Lifestyle

The greatest celebration of Northern Ireland’s pub culture is coming to Ballymena this May, following the launch of a brand new initiative launched by Pubs of Ulster.
Miss Northern Ireland, Meagan Green and Olga Walls (right), Derg Arms, join Stephen Reynolds and staff from the Front Page Bar at the launch of The Great Ulster Pub Week at Café Vaudeville. The Great Ulster Pub Week, which takes place 1st-9th May 2014, will be the biggest pub centric multi-venue event seen in Northern Ireland and with over 140 pubs across Northern Ireland already signed up, it promises to showcase great food, great entertainment and great craic. For further information, visit www.greatulsterpubweek.com or find The Great Ulster Pub Week on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and Instagram using the hashtag, #UlsterPubWeek . Photos by Darren Kidd at Press Eye.Miss Northern Ireland, Meagan Green and Olga Walls (right), Derg Arms, join Stephen Reynolds and staff from the Front Page Bar at the launch of The Great Ulster Pub Week at Café Vaudeville. The Great Ulster Pub Week, which takes place 1st-9th May 2014, will be the biggest pub centric multi-venue event seen in Northern Ireland and with over 140 pubs across Northern Ireland already signed up, it promises to showcase great food, great entertainment and great craic. For further information, visit www.greatulsterpubweek.com or find The Great Ulster Pub Week on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and Instagram using the hashtag, #UlsterPubWeek . Photos by Darren Kidd at Press Eye.
Miss Northern Ireland, Meagan Green and Olga Walls (right), Derg Arms, join Stephen Reynolds and staff from the Front Page Bar at the launch of The Great Ulster Pub Week at Café Vaudeville. The Great Ulster Pub Week, which takes place 1st-9th May 2014, will be the biggest pub centric multi-venue event seen in Northern Ireland and with over 140 pubs across Northern Ireland already signed up, it promises to showcase great food, great entertainment and great craic. For further information, visit www.greatulsterpubweek.com or find The Great Ulster Pub Week on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and Instagram using the hashtag, #UlsterPubWeek . Photos by Darren Kidd at Press Eye.

The Great Ulster Pub Week, which takes place from May 1 to 9, will be the biggest pub centric multi-venue event seen in Northern Ireland and will showcase all that is ‘Great’ about the Ulster pub.

With over 150 pubs from right across Northern Ireland signed up, and more expected to join the roster over the next month, The Great Ulster Pub Week will feature hundreds of unique events showcasing great food, great entertainment and great craic.

From live music to magic; pub quizzes to arts, crafts, charity challenges and much more besides, bars across NI will show their best side with a packed programme of hundreds of events this May.

The Great Ulster Pub Week will kick off on Thursday, May 1 with a Guinness World Record attempt to stage the world’s largest simultaneous multi-venue pub quiz in association with Downtown Radio. The attempt, which will see registered Pubs across NI take part in the live pub quiz, will be broadcast on Downtown and aims to beat the current record of 2,679 participants in 39 venues.

Mark Stewart, chairman, Pubs of Ulster said: “From the traditional country pub, to the cosmopolitan city centre wine bar; pubs play a vital part in our economic, social and cultural past, present and future and ‘The Great Ulster Pub Week’ aims to recognise and build upon this.

“It’s not just the regulars who treasure our pubs - tourists rate our pubs as one of the best attractions and experiences in Northern Ireland. In fact, pubs are the largest grossing tourism sector in Northern Ireland with almost 80 per cent of all tourists visiting a pub and almost 70 per cent eating in one.

“Today many of our local pubs serve top notch food and provide weekly entertainment; they showcase sports and games and get involved in fundraising. Our pubs are the first and best form of social networking, providing a safe place to meet old friends and make new ones and they can offer a platform for aspiring musicians, entertainers and chefs to showcase their talents and develop a fan base.”

The Great Ulster Pub Week aims to reposition the pub in the hearts and minds of people in Northern Ireland, and support an industry which is not only extremely important to the local hospitality and tourism sectors, but also to the wider economy.

Colin Neill, CEO, Pubs of Ulster said: “We are lucky to have such a huge selection of award-winning and iconic pubs and through The Great Ulster Pub Week, we want to encourage people to visit their local pub and experience this for themselves.

“Pubs are no longer just about alcohol; they’re increasingly focused around great quality food, entertainment and events. The Great Ulster Pub Week will showcase all of this and more; giving people a reason to return to their local pub and, we hope, inspiring publicans to think differently about their businesses.

“It is fantastic to see the enthusiasm in the pub industry about The Great Ulster Pub Week and we are delighted that so many pubs want to get involved. We already have a number of exciting events planned and, with many more still to be added to the schedule, I have no doubt that the Great Ulster Pub Week will give everyone something to enjoy.”

In pubs right across Northern Ireland, The Great Ulster Pub Week will be jam packed with events, creating a real buzz across and serving as an important reminder of how ‘Great’ Ulster’s pubs truly are.

The Great Ulster Pub Week will also be used as an opportunity to raise the skills and standards of service in our local pubs as each participating pub will undergo training in social media and World Host Customer Service Training.

The Great Ulster Pub Week kicks off on Thursday, May 1 and is supported by Discover Northern Ireland, Coca Cola, Coors Light, Guinness, Harp, Heineken, Jameson and Tennent’s, with media partners, Downtown/Cool FM, Hospitality Review NI and The Sunday Life.

A special promo video, filmed by local filmmaker, Ben Price and sound tracked by local band, Pretty Child Backfire can be viewed at Youtube.com/greatulsterpubweek

For further information, visit www.greatulsterpubweek.com or find The Great Ulster Pub Week on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and Instagram using the hashtag, #UlsterPubWeek