Island Arts Centre is a well equipped, modern venue that runs an impressive programme of theatre…read moreshows, exhibitions, concerts and community arts activities. I've been there to watch a community youth drama production in the small studio theatre, and recently saw an excellent exhibition of student art. There is always plenty going on there in terms of classes and performances, doing a really good job of both serving the community around Lisburn with arts activities while at the same time drawing in some top notch professional productions. Inside the centre is incredibly well appointed and laid out while the outdoor surroundings are interesting for the canal and lock just outside which from which on a good day you could also enjoy a walk up the Lagan Valley.

Been to a few gigs here and think it's great venue. Good sized car park, well stocked bar and…read morecentrally located. It's a very intimate venue, great for gigs and plays. The only negative i can think of is that the bar area could do with more seats and you can't bring drinks into the auditorium.

Went here on a Saturday and I have to say I really enjoyed it, much better than an evening at the…read moredogs A taxi from Belfast cost £20 and one from the taxi rank at the course itself on the way back was £25 The atmosphere was excellent from when we were greeted when entering by a life band to the last race. There are lots of types of packages but we just went with regular entry and paid our way when we got in. There were plenty of places to buy food (mainly burgers and chips, however the burger van outside serves the most delicious burgers I ever had and really good quality) there are also a number of bars with a great selection and even though the place was packed there are that many staff it only ever took a couple of minutes to get served. As for betting we just used the guys outside along the track but shop around as their odds can differ, myself and a friend backed the same horse and ended up winning £7.50 more as a result. All in all a fantastic day out, they do evening races too but I'm not sure I would have enjoyed that quite as much

Had a great day here yesterday with work colleagues, facilities were excellent and the craic was…read moregreat. Perfect place if you like a gamble just make sure you have plenty of cash with you. There is an ATM on site which makes it all too easy to blow cash on poor bets!

Brilliant theatre and arts venue located in the centre of Armagh. Lovely modern building and a…read moregreat range of events at the Market Place. I've been to see plays and music events in it and many visual art exhibitions. A wonderful place which also has a cafe/ restaurant and bar.

The small intimate theatre and the staff working there are lovely. For this alone it would be four…read morestar. If the toilets were kept clean it would be five star. We had a really great night of comic entertainment with two comedians, including Al Porter. He was quick fire, really quick witted and camp. However, it was the extortionate prices and poor service at the theatre bar that are very, very far from funny and took the smile off my face. That's the reason for one star. I had a Brewdog IPA beer at £3.90 for 330mls which equates to £6.71 a pint. Yes please read this again: £6.71 for a pint of beer. Also I bought a Jameson whiskey and a 330ml bottle of coke: they had the tiny coke bottles giving a miserable 200ml serving, this is a rip off too. The whiskey & coke was a stonking £7.85. This is late night and daylight robbery. I mean I wouldn't pay these rip off prices in an airport. I noticed too as I queued at the bar that the young barman was serving people who weren't even bothering to queue. While I observed this I didn't speak however a man beside me, who had been standing at the bar for ages, when the young barman served two young guys who were standing behind him, just let rip. Quite right. He was polite but he nailed the staff misconduct. He asked for a manager to be told there wasn't one with some half baked excuse. I must have been waiting a solid 10 minutes to be served when this man spoke up. I guess if the man hadn't complained I likely would have waited even longer. As it was the young barman had moved away to serve two young girls right at the far end of the bar, passing waiting customers, including me, to do so. It's a SABENA moment at the bar here - such a bloody experience never again.

My favourite coffee shop by far. Lurgan has little to offer in terms of coffee shops in comparison…read moreto neighbouring Portadown. While it is in an unusual location down an alleyway - it is a very vibrant coffee shop and many regular customers. Food and drink is reasonably priced. Much cheaper than Starbucks and far nicer. £5 for a panini and coffee of your choice? Bargain I say! I also know the staff well, so there is good craic and banter to be had. Free wi-fi, great service, wide range of food, daily offers, a loyalty card, and an exceptional cup of coffee. So bring your friends, family and relax and enjoy the coffee!

If you visiting Lurgan it's definitely the place to go for awesome coffee and a bite to eatread more

Lisburn Bowl is the 1st 10-pin bowling alley in Ireland to offer BESX bowling, with the latest…read morestate of the art graphics. They offer a private function space with separate bowling lanes for up to 50 people, for parties/corporate events. There are some good food offers through their Pins restaurants, including: - 1 course & bowling for £9.99 - 2 courses & bowling for 12.99 - 3 courses & bowling 14.99 Food options include burgers, chicken strips, lasagne and it also has a fully licensed bar. In addition to the bowling, they have a good selection of arcade games & pool. It's a good wee spot for an evening with friends or to entertain the kids

This is a newly opened 18 lane bowling alley with a restaurant and bar area and a small but…read moreentertaining arcade area. It's really modern and is the first bowling centre in Ireland to offer the BESX bowling system which has lots of features, Games and huge quality art graphics. The arcade area has various ride on games, basketball shooting, Teddy grabbers, air hockey and pool. They also have computer rooms with loads of xbox's hooked up to flatscreens for birthday parties and private hire. Theres a simulator screen for football, golf etc but both times I've been it has not been on which is disappointing. The majority of the arcade games dispense tickets based on the number of points you score and these can then be taken to a prizes counter and depending on how many tickets you collect you can win anything from haribo to coffee mugs to skateboards and kids toys etc. The centre is situated beside the leisure centre, cinema and lots of different restaurants/cafes so there's plenty to entertain the kids and the adult kids too. Not a bad spot to spend a rainy day.

I recently was invited to some magical new fangled gathering (for me anyway) call a Lan party at…read morePONG. I discovered quite to my pleasure that this meant sitting around with a bunch of friends, playing computer games and digitally kicking each others arses in an all nighter at PONG. For the gaming nerd, this place is a god send. To my knowledge, this is only shop of its kind in Belfast. There was one in Cityside, before it became Cityside but that was a long time ago. At £20 for an all night session of online gaming adventures, get your spot cream and pot noodles ready (but please don't eat by the computers!)

This is a gamers' paradise. If you're into online gaming then this is the place for you. Regular…read moretournaments and all-nighters every 2-3 weeks ensure that this place has a strong following among the local youth. Prices start from £3 per hour, and £20 for the all-nighters. For me it's a good place to go print out things from the internet, as there's a lack of internet cafes in this area, and in Belfast as a whole for that matter.

Small intimate venue which holds a number of different types of events, from concerts to plays and…read moreconferences to comedies. Also has a small restaurant/ tea room which means you can get a bite to eat either before or after the event you are attending.

I remember this festival being advertised when I started college this time last year and this time…read morearound I'm planning on taking advantage of all the great acts on offer. I just SOL'ed (that's Screamed Out Loud) (and erm I just made it up) when I checked the website for the line up there and saw that Dublin's finest Villagers are sold out!! Mercury Music Prize 2010 nominees Villagers are the cream of the crop. If you're lucky enough to have gotten a ticket you are in for a captivating show. Seriously. Another top tip (take my word for it) is the lovely Isobel Anderson who is playing the No Alibis Tent (at Custom House Square) on Sunday Sept 12th at 12:00pm. There seems to be a real buzz around this spellbinding folk singer at the moment. She plays an autoharp and guitar to back her intensely personal folk songs. A cut above the rest. Out of the other big acts there is Wilco who are superb live, Mumford and Sons (unfortunately sold out), Seasick Steve, Modest Mouse, Iron&Wine and some great local acts like Kowalski. (If you would like some more music tips, visit my music blog on my profile here) Anyway the Open House festival is a tip top festival comprising of little gigs dotted around Belfast's finer venues from the 6th to 12th September. There are loads of little quirky events going on too- are you brave enough to enter the chilli eating contest? There's also the intriguing sounding Strictly Come Barn Dancing, vintage clothing, a Beard grooming comp, Helium karaoke, a Cupcake Corner, Black Market and the highly recommended Vintage Rocks hairstyling (see my next review) to pick from. There's also some traditional Irish music if you enjoy a good aul session!

Oh look, another festival in Belfast…read more.. Sometimes it annoys me that we have so many festivals, but then, when you look at it, each of them brings something worthwhile to the city, so I shouldn't' really moan. This festival brings a more bluesy, country and traditional music to Belfast, and while none of those genres particularly excite me, it's great to see them being catered for. Plus, this year they got Mumford and Sons and Wilco, both of whom I love, so it's a very enthusiastic 4 stars from me!