A Fabulous Day at the Dalriada Festival

It was with suspicious eyes that I opened the curtains on Fri 13^th July; it looked like the sun was shining, but with this being Northern Ireland, one can never be too sure.  Sure enough though, there it was!  But would it stay? That was the main concern. We were headed to the Dalriada festival in Glenarm later that day, and with the festival being 90% outdoors, the weather was pretty crucial to its success.  We had my mother in law and my niece over staying with us from Scotland and were trying to show them the best of what NI had to offer, so after a morning at Titanic Belfast we headed out towards Larne, the North Coast and eventually Glenarm. We arrived at the grounds to Glenarm Castle with the sun still shining and as we quickly discovered a lot of other people had the same idea.

We navigated to the carpark easily as the grounds were well signposted and a short walk later we were paying in. With under 12s free and discount for seniors it was priced very competitively. My wife and I paid £10 each. The next few hours were spent having an amazing time, but first we scurried over to the Fine Food zone for some hog roast and coffee while the Broken Strings bluegrass band played in the background, which later made way to a display of Irish dancing.

We then moved round to see the cooking display from Channel 4s Fabulous Baker Brothers.  The guys were on great form as they took us through cooking a salmon en croute using all local produce, which we managed to grab a piece of to taste once they had finished. It was delicious (even though I don’t really like salmon)!  The guys were super nice and stayed behind for a good 20mins taking pictures and chatting with everyone.  They were handing out stickers for their website and as they stuck one on me I thought it only fair to stick some of the new pastiebap.com stickers on them. 

After the cookery we saw Willie Drennan’s Ulster Scots Band playing in the beautiful walled gardens. We had some ice cream while we attempted to watch the world’s first sheep fashion show. This was absolutely mobbed but we managed to glimpse Lady Baba and Super Lamb walking the catwalk with ease.

We caught the tail end of the massive muscle men taking part in the 'Clash of the Celtic Giants', tossing the massive caber in the air. We had a quick go on the Segways on the way round and to finish the day off, there was the amazing dancing acrobatic display that is the AFRIKAN WARRIORS.

The Dalriada festival has some solid sponsors in the shape of P&O ferries, UTV, Calor and Audi and it’s great to see these companies getting behind what is a different kind of festival that is truly for the whole family.  In an over saturated market of music festivals, Dalriada truly is something different and long may it continue!

Glasgowbury 2012 preview

I went to my first Glasgowbury in 2008. That year the event was headlined by ASH.  It was the first small festival I’d been to, upto that point I’d only been to larger fests, Leeds weekender and Download.  I was blown away by the intimacy, the atmosphere and the commitment to local music. 

Since that time Glasgowbury has grown every year, but their commitment has remained the same, the atmosphere has stayed the same and it’s still a heck of a day out. To get to Glasgowbury you have to drive out of the city, into the countryside, to the foot of a mountain, get on a bus, drive further up the mountain and then hop into a field. But it’s worth the effort. You get to see the cream of Irish music in an amazing setting, mountains in the background, sun shining (hopefully) beer in hand with the volume turned all the way up.  So here’s our wee preview of the bands to see, what to bring, useful links and some sage advice that I’ve garnered over the years.

At a glance

Website: http://www.glasgowbury.com/

Ticket: £45

Parking: £5

Bus: £3

Pint: £3.50

Food: £4-5
Postcode for the Sat-Nav: BT45 7EN

What to pack

How it goes

As you get near to Draperstown you'll start seeing signs directing you to the site, the first one usually appears at the roundabout in Draperstown. Follow these and you can't go far wrong.  You'll eventually see some guys in fluorescent jackets directing you to the car park.  It costs £5 to park the car and I've never heard of anyone having issues with security in the car park, but make sure to hide any valuables out of plain site and lock the car.  You 'll then walk over to the ticketing area, where you collect your tickets, or if you already have them show them to the staff. They'll give you a wrist band. Do not lose this! It's your proof that you've paid to be there.  After tickets there's a security check.  They're mostly checking for glass and cooking or fire making stuff and should only take a minute or 2.  After this there's a wee hut where you pay £3 for a return coach ticket.  The walk to the campsite takes about 25-30 mins and it's all uphill, with all your stuff. So this really is the best option. The coaches come about every 10 mins and one is never far away.  The bus then takes you and your stuff up the hill and leaves you at the campsite.  There's usually 2 main ones: family and camper-vans and there's loads of staff around to direct you to the right one.  Once in, set up your tent and get your sleeping bag out. Basically take 15 mins to set your area up first.  You'll be thankful later!

Next open a beer and have a well deserved drink!  Take a look around and note where your tent is, this will come in handy when you're staggering back later that night.  When you head over the Arena you'll be checked for booze and have your wrist band checked.  You can nip back and forth to the campsite as much as you like but make sure to keep any valuables on you.  Have a walk around and note where the stages are, so you know where to go to see the bands you want.  Be sure once you're there that you soak it all in, join in a drum circle, make a poster, get your face painted, check out some new bands! Make sure and eat and drink some water through out the day, it's a good 12 hours and you want to make sure you see it all. 

Trying to decide what bands to see and when, use the clash finder.
Put in your choices, colour code them and then print it out!

Clashfinder

Glasgowbury sent out this wee notice of information. A must read if you're going.

Checklist link

Our Recommendations

Intermission


A 3 piece Alt-Rock group from Derry who have been around making noise (in one band or another) for quite a wee while now.  The noise is starting to be heard and it's getting louder. Great anthemic choruses and crunchy guitars makes us look forward to finally seeing these guys live.

Silhouette

You know the song off that NI 2012 Our Time, Our Place ads? Well that's Sillhouette; catchy huh? Fronted by Shauna Tohill it's "high energy alternative pop laced with flavours of darkness, hope and desire."  Having finally seen them live at Pigstock we're pretty excited about catching them again.

Pocket Billiards


9 Piece Ska bastards from Belfast.  Coming with a new album under one arm and a ready made party under the other.  The most fun you can have with your clothes on.


Triggerman


If you like your riffs chunky and your rock hard, then these are the guys for you. Bringing a sound thats familiar, catchy but strangley unique.  Rock up on the day, let your hair down and perhaps even join in a mosh pit.

Tucan
Beautiful music played beautifully.  Known for thier amazing instrumental re-workings of modern pop songs, These guys play the most amazing and precise guitars you'll hear all day.

We'll be heading up early on saturday morning and have a full write up ASAP.  We hope to see you up the mountain! #smallbutmassive

Five Things To Do In Northern Ireland this Summer

Whether it's one of those rare sunny summer days, or a typical rainy day off, there's something for everyone in our list of five things to do in our fair province this summer!


1. Belfast Film Festival

Running from 31st May to the 10th June Belfast Film Festival, "showcases both local talent, and the best in new International cinema" and will feature films shown in unusual places such as on a boat on the River Lagan or in St Anne's Cathedral. Opening and closing night films include Good Vibrations directed by Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn, and Whole Lotta Sole  directed by Terry George. The Festival not only features films but also workshops and talks by the creative teams behind Good Vibrations, Whole Lotta Sole and Shadow Dancer. A highlight of the festival is sure to be Stephen Rea in Conversation, where Marie-Louie Muir will conduct a public interview with Belfast born actor Stephen Rea who has appeared in ‘Nothing Personal’, ‘V for Vendetta’, ‘Michael Collins’, ‘Interview with the Vampire’, ‘The Butcher Boy,’ ‘I Could Read the Sky’, and ‘Breakfast on Pluto.' As the festival spans all across Belfast and will show such a wide variety of films, documentaries, interviews and workshops there's sure to be something for everyone.

2. Titanic Belfast

If you haven't already, visiting the world's largest Titanic visitor's experience is a must this summer. This £90 million building is in the heart of Belfast's Titanic Quarter and celebrates all that the Titanic had to offer, whilst simultaneously mourning the loss of lives on that tragic voyage. The building features 4 90ft 'hulls' which emulate the Titanic herself and the inside of the building contains ten galleries: Boomtown Belfast, The Shipyard, The Launch, The Fit-Out, The Maiden Voyage, The Sinking, The Aftermath, Myths & Legends, Exploring the Wreck and the Ocean Exploration Centre - each of which contain a series of interactive exhibitions. There's also a gift shop where you can pick up some souveniers of your day out, a cafe and a restaurant.

For a more comprehensive overview of what Titanic Belfast has to offer have a quick look at our previous article on our personal experience: http://www.pastiebap.com/2012/05/titanic-day-out.html

3. Ulster Museum

Situated at Botanic, the Ulster Museum is fun for all the family. Recently refurbished, the museum is worth another visit even if you've been before. It's free admission so you might as well give it a try on a rainy summer day (which sounds like most of our summer to be honest) even if you don't think museums are your thing. The Ulster Museum features exhibitions on everything from the Spanish Armada to Egyptian Mummies and with the new Age of the Dinosaur exhibition it's sure to excite and intrigue. The Age of the Dinosaur exhibition is running from 18th May to 16th September and features seven life-like animatronic dinosaurs which move and roar through a Jurassic forest. A video can be seen here.

4. Go to a Homegrown Music Festival

Times are hard, you guys and money's tight, so why not forgo your usual summer holiday or festival in England or Scotland for something a bit more local. This year's main festivals are Glasgowbury and Pigstock and PastieBap is heading to both! Set in the heart of the Sperrins, Glasgowbury just gets better and better and this year Northern Irish legends Therapy? will be headlining on Saturday 21st July. Other acts include Fighting With Wire, Axis Of, Kowalski and Pocket Billiards.

Pigstock this year will run from 1st July to 3rd July and acts such as Fighting With Wire, Not Squares, Pocket Billiards, Gascan Ruckus and Mojo Fury will be rocking Killinchy all night long. According to the Pigstock website, "there will be 28 bands playing across three stages over two days, a food village and the Pigstock bar. Local artist group Firsty! will be helping to make it visually the most colourful and interesting Pigstock to date!" And let's not forget the hog, the delicious suckling pig which gives Pigstock it's name!

For more info, check out our previous post of Northern Ireland festivalling: http://www.pastiebap.com/2012/05/pigstock-glasgowbury-local-festivalling.html

5. Land of Giants

On the Titanic Slipways on 30th June, Land of Giants will have arrived. Land of Giants is the largest outdoor arts event ever held in Northern Ireland. Featuring a cast and crew of over 500 people, Land of Giants is staged by Giant Events Company and features state-of-the-art digital animation, dramatic special effects and fireworks.

According to the Land of Giants website, "the theme for the event draws inspiration from the many Giants identified in the shared and diverse history and society of Northern Ireland – Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver, the legendary Finn McCool, Harland and Wolff’s iconic Samson and Goliath, the ships the Olympic and Titanic and of course the Giant’s Causeway – as well as the vision of Northern Ireland and its population as being giant in terms of ideas, talent and heritage."

Land of Giants is an event shrouded in mystery and we're very excited to see the epic spectacle on 30th June!

Other exciting events this Summer include Belsonic, the opening of the Giants Causeway visitor's centre, Gay Pride, the Irish Open and the Olympic Torch Relay, so get out and enjoy all that Northern Ireland has to offer.

By Laura Caldwell