Saturday 15 February 2020

NOIRELAND Returns in 2020 with a One-Day Festival


Belfast’s NOIRELAND International Crime Festival is returning on 28 March 2020. This year’s one-day festival showcases some of Ireland’s greatest crime novelists, lends a helping hand to aspiring writers, and highlights Belfast significant impact on the world of crime fiction, on page and on screen. 

THE PROGRAMME 
This year the festival falls into three parts:’ The Writers’ Morning’, ‘A Noirish Afternoon in Belfast’ and ‘A Noirish Night of Stars’. Special guests include bestselling crime writers from the UK - #1 bestseller Mark Billingham, multi-award-winning novelist Abir Mukherjee, and Ann Cleeves creator of the Vera and Shetland series. The programme is packed to the brim with Ireland’s own international bestsellers: Liz Nugent, Brian McGilloway, Adrian McKinty, Jane Casey and Steve Cavanagh – with exclusive previews of their latest novels.

NUTURING TALENT

A keystone of NOIRELAND is the nurturing of new and emerging local talent. ‘The Writers’ Morning’provides an accessible and affordable introduction to creative writing, followed by a session with publishing professionals offering insights and practical advice on getting into print. Prices for these sessions have been kept deliberately low to encourage anyone with an interest in writing to join in. More information can be found on the NOIRELAND website. 

A ONE DAY FESTIVAL
  
While in previously NOIRELAND has taken place over the course of a weekend, this year it is a one day only event. When planning the festival in autumn 2019, concerns over Brexit and its impact on Northern Ireland convinced the programme committee that a digested version of the festival would be more appropriate in uncertain times. Plans are already being put into place for a return to the full-scale weekend event for 2021. 

NOIRELAND takes place 28 March 2020 at Belfast’s Clayton Hotel. The full programme can be found below. 

WRITER’S MORNING 
Our beginner’s guide to writing is the perfect introduction to the creative process, and a great kick start to following your dreams of being a novelist. Our experts will provide an overview of a book’s lifecycle, from writing your book to then getting it published. 

SO YOU WANNA BE A WRITER? 
10:00-11:45 
TICKETS: £20/£15
 -
Have you always fancied the idea of writing a novel but didn’t know where to start?
 Gerard Brennan, an acclaimed crime novelist and tutor, provides an introduction to the world of creative writing, to help get you started. Over the morning Gerard, will be discussing the importance of structure, plotting and how to create characters. A great taster for all aspiring authors. (Includes a break at 11am). 

ASK THE EXPERTS 
12:00-13:00 
TICKETS: £8/£6
. 
So, you’ve got your idea for a novel, you might even have a manuscript, but what’s the next step to getting published? NOIRELAND has brought together a panel of publishing experts – Katherine Armstrong, Editorial Director at Bonnier Zaffre, Angela McMahon, Director of Flow Communications and crime PR specialist, and Lisa Moylett, an experienced literary agent at the CMM Agency in London. 

A NOIRISH AFTERNOON IN BELFAST 
Explore the city’s dark side on Saturday afternoon with a choice of tours and a special screening of Odd Man Out, Belfast’s very own Film Noir. 

NOIRELAND WALKING TOUR 
14:00-15:15 
TICKETS: £10.  

We’re partnering with Belfast Hidden Tours for a very special NOIRELAND tour of the city. Simon Maltman, a crime writer and expert on the city’s ‘noirist’ corners, will take you on a special NOIRELAND walking tour. The walk, which lasts roughly 75 mins, visits locations from award-winning crime novels, iconic sites from television’s most popular dramas and explores the landmarks, pubs and alleyways featured in Odd Man Out, one of the best Film Noir movies of all time. 

ODD MAN OUT at the Movie House, Dublin Road

15:30-17:30

TICKETS: £6/£5
.  
We have teamed up with Belfast’s Movie House for a special screening of Odd Man Out(1947), Carol Reed’s masterpiece set in Belfast. It is one of the earliest examples of film noir to be made outside of the US and has been a major influence on some of cinema’s greatest filmmakers, including Roman Polanski who cites it as his favourite movie. The event includes a special introduction to our noir matinee, providing insight into its production, the crime novel that inspired it and how Odd Man Out has influenced film makers and writers since. 

A NOIRISH NIGHT OF STARS

AN ENGLISHMAN, AN IRISHMAN AND A SCOTSMAN 
WALK INTO THE NOIR 
18:00-19:00 
TICKETS: £10/£8.  

Three pals – and crime writing greats – get together for a bit of craic, to chat about where they come from, their writing and their latest novels. Last year three award-winning women crime writers had us rolling in the aisles, so this year Mark Billingham, Steve Cavanagh and Abir Mukherjee will be bringing their wit, wisdom and one-liners to NOIRELAND. No pressure lads, but your counterparts from last year were hysterical! 

A CRIME OF THE TIMES 
19:30-20:30 
TICKETS: £8/£6
. 
May you live in interesting times’ and we certainly do! Crime fiction is one of the best mediums to explore issues of the day, while still entertaining readers along the way.
  Paul Waters, the Belfast-born broadcaster, will be exploring the hottest topics around, talking to Jane Casey about the dark world of elite gentlemen’s clubs post #MeToo, Alan Judd on his latest thriller about spies at the heart of the Brexit negotiations, Gary Donnelly on how we deal with our past in his cop thriller set in contemporary Belfast, and Liz Nugent on her new novel exploring the cult of celebrity and its inherent dangers. 

ANN CLEEVES interviews BRIAN MCGILLOWAY 
21:00-22:00 
TICKETS: £10/£8
.  
One of the highlights of NOIRELAND 2019 was Brian McGilloway’s interview with bestselling crime novelist Ann Cleeves. The old friends are back again, but this time Ann will be interviewing Brian about his new novel The Last Crossing, described as ‘the peak of what crime fiction can do’ (Steve Cavanagh) and an ‘extraordinary novel’ (Adrian McKinty).
 A must-see event for fans of Brian McGilloway, Ann Cleeves and anyone who loves truly great crime writing. 

JACK-A-NOIR-Y: 
The Detective Up Late 
22:30-23:30 
TICKETS: £10/£8.  

NOIRELAND 2020 ends on Saturday night with Jack-a-noir-y, our bedtime story for grown-ups. So grab a drink, settle down and listen to an exclusive extract from a very hotly anticipated novel. This year our bedtime story will be from The Detective Up Late, a new Sean Duffy novel from Adrian McKinty, which won’t be hitting the shops until 2021! Adrian will be introducing the book in person and talking a little about his award-winning 
Sean Duffy series. 


TICKETS AND CONCESSIONS 
Tickets are available at the NOIRELAND box office: www.noireland.com/box-office, or at the venue on the day (28 March). 
People in receipt of Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Income Support, or Job Seekers allowance, Students, Children (12–18 years) and disabled people are entitled to a concession discount. 

PASSES 
A pass to all events at NOIRELAND is available to purchase: £75/£50 conc. A ‘Writers’ Morning Pass’ is available to purchase: £25/£18 conc.
A ‘A Noirish Night of Stars’ is available to purchase: £32/£22 conc. 
Terms & Conditions apply. See our website for more details: 
www.noireland.com 

GETTING TO NOIRELAND 
NOIRELAND takes place at the Clayton Hotel, 
22-26 Ormeau Avenue, Belfast BT2 8HS 
The venue is just 5 minutes from the train and bus centre on Great Victoria Street, with its links to Belfast International and Belfast City airports.
Visit www.translink.co.uk to plan your journey. 

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