your help and support, it really can be like this all the time.

Historic Buildings for All: Campaigning to have the historic Assembly Rooms opened to the public all year round, and pledging support to any arts, civic or community bodies able to facilitate this proposal.

License to Entertain: Campaigning to reduce the stifling bureaucracy surrounding entertainment licensing laws relating to small, live events.

This will enable promoters, venues and

Two summers ago, while undertaking a private tour of Belfast with an American party, a lady commented, ‘That’s a strange name for a war, ‘The Troubles?’’. My visitor is reflecting, so I hold back sensing another one of those observations is about to be batted back at me.‘It’s almost a familial term – like something you want to keep in the family’.

Thank you lady for that. And maybe the bits we don’t tell are the bits we’d rather keep in the family also. As a tour guide I’m sometimes quietly tempted by the words of our great poet, the late Seamus Heaney ‘Whatever you say, say nothing’, but times move on, and now I wonder, ‘when does the ‘saying nothing’ stop protecting you and start harming you?’

In the mean time, weeds gather on the upper levels, and I’m out on my last tour of the season with a small group of Texans, standing in the choir stalls of Belfast Cathedral staring up through the glass at the Spire of Hope framed in a brilliant blue sky. ’Whoa’ – now it looks like It’s pointing downwards...and why was it you said there was only one person buried in the Cathedral? I didn’t say why, but maybe you can help me work it out.

Image: Rob Durston

‘If this is Belfast’s oldest public building, why’s it becoming derelict?’ A tourist’s assessment of the Assembly Rooms.

A Tour Guide’s Perspective, cont. from page 1 Rooms was built in 1769. The list of must see buildings I’ve been presented with in tour briefs (so far) have not included the old Assembly Rooms. They have never (so far that is) included the first Presbyterian Church at Rosemary Street, or (so far) the first Catholic Church of St. Mary’s at Chapel Lane, or (so far) the Old Workhouse at Clifton Street. It is however, from these remnants of the old city I piece together a narrative of a more ecumenical and radical Belfast, defining itself not just by new found trade and industry, but new libertarian beliefs in which ‘all men are created equal’.

I paint the picture of the Belfast Harp Festival of 1792, a gathering of Belfast citizens in the old assembly rooms, marking the third anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. I recount the ironical anti-slavery sign in the window of a jewellers shop opposite the old Assembly Rooms ‘Thomas McCabe, an Irish Slave, licensed to sell silver and gold’. I recount the trial of Henry Joy McCracken in the old Assembly Rooms also, and his subsequent hanging near Corn Market.

The old city allows me to weave a narrative about a time when Belfast was not so divided along the lines of religion and sectarianism, when things could have swung

either way, that is. A time when Presbyterian and Catholic worked side by side, where people fired with a big social conscience and civic heart helped in the building of each others churches, houses, schools and hospitals.

It’s confusing for the visitors – ‘If this is Belfast’s oldest public building, why’s it becoming derelict? I have no answer, not one that could be easily accepted. ‘It’s the bit we don’t talk about, hence the weeds’. Feeling the responsibility of it all, I try harder to acquaint myself with more of the stories, while pondering in recent months, if the Old Assembly rooms is not the truer starting place to begin that contentious centre for peace?

The narrative is going dark – like the tourism. It’s like we’re proud of our tragic past and determined to make a living out of it – I even hear some these days advocate we should maintain the peace walls for the sake of tourism. Here and there I’ve contemplated easy explanations, about how it was events like the Troubles and Titanic that put Belfast onto the international stage, and the international visitors arrives interested in what they’ve already heard about Belfast. But that’s not true. There are many, many visitors who just come here, wishing to engage with the truth of the place, and it’s because of those visitors I’m still guiding tours after 21 years.

Under the spire at Saint Anne’s Cathedral.

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The Orpheus building at 12 - 20 York Street was built 1930-32 as an extension to the Belfast Co-operative Society’s headquarters at the corner of York Street and Frederick Street.

The Co-Operative Society was established in 1888 by 200 people, first in a small shop on the Shankill Road. The original headquarters building was designed by Samuel Stevenson in 1909 and constructed in three phases (1911, 1914 and 1922). The three phases made up a four- and five-storey 17-bay building.

The Orpheus building was designed

by John Hamilton Stevenson (the eldest son in the firm of Samuel Stevenson & Sons) as the founder - Samuel had died in 1924. The Orpheus was designed as a five-storey fifteen bay building in red brick with granite and Portland stone detailing.

By 1969, the Belfast Co-Operative Society had 192,000 members. It had the country’s largest single dairy, and was also one of the largest coal distributors. The Orpheus restaurant and ballroom was the focal point of ‘the Co’, where shoppers could enjoy afternoon tea or a three-course meal for half a crown. At night it was transformed into a dance hall with performances by the top show bands and crooners.

On the 10th May 1972 a large bomb exploded at York Street and destroyed the original Co-operative headquarters building at the corner with Frederick Street. The Orpheus building was undamaged but the original Co-Op was demolished and the foundations for a replacement were laid in November 1973. The new building was completed in 1976. However, one week before the official opening, on 21st January 1977 three bombs exploded within the building.

In 1981/82 the University of Ulster acquired the Orpheus for additional space and the Orpheus ballroom was renovated into Fine Art studio space. In 1984 when the Co-op vacated the ground floor and the University was in control of the full building a bridge was constructed over York Street to connect the now demolished (c2004-05) Conor Hall building with the Orpheus building.

During the 2004 - 06 redevelopment of the University of Ulster’s Belfast Campus (which included the redevelopment of the Warwick building and demolition of the Conor Hall building) the original link bridge over York Street was removed and a new 43 tonne, 28 metre, glass and steel bridge was installed from the refurbished Warwick building to the Orpheus building. The stone facade of the Orpheus was re-instated were the 1980’s bridge entered, new ‘shopfronts’ were installed at ground floor and a mezzanine level was added within the former ballroom.

Now, some eighty years after completion the Orpheus is proposed for demolition. In March 2012 the University of Ulster submitted a planning application for the redevelopment of their Belfast Campus.

The application included the demolition of the Orpheus building and replacement with a new-build University building. The application was approved in March 2013 and demolition of the Orpheus is expected to take place late 2014.

The new University of Ulster Belfast Campus is a £250m project, currently under construction, to provide space for 12,000 students and staff within the Cathedral Quarter.

PLACE offers Architectural Walking Tours exploring the built environment. For more information visit placeni.org, phone 028 9023 2524 or email info@placeni.org.

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belFAst restAUrAnt Week MenUs & oFFers

events

10. Salt Bistro 2 course lunch £10, 3 course dinner £25.

028 9023 8012

1. 21 Social Lunch & dinner menu, 2 course £14.95, 3 course £18.95. 028 9024 1415

Saturday 5th October Craft Beer & Cider Tasting Canteen @ The MAC £10, 8.30pm, themaclive.com

11. SQ Bar & Grill, Ramada Encore 2 courses and a glass of wine for 2 people £39. 3 courses & a glass of wine for 2 people £49. 028 9026 1809

2. 4th Wall Lunch: A celebration of local ‘producers’ of food (2 courses £10 Tue-Sat.) Dinner: Butcher Block for 2, or salt & chilli langoustines for 2, (£25 incl 2 sauces, 2 sides & a 4th Wall house cocktail, Tue & Wed). 028 9027 8707

Food & Culture Walking Tour of CQ Coppi, Saint Anne’s Square £31.50, 1pm, coppi.co.uk Sunday 6th October BelFeast Bus Tour Coppi, Saint Anne’s Square £50, 2pm, coppi.co.uk

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3. Berts 5 course French regional menu £32.50.

Mon-Fri 5-10pm, Sat 12-6pm, Sun 1210pm. 028 9026 2713

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Tuesday 8th October Coffee Brew Bar Masterclass The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £10, 10am/7pm, themaclive.com

4. Canteen at the MAC 2 course lunch £10. 028 9023 5053

Faulty Towers Northern Whig, Waring Street £39, 2pm, thenorthernwhig.com

5. Cloth Ear 2 and 3 course menu with matched craft beers, £22.95 and £26.95. £16.95 and £19.95 without beers. 028 9026 2719 6. The John Hewitt All main courses £8.95 including free tea or coffee. 028 9023 3768

Wednesday 9th October Local Beer Tasting Evening The John Hewitt, Donegall Street Free, 6pm, thejohnhewitt.com

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Faulty Towers Northern Whig, Waring Street £39, 2pm, thenorthernwhig.com

7. McHughs Main course & glass of house wine £8.95 028 9050 9999 8.Merchant Hotel Great Room 9 course Tasting Menu with cocktails £85. £65 without cocktails. 028 9023 4888 9. The Northern Whig 6 Oct: Sunday carvery 1 meat £8.95, 2 meat £9.95, 3 meat £10.95. 10 Oct: Old school menu 3 courses £14.95 (followed by old school disco & cocktail promos). 11 Oct: Cajun sole evening 3 courses £16.95.

028 9050 9888

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Saturday 12th October Fabulous Fashion Teas The Merchant, Skipper Street £30, 2pm, themerchanthotel.com

bodies, ex-Service organisations, secondary schools and other education groups, as well as interested individuals. Through their primary school programme, which runs through term time, children can see an audio-visual show detailing the Home Front, and handle exhibits, photos and artefacts from the era.

There’s also an opportunity to dress up in real wartime uniforms, and become a History Detective in the downstairs gallery!

“We get between 7000 to 9000 visitors a year,” says curator Ciaran Elizabeth Doran, “the large part of them being school groups.

We want to challenge people’s perception of a war memorial as something static, set in stone. We are a living, breathing equivalent of that, focusing on the contribution of Northern Irish people to the war. We aim to offer handson experience, with rotating, special displays as well as our fi xed exhibitions. It’s great to see the reaction of children and other groups, really interacting with history.”

Ciaran previously worked in London’s Imperial War Museum for 25 years, and is using that experience to help secure official museum accreditation for the Memorial from the Arts Council. This will allow the Memorial team to offer a ‘purpose-built archive’ and provide access to ‘an accredited museum database’ of material, which they hope to launch in 2014.

The current archive was started in 1985. It contains hundreds of photographs and social history items such as ration books, letters, diaries and scrapbooks, and is currently in the process of being digitally archived. It offers a vital resource to all community groups seeking to delve into the past and discover local stories, as well as a real taste of life on the home front. The centre has an Active Acquisitions remit for anyone who feels they have articles and mementos that may be of interest.

“We want to get clothes, toys, even a motorbike in the place! But we also want to hear people’s own stories and experiences.” stated Ciaran. It is this individual, personal touch, that really helps bring the history alive throughout the gallery. Visitors can be shown about by a war veteran who served as a Commando in the Far East, offering expert insight and analysis on the displays.

The memorial also acts a signposting

Performers at NI War Memorial’s ‘Sing & Dance for Victory’ event for Culture Night Belfast.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said ‘We are not makers of history. We are made by history’.

And if you visit the Northern Ireland War Memorial, based on Talbot Street beside St. Anne’s Cathedral, you will find that this is certainly true.

The Northern Ireland War Memorial includes the War Memorial Gallery, a permanent exhibition of Northern Ireland in the Second World War. It serves to help answer the question of what life was like here during the war, detailing information of the Ulster Home Guard, American Forces, women’s roles during wartime and other facets such as ships, aircrafts, munitions and more.

The Gallery, which holds various

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Thursday 10th October The Art of Food & Wine Night The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £35, 7.30pm, themaclive.com

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ni WAr MeMoriAl: historY CoMes Alive

Colin Dardis

Belfast Restaurant Week returns for its second serving 5-12 October with a packed programme of events (see back page for CQ activity). With many CQ restaurants taking part we round up all the special menus and deals on offer during the week.

artworks, from portraits, stain glass windows, sculptures, copper friezes and a large bronze relief, also serves as a memorial to the one thousand men, women and children who died in the Blitz of Belfast in 1941.

Originally, the War Memorial was based on Waring Street on a site that had been bombed during the Blitz in May 1941. The first appeal to form a War Memorial came in 1943, with Churchill’s Conservative government committing to match public donations. The building, Memorial House, was opened to the public in 1963, by the Queen Mother. Over forty years later, after deciding that Memorial House had fulfilled its original intentions, the Memorial downscaled and relocated to Talbot Street in 2006.

The Northern Ireland War Memorial welcomes all community groups, profession 3

organisation for family history research.

“Anyone interested in private research can be redirected to larger institutions such as The National Archives, or the Royal Irish Fusiliers.” Travel grants are available for schools that are interested in arranging a visit, and can be arranged through the Memorial’s Education Officer, Jenny Haslett.

Alongside the permanent exhibitions on offer, the Memorial also hosts a variety of special events. Recently, as part of European Heritage Open Days, the ‘Dig For Victory’ show dealt with agricultural aspects of wartime, holding a cookery demonstration and a petting zoo, emphasising the importance of farming in Northern Ireland during World War Two. Culture Night Belfast also saw a special ‘Sing & Dance for Victory night’, celebrating the music of the ‘30s and ‘40s with vocal harmony trio, Swingabella. An amazing 4,500 people came through the door on Culture Night.

In October, the Memorial will host an Open Day for primary school teachers, offering a wide range on hands-on activities and workshops tying into the history curriculum.

Also on October 29th is the launch of ‘Lest We Forget’, a book commemorating fifty years of the Memorial. And on November 11th, a poppy ceremony will be held to mark Armistice Day. This will be open to the public.

A visit to the NI Memorial will see you see that history is a fluid and engaging subject, offering interaction and context. It is this approach which Ciaran and her team feels will help the centre “perform on a local, national and international level” going ahead.

Book your visit now, or just drop in on your lunchtime, you will be well rewarded.

what’s on october exhibitions Late Night Art: 3 October Galleries open until 9pm.

Psychic Driving 22 August - 5 October Defaults - Colm Clarke 23 − 26 October Catalyst Arts: Collective Histories of Northern Irish Art X 24 October - 30 November Golden Thread Gallery, 84-94 Great Patrick Street BT1 2LU goldenthreadgallery.co.uk The Market - Mark Curran 30 August - 11 October Yu: The Lost Country 25 October - 20 December Belfast Exposed, 23 Donegall Street BT1 2FF, belfastexposed.org

TUESDAY 1 OCTOBER

SUNDAY 6 OCTOBER

BELLY LAUGHS COMEDY FESTIVAL Silent Comedy: City Lights Beanbag Cinema, 23 Donegall St. Free, 12.30pm, bellylaughsbelfast.com

BELLY LAUGHS COMEDY FESTIVAL Comic Capers with Davy Francis Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. Free, 2pm, blackboxbelfast.com

Quickfire Comedy Whites Tavern, Winecellar Entry £3, 8pm, bellylaughsbelfast.com OPERA L’Eliser d’Amore The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £9.50 - £22, 7.45pm, themaclive.com DANCE Ponies Don’t Play Football The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £12, 8pm, themaclive.com

Clifford Rainey 3 October - 14 November Belfast Print Workshop Gallery Cotton Court BT1 2ED, bpw.org.uk

MUSIC Black Moon Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. £3, 7pm, blackboxbelfast.com

Rehearsal Room (part 1) 23 September - 5 October, PS2, 18 Donegall St, BT1 2GP pssquared.org

WEDNESDAY 2 OCTOBER

Karl Burke & Maud Cotter: The Air They Capture Is Different 19 July - 13 October Ursula Burke: Hope for a Better Past 30 August - 13 October The Mystery of Tears 24 October - 12 January The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ, themaclive.com

weekly events Mondays Live Jazz @ Bert’s Jazz Bar Free, 9pm, themerchanthotel.com Open Mic at The John Hewitt Free, 9.30pm, thejohnhewitt.com Monopollie @ Ollie’s Nightclub £3, 10pm, olliesclub.com Tuesdays Brogue at The John Hewitt Free, 8pm, thejohnhewitt.com Live Jazz @ Bert’s Jazz Bar Free, 9pm, themerchanthotel.com Wednesdays Traditional Session @ McHughs Free, 7pm, mchughsbar.com Live Jazz @ Bert’s Jazz Bar Free, 9pm, themerchanthotel.com Thursdays Ollie’s Rocks @ Ollie’s Nightclub £5, 9pm, olliesclub.com Live Jazz @ Bert’s Jazz Bar Free, 9pm, themerchanthotel.com Sweet Trev & The Blue Notes @ The John Hewitt Free, 9.30pm, thejohnhewitt.com Traditional Session @ The Duke of York Free, 9.30pm, thedukeofyorkbelfast.com Fridays Das Vibic @ Black Box Free, 8pm, blackboxbelfast.com Feelgood Fridays @ 21 Social Free, 4pm, 21social.co.uk Traditional Session @ Whites Tavern Free, 7pm, whitestavern.co.uk Panama Jazz Band @ The John Hewitt Free, 8.30pm, thejohnhewitt.com Live Jazz @ Bert’s Jazz Bar Free, 9pm, themerchanthotel.com The Golden Years @ The Duke of York, £5, 9pm thedukeofyorkbelfast.com Lipstick @ Ollie’s Nightclub £5, 10pm, olliesclub.com Famous Fridays Free/£5, 10pm, myntbelfast.com Saturdays The BIG John Hewitt Early Session Free, 5.30pm, thejohnhewitt.com Dana Masters Jazz Sextet @ McHughs Free, 5.30 − 7.30pm, mchughsbar.com Trad Session @ Whites Tavern Free, 8pm, whitestavern.co.uk Bert’s After Hours @ Bert’s Jazz Bar Free, 9pm, themerchanthotel.com Secret Society @ Ollie’s Nightclub £10, 9pm, olliesclub.com Club Eclectic @ The Duke of York £5, 9pm Radio K @ McHughs £5, 10pm, mchughsbar.com Rewind Saturdays Free/£5, 10pm, myntbelfast.com Sundays Social Sundays @ 21 Social Free, 5pm, 21social.co.uk Live Jazz @ Bert’s Jazz Bar Free, 12pm & 9pm themerchanthotel.com Traditional Session @ The Duke of York Free, 5.30pm, thedukeofyorkbelfast.com

BELLY LAUGHS COMEDY FESTIVAL 10x9 Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. Free, 7pm, bellylaughsbelfast.com DANCE Ponies Don’t Play Football The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £12, 8pm, themaclive.com FOOD & DRINK Champagne & Oysters Night Canteen @ The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £25, 7.30pm, themaclive.com

THURSDAY 3 OCTOBER BELLY LAUGHS COMEDY FESTIVAL Silent Comedy: Seven Chances Beanbag Cinema, 23 Donegall St. Free, 12.30pm, bellylaughsbelfast.com dANCE Ponies Don’t Play Football The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £12, 8pm, themaclive.com MUSIC Judy Collins The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £20, 8pm, themaclive.com

FRIDAY 4 OCTOBER BELLY LAUGHS COMEDY FESTIVAL Those Who Can’t: Thunder Finger Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. £10, 8pm, bellylaughsbelfast.com MUSIC Breaking Bad Club Night Oh Yeah Music Centre, Gordon St. £6, 9pm, ohyeahbelfast.com DANCE Ponies Don’t Play Football The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £15, 8pm, themaclive.com FOOD & DRINK Jazz Supper Club Canteen @ The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £20, 8.30pm, themaclive.com

SATURDAY 5 OCTOBER BELLY LAUGHS COMEDY FESTIVAL Silent Comedy: The Kid Brother Beanbag Cinema, 23 Donegall St. Free, 12.30pm, bellylaughsbelfast.com Adam Laughlin: Born In The USA Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. £5, 3pm, bellylaughsbelfast.com BELFAST RESTAURANT WEEK Craft Beer & Cider Tasting Canteen @ The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £10, 8.30pm, themaclive.com Food & Culture Walking Tour of Cathedral Quarter Coppi, Saint Anne’s Square £31.50, 1pm, coppi.co.uk MUSIC The Rough Diamonds Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. £7, 8pm, blackboxbelfast.com Janet Devlin Oh Yeah Music Centre, Gordon St. £10, 7pm (14+ show), ohyeahbelfast.com DANCE Ponies Don’t Play Football The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £15, 8pm, themaclive.com

Lorcan McGrane: Blank Inside Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. £5, 6pm, blackboxbelfast.com Paul Currie: Sticky Bivouac II Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. £7, 8.30pm, blackboxbelfast.com BELFAST RESTAURANT WEEK BelFeast Bus Tour Coppi, Saint Anne’s Square £50, 2pm, coppi.co.uk MUSIC Tonight Alive Oh Yeah Music Centre, Gordon St. £12.50, 6pm, ohyeahbelfast.com

Stop-Motion Animation Workshop The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £3, 7pm, themaclive.com

THURSDAY 10 OCTOBER BELFAST RESTAURANT WEEK The Art of Food & Wine Night The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £35, 7.30pm, themaclive.com MADE FESTIVAL Interactive Foyer The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, themaclive.com

Busk the MAC The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 2pm, themaclive.com Be Your Own Craftivist The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £3, 2pm/3pm/4pm/5pm, themaclive.com Stop-Motion Animation Workshop The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £3, 2pm/3.30pm, themaclive.com Paul Currie The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £5, 6.30pm, themaclive.com

Craftivism The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 10am, themaclive.com

SUNDAY 13 OCTOBER

Family Photo Booth The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 10am, themaclive.com

MADE FESTIVAL Interactive Foyer The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, themaclive.com

Custom MADE The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 3pm, themaclive.com

Craftivism The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 10am, themaclive.com

Games Room The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 4pm, themaclive.com

Family Photo Booth The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 10am, themaclive.com

MUSIC Emma Sweeney & Friends The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £12, 8pm, themaclive.com

Custom MADE The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 10am, themaclive.com

FRIDAY 11 OCTOBER

Games Room The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 12pm, themaclive.com

MADE FESTIVAL Interactive Foyer The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, themaclive.com

Strange Ceramics The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £3, 2pm, themaclive.com

Self-Made Film Night The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, 7pm, themaclive.com

Craftivism The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 10am, themaclive.com

Stop-Motion Animation Workshop The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £3, 5pm, themaclive.com

COMEDY Reservoir Dad - Terry McHugh Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. £5, 8pm, blackboxbelfast.com

Family Photo Booth The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 10am, themaclive.com

MUSIC John Fullbright Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. £12.50, 7.30pm, themaclive.com

Games Room The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 4pm, themaclive.com

TUESDAY 8 OCTOBER

Custom MADE The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 3pm, themaclive.com

THEATRES, FAMILIES Paperbelle The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £6.50, 11.30am/2pm/16.30pm, themaclive.com

MONDAY 7 OCTOBER MADE FESTIVAL Interactive Foyer The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, themaclive.com Family Photo Booth The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 10am, themaclive.com Craftivism The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 10am, themaclive.com Custom MADE The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 3pm, themaclive.com

BELFAST RESTAURANT WEEK Coffee Brew Bar Masterclass The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £10, 10am/7pm, themaclive.com Faulty Towers Northern Whig, Waring Street £39, 2pm, thenorthernwhig.com MADE FESTIVAL Interactive Foyer The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, themaclive.com Craftivism The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 10am, themaclive.com Family Photo Booth The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 10am, themaclive.com THEATRE Austen’s Women The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £9.50 - £22, 7.45pm, themaclive.com

WEDNESDAY 9 OCTOBER BELFAST RESTAURANT WEEK Faulty Towers Northern Whig, Waring Street £39, 2pm, thenorthernwhig.com Local Beer Tasting Evening The John Hewitt, Donegall Street Free, 6pm, thejohnhewitt.com MADE FESTIVAL Interactive Foyer The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, themaclive.com Craftivism The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 10am, themaclive.com Family Photo Booth The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 10am, themaclive.com

Volume Control The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £5, 7.30pm, themaclive.com Friday Night Sleepover The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £5, 8.30pm, themaclive.com MUSIC Jack Lukeman Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. £15, 8pm, blackboxbelfast.com

SATURDAY 12 OCTOBER BELFAST RESTAURANT WEEK Fabulous Fashion Teas The Merchant, Skipper Street £30, 2pm, themerchanthotel.com MADE FESTIVAL Interactive Foyer The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, themaclive.com Meet the Makers The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 7.30pm, themaclive. com Craftivism The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 10am, themaclive.com Family Photo Booth The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 10am, themaclive.com Custom MADE The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 10am, themaclive.com Mini Masterclass: Sculpture The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £3, 11am, themaclive.com Games Room The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, from 12pm, themaclive.com

Not So Ceili The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £3, 6pm, themaclive.com COMEDY Jo Caulfield - Better The Devil You Know Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. £12, 8pm, blackboxbelfast.com

WEDNESDAY 16 OCTOBER THEATRE Shakespeare Schools Festival The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £8.50, 7pm, themaclive.com COMEDY Mark Thomas 100 Acts of Minor Dissent Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. £15, 8pm, blackboxbelfast.com

THURSDAY 17 OCTOBER MUSIC Kimmie Rhodes Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. £18, 8pm,blackboxbelfast.com

FRIDAY 18 OCTOBER MUSIC Men On The Hill Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. £7, 8pm,blackboxbelfast.com DANCE Victor The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £10, 7.30pm, themaclive.com THEATRE Memòries d’una puça The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £12, 9pm, themaclive.com

SATURDAY 19 OCTOBER MUSIC Keep It Cash Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. £15, 8pm,blackboxbelfast.com Dimebag DJs Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. Free, 8pm,blackboxbelfast.com

WORKSHOPS DIY Electronics Workshops for Musicians Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. Full day: £75/£65, Half day: £42/£49, 9am5pm,blackboxbelfast.com DANCE Dance Exposed The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, 2pm/4.30pm/6pm, themaclive.com Victor The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £10, 7.30pm, themaclive.com THEATRE Memòries d’una puça The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £12, 9pm, themaclive.com

SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER COMEDY My Favourite Waste of Time Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. £5, 7pm,blackboxbelfast.com

MONDAY 21 OCTOBER MUSIC Glen Hansard The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ 7.45pm, themaclive.com

THURSDAY 24 OCTOBER MUSIC Nina Nesbitt Oh Yeah Music Centre, Gordon St. £10, 7pm, ohyeahbelfast.com WORDS & IDEAS TEDxBelfast The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £30, 4pm, themaclive.com

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