5 minute read
SUMMERTIME SPECIAL 22
04 01 02 03
OUT AND ABOUT: BOTANIC GARDENS, BELFAST
We visited cosmopolitan Botanic Gardens to get a feel for where people are planning to visit on the Island of Ireland this summer.
1. Mum Manal with daughters Razan and Diana Naser from Jordan travelled here for a graduation. They came to Belfast last October and couldn’t wait to come back. They love the Botanic Gardens and are hoping to visit Derry soon. 2. Sebastian, Dagmara, Dominik and Agnesczka live in Dublin but love Belfast and enjoy the weather while walking around Botanic Gardens. Their favourite staycation spots in Ireland are County Kerry and County Mayo. 3. Meghan Gallagher and Nina Constable from Belfast, love the Botanic Gardens, getting a coffee and enjoying the good weather. Their favourite places to visit around Northern Ireland during the summer include Cavehill and Helen’s Bay beach. 4. Katie Van Aardt and Cam Sands just finished exams and are now able to enjoy their summer with their friends at the beach in Helen’s Bay. They think that Belfast is a great spot for tourists to travel around and shop.
Killeavy Castle Major Investment
Officially unveiled by the owners of Killeavy Castle Estate, Sydneybased businessman Mick Boyle and his wife Robin, Killeavy Castle Estate has just launched an Estate Farm Store and Estate Gardens following a further £500,000 investment.
Originally from south Armagh, Mick Boyle and Robin acquired Killeavy Castle in 2013, and over the past nine years have restored the 186-year Killeavy Castle, creating a venue that’s now regarded as one of the premier destination hotels in Ireland.
In the past 12 months, the team at Killeavy Castle Estate, headed up by General Manager, Jason Foody, and Executive Chef, Darragh Dooley, have developed the Gardens and Farm Store to further enhance the Estate’s ‘farm to fork’ ethos and guest experience. The project was partially supported by Tourism Northern Ireland.
Featuring an Estate Garden that mirrors the landscape of the existing heritage Walled Garden, the additional one-acre Estate Garden doubles the volume of fresh produce that Killeavy Castle Estate can now grow onsite.
The Farm Store has been purpose-built to facilitate the processing of the Estate’s beef and lamb, including specialised aging techniques, curing and smoking of the meats. Additional space within the Farm Store will be utilised for preparing fruit and vegetables from the gardens for kitchens throughout the Estate. Viewing windows allow guests to watch this preparation take place.
In addition, the Bistro Bar has been extended, tripling its kitchen area and facilities to increase capacity to provide more of our farm to fork meals for both residential and local guests. The Walled Garden café has also reopened serving refreshments and sweet treats Friday through Sunday from 10:00am.
Under the expertise of Executive Chef, Darragh Dooley, Killeavy Castle Estate has grown its reputation for the quality of its food offering and over 90% of the food served throughout the Estate is produced within the grounds of Killeavy Castle Estate or sourced within a 20-mile radius. The Estate is proud to have created a destination venue where tourists and local people can visit, enjoy superb dining, access beautiful mountain walks and connect with the natural surroundings.
For further information on Killeavy Castle Estate, see killeavycastle.com
Left to Right: General Manager Jason Foody, Owner Robin Boyle, NMDDC Council Chairman Michael Savage, NMDDC Director of Enterprise, Regeneration and Tourism Conor Mallon, Owner Mick Boyle, Minister for Finance MLA Conor Murphy, NMDDC Chief Executive Marie Ward.
2022 marks the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Mourne Wall, a remarkable feat of craftmanship that has stood the test of time and weather for a century. Work on the wall commenced in 1904 and took 18 years to complete, providing a 35 km boundary for the 9,000-acre water catchment area that feeds the Silent Valley and Ben Crom Reservoirs. Major repairs have been completed spanning two years, involving flying stones sourced in local quarries by helicopter to various sites and being rolled into place using age-old methods.
Anna Killen, Education & Learning Officer, NI Water, comments: “This anniversary is a chance to reflect on the importance of Silent Valley, not only as a beautiful visitor attraction, but also as a working
site, providing a source of drinking water to thousands of homes and businesses daily. Covid 19 has shone a light directly on how vital safe, clean water is to our health. Now is the time to really think about how we can respect and conserve the water we use on a daily basis and how we are leaving the planet for the next 100 years.”
To mark this special birthday, NI Water is planning a series of events, kickstarting with a family fun day on Sunday 14 August from 1pm to 5pm. Live music, entertainment, food and games will all be available on the day.
We are also planning to place time capsules in the wall, so any group who is interested in placing a capsule should contact:
education@niwater.com. Other events will be announced on niwater.com.
Anchor down at Titanic Hotel Belfast
Book your staycation this summer at Titanic Hotel Belfast, in the heart of Belfast’s Maritime Mile district, just a short walk away from Belfast’s bustling city centre district. Enjoy a two-night stay in one of their nautical themed rooms, three-course dinner in the award-winning Wolff Grill restaurant on one evening, a Titanic sized breakfast each morning and complimentary car parking for 48 hours for one vehicle, all from just £379 per room in total. This unique and iconic hotel building provides guests with a museum experience, which will take you on a journey through Belfast’s maritime history. RMS Titanic was designed in the original drawing offices located within the hotel itself. Why not add on tickets to the Titanic Belfast attraction, adjacent to the hotel, to enhance your destination experience? Just ask one of the reservations team for further details on how they can enhance your stay with our range of added extras and local destination activity tickets.
