NI2012 does not think small. Exhibit A being the curtain rising on the Titanic Belfast visitor centre, with a city-wide Titanic Festival and extraordinary light show to mark the occasion. Seems they’ve only just begun too. The summer sees another three whopper events being wheeled out in typical overachieving style. From Jude Law, to ocean [...]

We’re not a big island. Ireland is roughly 81,000 square kms; about the size of the American State of Indiana, and just bit bigger than Scotland. So how is it that our landscapes are big business, and known for an epic vastness of changing skies, rolling hills and distant peaks? One answer would be Ciaran [...]

You could call Peter McCabe the landscape whisperer. He can coax out of an everyday scene the most evocative compositions. I’m talking clouds almost three-dimensional in their bouffant-ness, seas swelling and splashing against the picture, and sands so full of texture I fear they’ll scratch my screen. Lucky for us, this whisperer can wield a [...]

“There is a sense that something big is on the horizon”, says Belfast author Susie Millar. I’ve asked her about the atmosphere in the city at the moment. Belfast of course built the legendary Titanic and plans to mark the 100-year anniversary with nothing less than a festival, firework-laced opening of a Titanic visitor centre [...]

Ready for a party? You’d want to be if you’re planning on coming here. There’s always a festival around the bend in Ireland, usually closely followed by bunting, dancing, eating, singing and most definitely laughing.  Scanning our calendar, or indeed walking into our major towns half the time, you’d probably think we put on a [...]

Ah, the pub. Cornerstone of community, culture and craic. Den of shoulder rubbing and bad joking. Where live music and lively chat intersect at a smooth mahogany bar. It’s more than occasionally true that our version of ‘one-horse’ towns are in fact ‘one-church one-shop three-pub’ towns. And it’s always the pubs that will be full, noisy [...]

Ireland is a love story. Our city streets and pastoral countryside are stages upon which some of the world’s greatest love stories have played out. Our wordsmiths have crafted some of the most romantic feats of penmanship ever – see Patrick Kavanagh’s Raglan Road or WB Yeats’ He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven. Oh, [...]

Dublin is in for a shock. A real culture shock. Visitors and locals alike will be chewing their lips in indecision at how to choose between an entire galaxy of cool events. Here’s what I’m looking at… Jameson Dublin International Film Festival First on the line-up of fabulous distraction is this 10-day film festival, kicking [...]

Sitting just outside the capital county of Dublin is Kildare, with its strong horsey and golfing ties. However there’s more to the lily white county than just magnificent stud farms (deemed worth a visit by the Queen of England, no less) and award-winning links courses… I’m talking awe-inspiring landscapes, beautiful stately homes and a very [...]

Big things, Giant things, Titanic things are afoot in Northern Ireland. The biggest celebrations in its history are lined up for 2012, and it’ll take a whole twelve months to get through them all. From festivals to concerts, great unveilings and grand openings, the calendar is packed to the brim. Here’s why yours will be [...]