Philip Orr - Bonfire Project

Philip Orr - Playright and Author whose book Road To The Somme was a huge success, has been intouch and asked me to help with a project he is involved with in Co. Antrim.

Ballymena Borough Council have an initiative going with local community groups engaged with bonfire committees, Philip Orr, myself and a few others are signed up to a 3 week programme that aims to educate and explain various elements of traditional music and bonfire celebrations.

It is something different - but it is worth exploring - here is the flyer for the event.

YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE PART IN THREE CULTURAL WORKSHOPS

Workshops are FREE OF CHARGE and have been designed by Philip Orr & the Mid Antrim Museum Service to look at:

Bonfire History
& Bonfire Culture

Venue: The Braid, Bridge Street, BALLYMENA

Week 1 Tuesday 19 January 2010 (7.30 pm – 9.15 pm)

Evening includes: Military history collector and exhibitor David McCallion and Philip Orr will do a joint presentation with a range of artefacts and other material from the period and look at three bonfire nights 1) To celebrate the signing of the Covenant in 1912, 2) The bonfire night that wasn’t (in the aftermath of the Somme 1916) and 3) To celebrate the end of the war in 1918

Week 2 Tuesday 26 January 2010 (7.30 pm – 9.15 pm)

Evening includes: Philip Orr - who will present ‘Music and the Bonfire Tradition’ explaining how music can have an impact on a bonfire celebration. This will be followed by a Fife & Lambeg Drum Workshop by Mark Anderson. Mark is a Peripatetic Music Tutor, who works for the Ulster Scots Agency and he will explain the History of the fife & lambeg drum tradition, describe how a fife and lambeg drum are made, a performance on both instruments with everyone having an opportunity to play the fife and lambeg drum. The workshop will conclude with a question & answer session with a general discussion on bonfires and music.

Week 3 Tuesday 2 February 2010 (7.30 pm – 9.15 pm)

Evening includes: Philip Orr will do a presentation on bonfire traditions around the world including Celtic bonfires, Norse bonfires, Bonfires and Christian culture, Asian and American bonfire traditions, Bonfires and effigy burning and the Beacon Tradition. The idea will be to understand the universality of bonfires in human society and see what might be learnt from opening up exchange between various bonfire cultures around the world

Workshops will run as two 45-minute sessions (with a 15-minute break between each)

Workshops have been designed to be interactive, informative, fun and flexible!

Supported through Ballymena Borough Council’s Good Relations Unit.

HMA