• A Guide to The Cathedral Quarter – Part I

    July 25, 2014 - By 

    Boasting over 200 free events to over 30,000 attendees, the sixth year of Culture Night Belfast is drawing near with much of the focus being directed towards the city’s stunning Cathedral Quarter, an area which prides itself on being at the heart of cultural locality in the city. Set to take place on Friday, September 19, the annual showcase – which calls itself “the city’s biggest, most colourful and inclusive cultural celebration” – will bring the quarter and it’s many established and makeshift venues to life. The annual Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, which celebrated its fifteenth year in early May, brought the very…

  • Preview: Pick ‘n’ Mix Theatre Festival

    June 24, 2014 - By 

    Pick ‘n’ Mix. The phrase typically brings to mind the stale, sugary, empty promise of overpriced cinema confectionery. The Pick ‘n’ Mix Theatre Festival on the other hand promises to deliver something altogether more nourishing. Now in its seventh year the festival is named for the variety and scope of the shows it exhibits. In previous years the festival has played host to everything from high-energy dance shows set against computer generated backdrops to audio/visual pieces designed for infants. The point is very much “something for everyone”, something a bit unique for everyone with a sense of adventure that is.…

  • Kara Walker @ The Mac

    January 23, 2014 - By 

    Critically and unapologetically interrogating underlying racial and gender tensions in today’s society, the works of artist Kara Walker will see its first major Irish exhibition at Belfast’s The Mac from January 24 to April 27. Esteemed for renouncing the sensitivity that tends to shroud the subject, the American artist delves into the myths underyling certain cultural archetypes and the more malevolent underside of how humans act via characters drawn from American popular culture, history and literature. The exhibition will take place across all three of the Mac’s main galleries. For more information go to the Mac’s official website here. Watch an…

  • Interview: Katie Richardson on HATCH! @ The Mac

    December 11, 2013 - By 

    Not content playing as part of Katie and the Carnival, Salt Flats and in various other collaborative musical endeavours, Belfast-based musician, singer and musical director Katie Richardson is the epitome of a tireless, committed and boundlessly passionate artist. From December 4 right up until January 4 (and many weeks in advance in preparation) her current creative occupation is composer and musical director of HATCH! Adventures of the Ugly Duck at The Mac, Belfast. With the production having already smitten hundreds of attendees and several critics, we speak to Katie about the ins and outs of the biggest production she’s been…

  • Fionnaula Fagan’s Dreaming Protected Me at the MAC

    December 3, 2013 - By 

    On Friday, December 6, sound and installation artist Fionnuala Fagan will present Dreaming Protected Me at Belfast’s The Mac. An evocative and thought-provoking performance, it shares the extraordinary experiences and insights of six people who have lived through either the Bosnian conflict or the Northern Irish troubles, via newly composed songs, voiceovers and visuals. For the premier of this production, Fionnuala will be joined on-stage at the MAC by musicians, Clare Galway, Patrick Davy and Una McCann, with visual designs by video artist, Conan McIvor. This evening also marks the launch of the double-disc album of the work. Go here…

  • Summertime @ The MAC

    November 12, 2013 - By 

    Following on from the success of Planet Belfast, Tinderbox returns to the MAC this season with a dark and bold new play from the award-winning David Ireland. Summertime is a gripping and hard-hitting drama sure to have audiences on the edge of their seats. “Jonathan is struggling to establish himself as the minister in a working class East Belfast parish. One night a young man stumbles into his rectory, covered in blood, and claiming that he is possessed by the devil. Delving deeper into the young man’s story, the minister finds himself coming under increasing suspicion from the local community.…

  • Emma Sweeney & Friends @ The Mac, Belfast

    October 9, 2013 - By 

    Fast-rising musician Emma Sweeney and guests will perform a night of cutting edge Irish traditional music at Belfast’s MAC on Thursday, October 10. A finalist at the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award in 2003, Sweeney will perform music from her album Pangea, which was released early this year to critical acclaim. Despite her age, Sweeney she accumulated an impressive amount of live experience performing alongside a host of respected traditional musicians including Dick Gaughan, Cara Dillon, Mike McGoldrick and Dezi Donnelly. The performance is part of Not So Trad, a new series of MAC music events offering traditional music with a fresh, modern approach…

  • Ghostpoet & Moon Duo @ The Mac, Belfast

    October 8, 2013 - By 

    Rob Cordiner captured two of the best acts to perform at the recent In The Court of … Tom Ravenscroft at The Mac, Belfast: San Francisco psych-rockers Moon Duo and British singer and producer Ghostpoet. Check out his photos of these respective performances below!

  • Moon Duo, Deptford Goth, Kelpe – The MAC, Belfast

    October 2, 2013 - By 

    For the final instalment of ‘In the Court of Tom Ravenscroft’, the eclectically curated mini-festival at The MAC,  we are being treated to a somewhat canonical foray into the tastes of a man who, like his father before him, has ample time for exploring the realms of music that’s slightly further away from left of the field. Approaching the venue from the courtyard at around 8.30, a surprising mix of young, fresh faces and Cathedral Quarter veterans mingle around the box office and bar area, debating and discussing topics that will ultimately become fond memories of the evening; the mightiest…

  • Glen Hansard announces Autumn tour

    September 4, 2013 - By 

    Dublin singer-songwriter Glen Hansard has announced a string of Irish and European dates across the months of October and November. Starting off on October 20 in Sligo, the tour will pass through several European cities before concluding in Dublin’s Vicar Street on November 26. The Frames frontman will stop off at Belfast’s The Mac on October 21. Oct 20: Hawkswell, Sligo Oct 21: MAC Theatre, Belfast Oct 22: Spirit Store, Dundalk Oct 24: DeBarras, Clonakilty Oct 25: Blackbird, Ballycotton Oct 26: Blessings Bar, Cavan Oct 28: Cyprus Avenue, Cork Oct 29 : Town Hall, Galway Nov 07: Moscow Hall, Moscow, Russia Nov 09: Kosmonavt Club, Saint Petersburg, Russian…