Sailortown’s St Patricks’ Day show will be live streamed across eight online platforms, from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and NVTV, from 2pm to 9pm from St Joseph’s Chapel.
With a packed schedule of music, dance and art it represents a unique opportunity to celebrate the Patron Saint as well pay tribute to the work to restore St Joseph’s as a community hub.
Project manager for Sailortown Regeneration, Terry McKeown said it was important that they were able to share this landmark occasion for Sailortown.
“We are delighted to have such a stellar line-up that we can broadcast to friends, near and far” Terry said.
“The years of campaigning and hard work to open St Joseph’s deserve to be celebrated and we can promise that it will be a packed day that will have you not wanting to miss a minute.”
Several performances will be live broadcasted from St Joseph’s across two stages and all the acts will be introduced by U105 presenter and DJ, Johnny Hero.
Seamus Lavery of opening act, Dalriada Folk said: “Although I was not born in Sailortown I have a long association with St Joseph’s through Conradh na Gaelidhge.
“In more recent times I have been a supporter of the Save St Joseph’s campaign, playing with the band at fundraisers and a few years ago we played in the church when it was reopened.
A feature during the day will be the presentation of a video on Sailortown, recounting the history, and the battles to win the lease when the church was deconsecrated through to the ongoing work.
Seamus O’Neill, director of Belfast City Blues Festival said: “As I was born and bred in Fleet Street Sailortown, I am a million per cent behind this event and everything Terry McKeown and her team and friends are actively doing to bring Sailortown back to what it once was, a brilliant, vibrant and positive community hub in Belfast City.
The Belfast City Blues Festival is looking forward to working with Sailortown Regeneration.”
Susan Picken, director of Cathedral Quarter Trust and Culture Night Belfast said: “Fantastic to see the great online programme our friends and ’neighbours’ Sailortown Regeneration are putting on for St Patrick’s Day – can’t wait.”
Simon Wood, Chairperson, Northern Visions TV said: “We are delighted to be able to support the Sailortown community and former residents on St. Patrick’s Day, they say that sometimes you will never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory, let us hope that the enthusiasm of those intent on saving what is left of this community brings a brighter future.”
Singer songwriters Amanda St John and Anthony Toner will be among the line-up. Anthony, who released his song Sailortown in 2008, said: “St Joseph’s is a beautiful building, the atmosphere of churches is always welcoming to musicians, I think – there’s a sense of the music rising up into the rafters that you don’t get in more traditional venues.
“The history of that part of the city adds another layer of importance to the place, and the exciting plans for its regeneration make it feel multi-layered, the past and the future of Sailortown collide right here, in this space, right now.”
Singer songwriter, Ludwig O’Neill, is no stranger to Sailortown having campaigned to keep the Rotterdam and Pat’s Bar from development, will bring his dark, realistic folk and blues tunes to the party.
He said: “I am very pleased to have been included in this St Patrick’s Day event almost a year since I played there before.
“Sailortown is in my blood, it’s the heartbeat of North Belfast and over the years has been Belfast’s conduit to the rest of the world. St Joseph’s chapel has long been the spiritual hub of that area.”
This year’s St Patrick’s Day event is being funded by Intercom, The Executive Office and The Community Relations Council.
Terry said it’s a big turning point in the history of the chapel. She added: “It’s about bringing people back to showcase the creative talent that’s in Belfast and celebrating the transformation of the Chapel on the quays to a community hub.”
“The rich cultural and historical heritage of Sailortown is something we look forward to celebrating on St Patrick’s Day.
“This will also be an event with an eye very much on the future at St Joseph’s and what we hope will be a vibrant future.”
A full list of St Patrick’s Day Live from Sailortown streams is below.
All performances and the event will adhere to Covid-19 restrictions.
Details of the line-up can be found at sailortownregeneration.com or on Sailortown Regeneration Facebook page.
Catch the live broadcast on 17th March on….
Sailortown Twitter: https://twitter.com/StJoesBelfast
Sailortown Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/friendsofstjosephssailortown
Sailortown YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCokO_cwb3iDvUjQ-59kcs3g
Culture Night Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CultureNightBelfast/
Belfast City Blues Festival Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialbelfastcitybluesfestival
BAM Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bammagni