Mid Ulster Arts Festival

It’s time for a celebration of the arts!  A month long mix of entertainment, music, drama, exhibitions and workshops will shine a light on Mid Ulster’s arts scene for the very first time.

Running from 1 – 31 March, the Mid Ulster Arts Festival will include renowned acts from across the district such as Blackwater Ceili Band as well as featuring the Ulster Orchestra. With a great variety of events throughout the month there’s something for all the family to enjoy! 

St. Patricks Day in Mid Ulster

Celebrate St Patrick's Day in Mid Ulster and experience music, entertainment and family fun. The annual St. Patrick’s Concert is back in The Burnavon on 11 March, with members of Irish Traditional group 'Four Men and a Dog', Cathal Hayden, Stephen Hayden, Gino Lupari and Kevin Doherty. The concert will showcase a variety of local talent and will include performances by Holy Trinity College Traditional Music Group and Cookstown Folk Club. Compere for the evening is Lynette Fay, who sure to keep the chat and craic going!

On Friday 17 March, celebrate St. Patrick's Day at a FREE family fun day on Hill of The O’Neill with live music, face painting, Irish dancing, amusements, arts and crafts and more. Headlining, is the renowned Blackwater Céilí Band - widely recognised as one of the finest exponents of Irish Traditional Music- they are sure to bring their boundless energy and passion to The Hill this St. Patrick's Day! There will also be live traditional music from members of Coalisland and Clonoe Comhaltas.

Celebrate the Irish Language

Seachtain Na Gaeilge takes place in March with a series of talks taking place including Thursday 2nd March, Séamus Mac Giolla Phádraig - “Canúint Thír Eoghain/The Tyrone Dialect” and Thursday 9th March Dr. Donal McAnallen - “The GAA in Tyrone 100 Years Ago”. A number of Irish Language events will also be taking place at An Carn.  

Performances

The Ulster Orchestra will take to the Burnavon stage on Friday 3 March, for a musical celebration to uplift and inspire! The Bardic Theatre will present their play ‘Belfast Girls’ on Friday 3 & Saturday 4 March with an additional show taking place in the Burnavon on Saturday 18 March.   

The cast of The Trumpet and The King will take to The Helicon stage at Seamus Heaney HomePlace on Thursday 16 March. This remarkable play, set in Tudor England follows the lives of two young men as they navigate life and growing up in a divided society. 

Arts and craft workshops

The festival includes a programme of arts and crafts workshops including Hill of The O’Neill & Ranfurly house which is offering The Art of Hand Embroidery Workshop on Saturday 4 March and Tiffany Stained Glass Workshop on Saturday 11 March.

The Burnavon will host Spring Wreath Making on Saturday 11 March and Silver Jewellery Making on Saturday 18 March. 

What’s on for Older People

Hill of The O’Neill will host a Tea Dance on Thursday 9 March, an afternoon of music and old time dance moves. Each Monday in March, BEAM Creative Network have their ‘Young at heart’ arts and crafts programme for older people. 

What’s on for kids

There's fun for all the family in Mid Ulster this Easter! The Burnavon's Easter Family Fun Day takes place on Saturday 25 March, from 12 – 2pm, with drop in arts and crafts, face painting and music with an ASD Friendly hour from 11am – 12 noon. 

Children can come along to the Burnavon for Mother’s Day Card and Present Making (ASD Friendly) or to Hill of The O’Neill for Mother’s Day Cupcake Bathbomb Making - both taking place on Saturday 18 March. 

Two school’s events will take place at Hill of The O’Neill & Ranfurly House ‘The Workhouse: World Book Day and Create a Castle! 

Clubs & Courses

BEAM Creative Network will host ‘Beyond Limits’ , a drama and dance course for young people aged 14 – 25 years (with and without a disability), every Saturday in March. As well as their ‘Mighty Minds’ social club for young people aged 14 -25 years with additional needs, where they will focus on arts/crafts, mindfulness, drama and music every Wednesday evening in March.

Literary events

Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy will welcome a number of high profile names to The Helicon stage for a range of ‘in conversation’, drama, poetry and music events as part of the Mid Ulster Arts Festival. Critically-acclaimed author Graeme Macrae Burnet chats to Jan Carson about his fascinating career and recently Booker-longlisted novel Case Study on the afternoon of Saturday 4 March. 

Edge Street Live presents Henry Normal: Collected poems and other landfill at Seamus Heaney HomePlace on Friday 24 March and promises to be an unmissable evening of entertainment and escapism. 

One of the many highlights of the festival is an exclusive exhibition (‘Nostalgia in the Afternoon’ - From Gorgon to the New Yorker) of Seamus Heaney archived materials that will be on display at Magherafelt Library from Wednesday 1 March – Tuesday 21 March. To mark World Poetry Day and the end of this very special exhibition, Pat Brennan (exhibition curator) will deliver a talk at Magherafelt Library on the evening of Tuesday 21 March.

Towards the end of the festival, contemporary music group, Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble will showcase their talents at Seamus Heaney HomePlace on Wednesday 29 March where they will perform three beautiful works celebrating music and poetry.