| September is Culture & Heritage Month Following the resounding success of last year’s autumn Culture and Heritage Month, the Old Church Centre, will again host a range of heritage and cultural events across four weekends designed to appeal to the whole family. The month-long programme has been made possible due to support from Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Community Foundation Northern Ireland and the National Lottery Heritage Fund and kicks off with an exciting Maritime Weekend. On Saturday 3 September, storyteller Janice Witherspoon will run a workshop for primary school children which will have a distinctively nautical theme. This will be followed by announcing the winners of the Short Story Competition in the Old Church Centre and displaying the stories for everyone to enjoy. The afternoon in Cushendun will be buzzing with fun as the Cushendun District Development Association (CDDA) are hosting a family fun day in the village to celebrate the local community. This will be a free event for all the family, with music, food, bouncy castles, face painting and much more. Sunday 4 September brings the maritime heritage of the area to the fore, as our main event for the weekend is a guided, chartered boat trip of Cushendun Bay. A bus will pick up passengers in the main car park, transporting everyone to Ballycastle to board the Kintra II for a 2.5 hour sail around Torr head to Cushendun Bay. It will be a tour of the coastline with fascinating fishy tales and a unique local perspective on the maritime heritage of the area from someone whose family is steeped in seafaring history. It is limited to 40 places, so get your tickets here. Back on land in Cushendun in the late afternoon, there will be a two-part local history talk, one from the RNLI and the other from Glens of Antrim Historical Society. Representatives from the RNLI Redbay crew will be in the Old Church Centre to share their experiences of rescuing on the shores of the Glens over the last half century, as they mark their 50th anniversary. Following that, Iain Bradley from the Glens of Antrim Historical Society will give a talk on the history of mariners of the Glens who lost their lives at sea during the First World War. It is sure to be a memorable day laced with first hand local knowledge and celebrating the maritime heritage of Cushendun and its environs. European Heritage Open Day is on Saturday 10 September, and as part of the European celebrations, the Old Church Centre will be open across the weekend to visitors and will host two guided tours reflecting on the history, heritage and restoration of the building. Throughout the weekend, the annual Book Sale will also take place in Glenmona, and we would encourage visitors to pop in and support this worthy event, run by a team of very dedicated volunteers! A pop-up tea shop will also run in Glenmona House across the two days. Culture is at the forefront of the third weekend in September. On Saturday 17 September, we are pleased to announce that we will be joined by Bernie McGill and Medbh McGuckian for a creative writing workshop. Spaces are limited, so we strongly recommend booking ahead. In the afternoon, Bernie will read from her own works in what promises to be a thoroughly stimulating event. On Sunday 18 September, the Cushendun Community Cinema will put on a special showing of An Cailín Ciúin, IFTA winning film in the Irish language, which will be followed by a Q&A from key players in the Irish language media. On Sunday, Gaeil Ruairí Óg agus na Glinntí – will be hosting other in events in Cushendun as part of their culture weekend, Éigse na Glinntí. Check out their Facebook page for more information. Finally, on the last weekend of September, we will be marking the 1922 centenary. On Saturday, Turas Cois Abhainn Duinne will lead a guided tour of the village which reflects on what the village experienced during this significant year. In the afternoon, there will be a film screening and a Q&A which explores the period in Ireland through music. Music on Saturday night will come from the local Comhaltas branch who will perform a special concert which draws on the rich musical history of the ancient kingdom of Dal Riada. Our main event for the final weekend will take place on Sunday 25 September when we are thrilled to host Dr. Éamonn Phoenix for a special historical talk on the broader events of 1922 and how they have shaped in the last 100 years on the island of Ireland. It is sure to be a sell out event, so we would recommend getting your tickets early for this one, so you don’t miss out on what is sure to be a fascinating afternoon. All information is on our website www.theoldchurchcentre.com where you can see the timings for each event and find out details on how to book tickets. What else is on in August…Tomorrow is our Tuesday Get Together when we will have a special wine tasting afternoon. Come along between 2-4pm to the Old Church Centre. £5 entry applies to this event and it is gratefully funded by the Department for Communities. Tuesday 9 August – we will have the AUDITIONS for our first ever community Pantomime at 7pm in the Old Church Centre. No experience necessary and we want to hear from anyone, young, old or in between. There are also roles available for behind the scenes – pop along at 8pm if this is interests you rather than an on-stage role! The 4 of Us gig on Saturday 13 August is entirely SOLD OUT! We are so grateful to our patrons for supporting our events and hope you enjoy the night. The Cushendun Community Cinema is back on Sunday with two brilliant films. We have got the final installation of Toy Story 3 for the kids at 2pm and then we have the 2021 remake of West Side Story at 7.30pm that evening. Grab your tickets online or pay on the door. There are also only eight tickets left for our Children’s Drama Workshop with Glens Drama Group for the 8-11+ age group. It’s a two day event (Wednesday 17 & Thursday 18 Aug) so kids must be able to come along to both. Sign them up here for what is sure to be a fantastic couple of days. This event is gratefully funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Friday 19 August will see our Baby Disco back in Cushendun – something for the wee ones to enjoy – aimed at the U4s. Dance and play and a cup of tea for the parents! Book here. Sunday 21 August sees the return of the Pop Up Tea Shop – come along for a home baked treat between 11-4pm. The bank holiday weekend see the beginning of the Local Artists Art Exhibition – come along to see some local talent and maybe take home a painting or two… |