A MUSICAL evening with Eurovision’s Dana and a new documentary starring Irish actor Ciarán Hinds are some of the events at The Saint Patrick Centre to mark a weekend of celebrations around St Patrick’s Day.
St Patrick’s Day is one of the most celebrated festivals in the world,” said Dr Tim Campbell, Centre Director. “We look forward to celebrating in the cross-community spirit of Saint Patrick, with something for all ages, interests and backgrounds”. The celebrations begin on Friday 14th March, with a prize-giving ceremony for the winners of the Maureen Donnelly Memorial Competition, a creative writing contest for students in Key Stages 3 and 4. Maureen Donnelly was a longstanding board member of the Saint Patrick Centre who dedicated much of her life to writing. The competition, inaugurated last year after her death, was created to honour her love of literature. “Maureen was a great friend of the Centre,” said Dr Campbell. “And it gives us great pleasure to know that her love of writing is being celebrated and encouraged among a new generation”. The competition winners will be presented with their prizes, kindly sponsored by Maureen Donnelly’s family, with first place taking home £400 and £300 for KS4 and KS3 (respectively).
Also on Friday 14th enjoy a ‘Musical Evening with Dana’. Dana, the first Irish winner of Eurovision, describes this show as “an intimate evening, a kind of musical journey through my life and songs, the important milestones in my life that mean a lot to me”. Accompanied by her brother, Dana will sing Light the Fire her new song for St Patrick as well as classic favourites like All Kinds of Everything. There are still a few spaces left for the show, tickets cost £20 and can be purchased on Eventbrite. On Saturday 15th families are especially welcome to come and join Seek the Sheep a fun new children’s trail from 10.00 – 15.00, as well as facepainting from 11.00 – 13.00, and children’s crafts from 11.00 – 14.45. “Our family-friendly events are a great way to kick off your St Patrick’s Day celebrations,” said Heritage Officer Catherine Murray. “Facepainting and crafts are firm favourites, while our new trail Seek the Sheep tasks participants with finding St Patrick’s runaway sheep that are lost in Downpatrick”. The events are free and parents are asked to call to book for crafts as spaces are limited. On Sunday 16th visitors can enjoy traditional live music in the Saint Patrick Centre’s Garden Cafe from ‘Celtic Flow’ (13.00 – 14.30) and enjoy a free screening of the new documentary on St Patrick, a collaboration between the BBC and RTE, which stars Ciarán Hinds (15.00). On St Patrick’s Day itself, the celebrations will include live music from the Andrea Rice Band and Irish dancing performances.
Three local Irish dancing schools – Doherty Petri Down, Brennan/Miskelly/McCormick, and Norney Henderson – will showcase their pupils’ talent in the centre. Get ready for the parade with facepainting, hear tales of our Patron Saint and learn of local legends in a storytelling circle, and try your hand at circus skills in our free workshop. Finally, DJ Duff will bring the fun and spin some classic tunes, playing out the day’s celebrations. The Saint Patrick Centre’s March events continue after St Patrick’s Day, with the centre hosting BBC 4’s Any Questions on Friday 21st from 18.00 to 21.30. Tickets are free and booking is required.
For more information or to book contact The Saint Patrick Centre at 02844 61900. Friday March 14 (ticketed)A Musical Evening with Dana 19.30. Saturday 15th March Facepainting 11.00 – 13.00, Seek the Sheep 10.00 – 15.00, Crafts 11.00 – 11.45, 12.00 – 12.45, 13.00 – 13.45, 14.00 – 14.45. Sunday 16th March Screening of RTE/BBC Documentary on Saint Patrick 15.00. Live Music from Celtic Flow 13.00 to 14.30. Monday 17th March Face Painting 10.00 – 13.00, Performance by Brennan/Miskelly/McCormick School of Irish Dance 10.30 – 11.00, Storytelling Circle 11.00 – 13.00, Circus Skills Workshop 11.00 – 13.00, Performance by Andrea Rice Band 11.30 – 13.00, Performance by Doherty Petri Down School of Irish Dance 12.00 – 12.30, Performance by Norney Henderson School of Irish Dance 15.30 – 16.00, Disco with DJ Duff 15.00 – 17.00