Liverpool Philharmonic Hall announces artist line-up for the Liverpool Irish Festival 2010

LIVERPOOL Philharmonic Hall is proud to announce a world-class billing as the key music venue for the Liverpool Irish Festival 2010. Celebrating the links between Liverpool and Ireland the festival presents a range of events at venues across the city, with this, the 8th Liverpool Irish Festival promising to be the biggest and best to date.

With several events Liverpool Philharmonic Hall features some of the biggest names on the Irish music scene; both Christy Moore and Andy Irvine will be performing over two nights, whilst ‘The Irish Sea Sessions’, a new and exceptional collaboration project, brings together musicians from both sides of the water in a single unique musical event. Other highlights making the core of the music offering include Brian Kennedy, Kieran Goss, Julie Feeney, Ian Prowse and Damien Dempsey, all sitting alongside the festival’s traditional menu of heritage walks, talks, poetry, comedy, films and plays.

Jake Roney, Festival Director said:- “Our 2010 programme is fantastic. The range of events and the quality of artists we have put together for this year’s festival is exceptional. Announcing world-class names such as Christy Moore, Brian Kennedy and Kieran Goss, in addition to the new, innovative and pioneering project of the Irish Sea Sessions forming the heart of this year’s offering, we have the hallmarks of a landmark festival.”

THE IRISH SEA SESSIONS

In the first of what is hoped to be a major annual event, the inaugural Irish Sea Sessions - part super group, part colossal session and part festival, all in a single gig - makes it debut and a festival first.

A mass rank of 14 exceptional musicians from Liverpool, Ireland and the Irish diaspora will unite on one stage to enjoy the musical connections between the city, the land it looks out to across the waves, and those who pass through Liverpool en route to, or from, Ireland.

Simon Glinn, Executive Director at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall said:- “Within the festival offering, the Irish Sea Sessions is certainly the key new event. This huge and exciting project recaptures the true spirit of the original and forgotten musical sessions that once took place at Liverpool's Irish Centre, and brings together a wealth of music and talent. With 14 world-class artists, sharing our platform for this one-off event it’ll be an exciting collaboration of musicians and audiences from both sides of the Irish Sea, coming together to celebrate their shared history and music.”

The 14 musicians sharing equal billing will spend the days leading up to the Irish Sea Sessions in the city, creating new arrangements of traditional tunes and each-other's songs, and presenting them here in session format but filling the stage of the concert hall. Guitars, flutes, pipes, singers, fiddles, bodhran, whistles and some of the most exciting musicianship you'll see, will combine to revel in the special bond between Liverpool, Ireland and the Irish and the music that is so much part of their identities.

The Irish Sea Sessions will feature Bernard O’Neill, Terry Coyne, Ian Prowse, Becky Taylor, Carlene Anglim, Colette O’Leary, Eimear McGeown, Niamh Parsons, Graham Dunne, Gino Lupari, Dave Munnelly, Damien Dempsey, Alan Burke, Lizzie Nunnery.

IRISH MUSIC LEGEND RETURNS

Festival favourite, Irish music legend, Christy Moore, is back! Direct from performing his Irish tour dates, Christy Moore arrives in the UK to headline this year’s Liverpool Irish Festival as part of his highly anticipated 2010 autumn tour. As one of only four UK performances this year, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall is very excited to play host to one of the best songwriters Ireland has ever produced.

Christy Moore commented:- “I’m very much looking forward to Liverpool. I always think Liverpool has more songs written about it than any other city. It’s something to do with the spirit of music in the city.”

LIVERPOOL IRISH FESTIVAL 15 – 31 OCTOBER

Highlights at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall include:-

Brian Kennedy with special guest Julie Feeney
Friday, 15 October - 7.30pm

Andy Irvine
Saturday, 16 October and Sunday, 17 October - 8.30pm

Kieran Goss
Tuesday, 19 October - 8.30pm

Dara O’Briain
Thursday, 28 October - 8pm

The Irish Sea Sessions
Friday, 22 October - 7.30pm

Christy Moore with Declan Sinnott
Friday, 29 October & Saturday, 30 October - 8pm

To purchase tickets, please call the box office on:- 0151 709 3789 or order online at:- liverpoolphil.com.

VERTICAL RUSH LANDS IN LIVERPOOL

SHELTER, is calling on people in the Liverpool area to sign up for Vertical Rush, a fantastic new endurance event that challenges people to race to the summit of one of the city’s tallest buildings.

On the 17 October 2010, the housing and homelessness charity hopes hundreds of Liverpudlians will scale the 558 stairs of the iconic St John’s Beacon in the heart of the city, home of Radio City 96.7 to help raise money for their vital work.

Shelter and Radio City will be the first to bring this award winning event to Liverpool’s shores in the hope that people from across the North West will take part to help raise money for the charity.

Supporting the event is Liverpool born Melanie C. She said:- “Vertical Rush is a fantastic challenge and I can’t think of anywhere better to host it than in the heart of my home city.  Running up 558 stairs would definitely take the puff out of anyone, even Sporty Spice, but I hope that all my fellow Scousers will get involved to help Shelter smash their fundraising target.  Shelter’s work is so important, everyone should have a home that they can call their own and I am pleased to be launching this great event for the charity.”

The award winning Vertical Rush arrives in Liverpool following the huge success of two events in London, which saw celebrities such as Duncan Bannatyne and ex-Hollyoaks and Radio City presenters Matt Littler and Darren Jefferies scale the heights of the city of London’s tallest building Tower 42.

Louise Parkes, Shelter’s Director of Fundraising, said:- “Shelter is really excited to be bringing Vertical Rush to Liverpool, following the huge success of the previous events.  We’re calling on the people of Liverpool to strap on their running shoes and challenge themselves to run up this iconic building and help raise vital funds for Shelter’s work helping homeless and badly housed families across the North West.”

To register for Vertical Rush visit:-shelter.org.uk/verticalrush .

FRAUD PUSHES BIGGEST CAR PREMIUM RISE

FRAUD is helping to push car insurance premiums up at their fastest-ever rate, according to the latest AA British Insurance Premium Index.

During the quarter ending 30 June 2010, premiums rocketed by more than 11% – the biggest increase recorded by the benchmark study since it started tracking quarterly car and home insurance premium trends 16 years ago.  The index’s average Shoparound premium topped £704 for an annual comprehensive car policy, up 11.5% in just three months. The previous biggest increase was only six months ago.  The Shoparound average for policies sold through price comparison sites rose even more sharply, by 12.7%.  Shoparound premiums for 3rd party, fire and theft cover (TPFT), often bought by young drivers, climbed by 15.9% and by 17.1% on the price comparison site Index.

Edmund King, AA president, says:- “The latest British Crime Survey (published 15 July) suggests that crime levels are falling, but crucially, it misses a new 21st-century wave of fraud such as providing false information and claiming for non-existent personal injuries which just isn’t being picked up.”

He points out that premiums on price comparison sites have been rising fastest. “It’s now much easier to get an insurance quote on-line, for example, comparison sites can enable dishonest individuals to manipulate information to get a lower premium. Insurers are increasingly charging higher prices to these people to cover the increased fraud risk.  This quarter’s record increase comes on top of previous record rises. For those shopping on comparison sites, average premiums have climbed by an eye-watering 32.8% – or £193 – in just nine months. Even those taking the cheapest prices have typically seen them rise by £98.  Last year, the cost of meeting claims exceeded premium income by 22% and the spiralling increases we’re seeing show that insurers are trying to fill that chasm.”

M6 Lancashire Midnight Switch-Off

LANCASHIRE Drivers are being reminded that motorway lighting along a carefully-selected section of the M6 in Lancashire will be switched off from midnight until 5am - in a Highways Agency move to reduce carbon emissions and light pollution. Lighting on the M6 between Junction 27 at Standish and Junction 29 at Lostock Hall will now be switched off every night from midnight until 5am. The motorway junctions and their approaches will remain lit. The lights will be switched off along a section of the motorway just after Junction 27 up to the area just south of Junction 29 where the motorway goes over the A49 Wigan Road. Signs have been erected to ensure drivers are aware of the new arrangements. This stretch of the motorway has a good safety record and a low traffic flow between midnight and 5am. It has been chosen as the latest site for the Highways Agency’s national programme of switch-offs after careful assessment. Targeted switch-offs have been successfully delivered in other parts of the country including along stretches of the motorway network in Kent, Berkshire, Hampshire, Devon and Avon and Somerset. Timing devices at the roadside will control when the lights switch off and on again. The Highways Agency’s Regional Control Centre near Junction 23 of the M6 at Newton-le-Willows, can override the mechanism if needed. The Highways Agency has spoken to emergency services to ensure they are aware of the switch-off.