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

Féile an Phobail are giving away a pair of tickets to Transatlantic Sessions, a concert showcasing the The finest Celtic and Americana music on Thursday 4th February 2010. Opening Féile an Phobail, and in association with the Waterfront Hall, Transatlantic Sessions brings together Grammy, BBC Folk, BAFTA and Meteor Award winners from around the world for one night only. With the sublime voices of Scotland’s Eddi Reader and Karen Matheson (Capercaillie) alongside Ireland’s Cara Dillon.

Featuring: Nickel Creek vocalist/fiddler Sara Watkins; fiddle maestro Aly Bain, dobro legend Jerry Douglas, O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack star Dan Tyminski (guitar & mandolin); Bruce Molsky (fiddle) and festival favourite Tim O’Brien, with another of Americana’s great interpreters – his sister Mollie O’Brien.

To win, simply answer the question and email to the address below:

Competition closed. Winner: Catherine Higgins. Congratulations!

To book tickets, call the Waterfront Box Office on 028 9033 4455 or book online.

In the run-up to February 2010’s Féile an Earraigh, we are offering three of you the chance to win CDs from the Scottish supergroup, The Peatbog Faeries! The Peatbog Faeries were described by Glastonbury Festival goers in this way: “I wanted to check out REM but sorry guys, it’s your misfortune to be on at the same time as The Peatbog Faeries, the highlight of Glastonbury. Mere earth words can’t do the Faeries justice…” We at Féile think you should experience the Faeries!

To win 2009’s ‘Peatbog Faeries: Live’, 2007’s ‘What Men Deserve to Lose’ or 2005’s ‘Croftwork’ just enter your details below and answer the question. The Peatbog’s will play the Féile Marquee in Bank Square on February 6th 2010 along with guests Gino Lupari, Dónal Murphy and Steve Cooney. Tickets can be purchased here.

Competition Entry Form

Competition closed. Winner: *. Congratulations!

Asylum seekers and refugees are one of the most marginalised, impoverished, discriminated against and lied about groups. The vast majority are here because they were forced to flee injury and death in their own countries. The three countries that most of them come from are Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia – the most unsafe countries in the world. Many of them wait for years before their applications for asylum are decided. They are not allowed to work, and they are not allowed to claim benefits. If they can show that they are destitute then they are given 70% of the lowest rate of income support. If they are homeless then they are provided with accommodation – often a room in a shared house. They can be detained at any time by immigration officers. They are separated from their families and friends. Many do not speak the language and suffer desperate isolation and loneliness. They alsosuffer racist attacks often fuelled by the lies told about them.Many of them have children who suffer the same fate as their parents.

There comes a time of year in every faith when we are asked to stop and think about others, and since Christmas is the most recognised tradition for doing so locally, LMHR have launched an appeal for gifts for the NI Community for Refugees and Asylum Seekers to be distributed to the families they have been working with, and supporting over the last year.

Between now and the next Melting Pot gig which takes place on Thursday 17th December at The Menagerie, you can donate a Christmas gift by either bringing it along on the night or by dropping it into your nearest allocated drop in centre, which will be collected and donated to NICRAS on the 18th December. (details below).

The Christmas Melting Pot on the 17th will continue to celebrate the diversity of music and people, and for the month of December we will have an African vibe with performances from two of the Norths most popular Afrobeat bands, Talking Drum and The Afresh. There will also be a debut acoustic performance from Reggae artist Rassie Ai, plus some interactive drumming that will include you the audience (anyone with a drum bring it along), and as resident DJ Venus Rollergirl will be back in the driving seat she will be knocking out everything from dub to reggae and ska.

Barbara Muldoon who is a Spokesperson for the Anti Racism Network and an Asylum and Immigration Law Practitioner says In 2009 LMHR was one of the foremost groups in Northern Ireland highlighting and challenging the deeply poisonous effects of racism and promoting and celebrating the strength and cultural enrichment of a multi-cultural and diverse society. This is a fitting event to end the year and a particularly fitting event to have at Christmas. It reminds us that the men, women and children who live in Northern Ireland as asylum seekers and refugees are the innocent victims of the violence and wars raging across the planet. They dont deserve condemnation and racist abuse- they deserve our heartfelt human solidarity.

You can bring your unwrapped gift along on the night or you can drop it in to one of the following allocated drop in centres.

Appeal has now ended.

Community Arts Forum – 15 Church St, Belfast, BT1 1PG www.caf.ie

Féile An Phobail – Teach na Féile, 473 Falls Road, Belfast, BT12 6DD www.feilebelfast.com

Oh Yeah Music Centre – 15-21 Gordon Street, Belfast, BT1 2LG www.ohyeahbelfast.com

The Beat Iniative/Belfast Carnival Office – 11-47 Boyd Street Belfast BT13 2GU www.belfastcarnival.com

Windsor Womens Centre – 133 Broadway, Belfast, BT12 6HY www.windsorwomans.co.uk

Please consider practical gifts for families.

Any businesss that would like to donate any stock can e-mail us at love_music_hate_racism_ireland@yahoo.co.uk and we will come and collect

This week the office has experienced Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Cherish the Ladies… Christmas jingles! For more information, check out Féile events on Facebook, or give us a call! See you soon!

The event was introduced by Danny Morrison, Chair, Féile an Phobail, and included a Q & A session afterwards.

Thanks again for everything, it’s been a long yet exciting 2009 and we are delighted that you were with us throughout the year, supporting the communities we work with daily and the team here at Teach na Féile.

Have a great weekend, coinnigí slán!
The team at Féile an Phobail

There were two age categories: stories by those aged between 11 and 13 years; and those aged between 14 and 16 years. And here are the winners!

11-13 Year Old Category
FIRST – Georgia Ramm, aged 13, from RBAI [Inst], for ‘Forget Me Not’
SECOND – Alanna Branagh, aged 13, from RBAI, for ‘The Photo Album’
THIRD – Áine Cooper, aged 13, from RBAI, for ‘Dare Game’

14-16 Year Old Category
FIRST – Roísín Duffy, aged 16, from Coláiste Feirste
SECOND – Cliodhna NicBhranair, from Coláiste Feirste, for ‘Spend It Well’
THIRD – Marguerite McPeake, aged 15, from St Louise’s Comprehensive College, for ‘When I Answered The Phone’

First Prize winners: An IPOD Nano 8 GB
Second Prize winners: £50 HMV Vouchers
Third Prize winners: £25 HMV Vouchers

Féile an Phobail would like to congratulate the six young winners and the runners-up who participated so enthusiastically in Draíocht’s short-story competition.

The line-up includes:

• Penguin Cafe*
• The Peatbog Faeries*
• John Joe Kelly (special guests TBA)*
• David Munnelly Band*
• Gine Lupari, Dónal Murphy & Steve Cooney*
• Beoga*
• Lau*

Tickets will sell very quickly, so we urge you to get your hands on them before Christmas and online booking starts. You can also call into our HQ and get your hands on tickets. The new programme will be available soon to download, and Féile t-shirts are almost ready to go! Don’t miss out, have a great week!

The team @ Teach na Féile x

We’ll make sure to make it up to you at Féile an Earraigh. As well as a line-up that is (literally!) the hugest current bands on the folk and traditional scenes on Ireland and the surrounding islands, we will also have cool competitions… More to come, votevotevote (click here)!

Tweet and Facebook wherever possible! If you’re want to, you can also forward this to all of your Hotmail, Gmail and Yahoo! friends by clicking here.

Thanks a chairde,
It’s freeezing and I’m sitting out the back of the office listening to music, must get back up to my cosy room! Go raibh míle maith agaibh!