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RATHLIN SOUND MARITIME FESTIVAL 2019 - SUNDAY 2ND JUNE

'Coffee at Home' Master Class:
Sunday, 2nd June: Two Sessions: 11:15-1:15 and 2pm-4pm
If you are someone who loves coffee but would like to learn about more about brewing coffee at home, or someone who is already a keen at home espresso fan looking to improve their skills Causeway Coffee will be hosting two 'Coffee at Home' Master Classes in the Rathlin Island Co-Op Shop.
This two-hour class will show you the fundamentals of coffee and how to choose the right coffee beans. We'll then do some coffee tasting followed by some fun hands-on coffee making using a variety of methods and equipment. For those who like milk in their coffee we'll also have a go at some latte art. Beginners and coffee lovers welcome.
Please book in advance - 07876 662942 (Aoife) or rathlinshop@gmail.com £20 per person

‘Golden Hare Run’
Sun 2nd June, meet by the Rathlin Visitor Information Centre (Boathouse Museum) to set off by 12 noon.
The Belfast Hash Harriers is setting a 5K ‘fun run’ trail on the island, off the beaten track, in the hope of spotting Rathlin’s indigenous and elusive Golden Hare. Any hares seen may be photographed and then left in peace. All levels of fitness are welcome and there may be songs and silly games afterwards. Everyone is welcome to the run and any following events.

Vikings, Currachs and Drontheims
Sun 2nd June
With all these traditional boats about, as long as their crews have strength in their arms and the weather is kind you’ll see them about in the harbour and the bay. And where there are two or more there may be a bit of competition...

Have a Go Kayaking
Sat 2nd/Sun 3rd June, Harbour, 12 noon to 5pm
Another chance to experience the kayaks and to paddle about in the safety of the harbour shallows. Booking through the provider on the day

Punch and Judy:
Sun 2nd June, Manor House lawn, 1pm
Is any seaside family adventure really complete without a traditional Punch and Judy show? Whether it’s a first opportunity to experience it, or a trip down memory lane to a more innocent, pre-Brexit age, come along and have a good therapeutic laugh.

BIG Lunch BBQ
Sun 2nd June, seafront, 1pm
Join the biggest picnic on the island; help us out by bringing something to share – pastas, breads, fruit, anything decently edible.
This will be our eighth consecutive Big Lunch, usually celebrated on the closing day of the annual Rathlin Sound Maritime Festival. The Island, as a community, has always been close and the Big Lunch can help cement those bonds year on year. Ours serves to remind us how dependant on our neighbours we really are throughout the year and gives everyone a chance to repay a kindness to those we know or make new friends for the future.

Manukahunney Blue:
Sunday 2nd June – outside on McCuaig’s bar terrace, 1.30pm
Take the combination of vocal prowess, the funk of James Brown, the soul of Aretha, and a slice of now and blend with brass and rhythm sections drawn from Northern Ireland’s hottest musical talent, and what you get is that sweet irresistible soul sound of Manukahunney Blue. All that and – spot one of Rathlin’s own in the band’s line-up...

Drontheims, Currachs and the like...
Add tides, weather, volunteer hours, interest and passion together with beautiful locally-built traditional boats, provide a week to gather them all together, stir well and see what happens. Over the two weekends there will be traditional boats in Rathlin’s waters. With luck they will be around during the week. Search them out, chat to their crews and enjoy a taste of maritime culture.

SS Rathlin Exhibition:
Fri 24th May – Sun 2nd June, St Thomas’s Church, all day and every day
Learn about the dramatic work of the WWII convoy rescue ship the SS Rathlin, and the hundreds of men she saved from drowning. From peacetime ferrying across the Irish Sea to the disastrous Arctic Convoy “PQ17”, the Rathlin’s life-saving role is examined, bringing this little-known story to a wider audience. This exhibition will continue to run after the Festival for the remainder of the summer.

Shipwreck exhibition:
Monday 27th May – Sunday 2nd June, Richard Branson Centre, 11am – 3.30pm
Enjoy a remarkable display of shipwreck artefacts salvaged from the waters around Rathlin Island. This popular annual exhibition is testimony to the rich maritime history of the area and a moving reminder of the ever present risk to a life on the sea.

No shelter for plastic:
Fri 24th May – Sun 2nd June, Passenger shelter, Pier 1
A display of ‘interesting plastic items’, flotsam and jetsam that have found their way to Rathlin’s shores and will be artistically installed into spaces in the passenger shelter for your education and amusement. Please don’t remove the exhibits but feel free to add to it if you come across something appropriate.

Festival in a shop:
Fri 24th May – Sun 2nd June, Co-op Community Shop
Make your own mask or pirate patch, make your own basking shark and other pirate/maritime based crafts (open during regular shop hours).
Grab n Go foods offering Fresh made Seafood Picnics by arrangement. £25pp (2 people per order min) for picnics including lobster, crab and seaweeds. Email: rathlinshop@gmail.com

A clean sea wall:
Fri 24th May – Sun 2nd June, Co-op Community Shop
Rathlin is one of 10 UK islands involved in the Cold Water Islands project, a year-long pilot project supported by Surfers against Sewage and Parley for the Oceans to tackle plastic pollution and marine litter. Come and see the information wall on the project, which islands are in with us and what we, and you, can do to clean up our act. Island businesses are reinforcing the message by reducing plastic waste and providing water refills for your own bottles. What can you do to make a sea change on marine litter?

Extra-curricular music:
Listen out for local singer songwriter Wendy Jack who will 'Pop-Up' in various locations during the festival...

Sea in the Lighthouse
Fri 24th May – Sun 2nd June, ‘Under the Sea’ Room, West Light, 11am-3pm every day
Video art works by Susan Hughes, made on Rathlin and other coastal locations of Iceland and Norway. Visual footage of below and above the surface of the sea is accompanied by audio of the artists’ own fiddle playing in response to the rhythms and tones found in the physical environment. Usual West Light Seabird Centre admission charges apply.