From soaps to drama, local newspapers to chat radio, how does the media influence our attitudes to LGBT people? Does it reflect who we are and do we have any real influence in how we are poytrayed?

As part of Féile’s 2010 programme of talks, Outburst Queer Arts Festival asks the big questions in a lively discussion about how we are seen and how we see ourselves.

Panel: James Doherty (‘Brookside’ writer/former NUJ President ); Robert Toner (Lisburn LGBT Group); Ruth McCarthy (Outburst); and local media representatives. Chaired by Marie Quiery.

The discussion will be followed by Gaylidh!, LGBT céilí, with musicians from Copperplate Céilí Band & caller Ronan Eastwood.

ALL WELCOME! Kindly supported by Belfast Media Group and Unison.

This year, Féile an Phobail has pulled out all the stops! Nobel Literature Laureate Seamus Heaney, Dublin’s Damien Dempsey, Texan singer Michelle Shocked, Lara Marlowe, Ceol go Phailistín, Neville Staple, Lenny Henry (comedy night) and much more! Choose from over 200 events ranging from music to drama, and lectures to sport in our fantastic, expansive new programme!

Click here to download the 2010 programme!

You can also choose a single section of our programme to view online: Music & Fun | Féile Sessions | Discussion & Debate | Books, Literature & Storytelling | Dramas | Exhibitions | Family, Children & Outdoor | Féile Youth Fringe Festival | Sports | Tours & Walks | Across The Community | A Taste of Féile | Map of Venues

Tickets are bound to sell out fast, so get yours as far in advance as possible to avoid disappointment! For competitions, don’t forget to check out our upcoming ‘Competitions’ section on Facebook, or join our mailing list! Féile FM will also be running cool events, so don’t forget to tune in

August is coming, August is coming!!

The team @ Féile HQ x

Now, for some exciting news: we have a sneak peak for you of our August Féile 2010 programme! A note beforehand, to get the full programme the day it becomes available, sign up to our mailing list! Each year we have in excess of 200 events, mainly organised by the community, as well as huge concerts and our energetic community-powered Carnival Parade!

So, here goes…

Opening Bank Square Marquee on 30 July is Damien Dempsey. The Times recently described Dempsey as “the Bob Marley of Ireland”; a comparison which holds true when one witnesses the devotion of his audience and his charismatic presence on stage.

Tickets for all events, by the way, will be on sale soon – so to make sure you get a pair or two, we really recommend you join our newsletter. Damien will also be joined by a local support act who are, to say the least, rising to the top of their game rapidly!

On 31 July, Grammy-award winning New York based Everlast, who has produced songs for the likes of Snoop Dog and appeared on tracks alongside Madonna and Limp Bizkit, will take to the stage.

On 1 August, Michelle Shocked and Gemma Hayes will bring their powers to the stage. Shocked, a proud Texan and political activist, describes herself as a “the most sophisticated hillbilly you’ll ever meet,” in the know that “hillbilly is no compliment!”. Her humour, words and voice are powers to be reckoned with! Gemma Hayes from Tipperary has taken the world by storm with her voice. You’ll have heard her voice on the Hollywood film Mr & Mrs Smith and is known for her eclectic blend of folk, prog rock and electronica. She is recording her new album in Los Angeles and in France.

2 August sees the welcome return to Féile a Phobail of Neville Staple. Best known for his work writing & composing, the lead singer from The Specials, and as one of the founding members of Fun Boy 3, Neville Staple is credited with changing the face of pop music not only once but twice – this is the original rude boy!

On 4 August, bringing their ‘Gershwin Plays Gershwin’ performance to Clonard Monastery, the St. Petersburg Russian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra bring a fresh new side to the festival, and have been described as ‘Ambassadors of goodwill through music’. All the way from Russia, tickets will fly for this unique and stunning performance in one of Ireland’s most beautiful concert settings.

On 8 August, as is traditional for our August Féile finale, we go back to the 80s with ABC! With a blend of pop rock, new wave and synthpop, this Sheffield group will end the festival in style!

Wow, well, that’s our preview! For the full line up, on the second it becomes available, please join the newsletter! Tickets coming very, very soon!

The team at Féile HQ x

As well as a fantastic world-class line-up of comedians (including Karl Spain, Neil Delamere and Paul Tonkinson), there are also Dramas, The Craic Pack (inprov gold!), Laugh 4 Haiti (raising funds for victims of the recent earthquake) and Laugh On The Metro! Click here to view or download our full 2010 programme!

Press note: high resolution images and biographies are available under the ‘Media’ section of this website (click here).

Friday night headlines with the man we all know from the telly and one of Ireland’s biggest stand up names, Karl Spain. He has performed his comedy all over the world. He’s probably best known in Ireland for his TV series Karl Spain Wants A Woman which was a huge success in that he not only got huge ratings but he also found himself a woman. Karl also writes his own short films and can also be seen on BBC Stand Up Show, BBC Choice Comedy, Class Clowns, Liffey Laughs (series 1 and 2) and The Panel and has appeared on Tubridy Tonight, The Late Late Show and The Afternoon Show. Karl will be supported by New Yorker Aidan Bishop began his comedy career in his hometown but has since relocated to Dublin. He is the resident MC of the famous International Comedy Club… Ireland’s leading Alternative Comedy Club now with 5 shows a week. Taking the night’s local slot by storm will be Aaron Butler.

Saturday is truly not a night for the faint hearted with the hold-nothing-back crusader Neil Delamere taking centre stage! Presently working on The Panel the RTÉ comedy news show alongside Ed Byrne and Colin Murphy and hosted by Dara Ó Briain, Neil is also a regular on The Blame Game, a topical tv show for the BBC. Hailed by the Irish Independent for his countless MC skills, Neil is the regular compere at several gigs round Dublin. He has performed all over Ireland as well as at the prestigious Kilkenny Cats Laughs Festival, the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival and the Adelaide Fringe Festival. He featured in both series of Liffey Laughs, RTE’s stand-up show in 2005 and 2006 as well as The World Stands Up for Paramount. Neil will be supported by Bernard O’Shea whose television credits include RTÉ’s The Liffey Laugh, Naked Camera, Just for Laughs, The Cafe, The Byrne Ultimatium, Gerry Ryans Hitlist/End of Years and is currently the resident reporter on Republic of Telly.

Sunday night sees the comedic great Paul Tonkinson close the festival. A much sought after comedian for live comedy shows all over Britain and internationally, Paul is has presented ‘Take the Mic’ for ITV, ‘The Big Breakfast’ for Channel 4 and the London and Manchester Breakfast Shows for XFM. A former Time Out ‘Comedian of the Year’, he recently appeared on BBC One’s Michael Mcintyre’s Comedy Roadshow. Paul will be supported by Sunderland’s Matt Reed, and with so many gigs of every size under his belt, from 3000 to 30, there is pretty much no comedy situation Matt can’t handle. The nights local slot will be filled by the one and only Gemma Hutton, described as ‘[a] Spanking brand new female comic, who has hit the scene with a bang. The next big thing to come out of the north since Harp.’

The night time compere for the weekend will be our own Seamus Carabine.

On Saturday 29th, a marathon comedy event will take place in Belfast’s Oh Yeah Music Centre. Laugh 4 Haiti will raise funds for the people affected by the Haitian earthquake which occurred in January 2010. Almost 20 comedians will take to the stage in the marathon day beginning at 1pm – come support the fantastic cause and Laugh for Haiti.

BOOK TICKETS »
Press images are available here.

To submit your event, simply visit our ‘Get Involved’ page by clicking here (updated: deadline passed). Once you’ve read the information, click on the ‘Submit Event’ button and fill in the details. We will contact you within a few days to confirm your event!

If your event is included in our programme, not only will it get extra exposure, it will be covered by our festival insurance policy (unless it is high risk and involves, for example, fire eating or doing a u-turn on the M4, etc. contact our office for clarification). The deadline for inclusion in our programme is Friday 14th May 2010.

Click here (Update: link no longer live, deadline passed) to get involved!

In 2009 we launched our very first comedy festival, and Belfast’s first dedicated weekend comedy festival, which will take place again this year with, as always, a fantastic line-up. Chairman Danny Morrison and Director Sean Paul O’Hare will give a detailed overview of the success of the four festivals which marked our 21st year.

Our new management committee will be elected as part of the proceedings. We look forward to your feedback.

DOWNLOAD REPORT (PDF, 1.10MB)

Tonight, get down to Lau and Beoga, supported by local group Aibhléis – late bar, big music and a great night of fun and entertainment to be had. Hope to see you there, tons of Twitter updates, Flickr photos and YouTube videos to come over the next few days. Have any videos or photos? Email them along with ‘Féile Online’ in your subject line to info@feilebelfast.com – thanks for taking part in Féile an Earraigh No.7, it’s been fantastic so far!

Everyone at Féile HQ x