4 CORNERS FESTIVAL 2025 - WHY I AM EXCITED!

The 4 Corners Festival is upon us again - January 31st-9th. For 13 years now January has had that added little bit of added adrenaline running through it as we count down, finalise detail and do press ahead of that week of utter joyous madness. 

If you had asked me if we would still be going for a 13th Festival when Fr Martin Magill and I came up with the idea in his Lenadoon Presbytery in September 2012 I would not have believed it. Neither Martin nor I have have PhDs in running Festivals, In fact neither of us have a PhD in anything.

Yet here we are, excited again. Most years the planning committee gets together and we ask how on earth we will compete with last year’s Festival. Yet, there are always new ideas. I can safely say that we don’t feel at all tired or doing the same old. Every year has seen new speakers, new artists and new ideas.

One huge innovation in 2025 will be the Peace Loom. Glasgow couple Heidi and Peter Gardner appeared at the very last event of last’s year’s Festival. Over for a wedding they came to hear their friend Doug Gay speak. I got speaking to them afterwards about their Peace Loom and thought that we should have that.

Peacemakers is a large-scale French knitting loom. Open to the public, in our case at 2 Royal Avenue, anyone can come in and do a bit of crafting. By week’s end a city have created something unique and, as they weave, stories and chat get shared across the Loom. A fixture at recent Edinburgh Festivals, do not miss your chance.

While you are in 2 Royal Avenue you can check out our photographic Our Common Home Exhibition. Westcourt Camera Club have taken amazing photographs to highlight issues of environmental responsibility on our own doorstep. 

Scattered across the Festival are new names. The theology is brought by, Trinity College Prof, Siobhan Garrigan on a theology of home in a homeless world and Lorna Gold a lecturer at Maynooth University and world leader in environmental issues helping us look after our common home. Our closing event that we like to see as a sending out after the Festival sees Friend Of The Festival Rev Neil Craigan inspire us with the help of Dana Masters’ amazing voice and songs and Dana’s husband Andy, a Vineyard pastor, too.

The arts. Well, Ivor Novello winner Iain Archer has sold out two gigs at the Lyric in less than 24 hours, Nuala McKeever’s one woman play wasn’t far behind as was Fr Martin and Brian Houston’s look at Belfast street names. Glenn Patterson is doing a literary night so don’t miss that.

Of course there are seminars, knitting gatherings and networking events. Songwriting for 6th Formers, sport for early teens, a play for Primary School children. There are walks and litter picks. We will be doing the BBC Radio Ulster Sunday service. 

Everything is about bringing Belfast together. All the events will throw different perspectives on this year’s theme of HOME? The aim is always reconciliation. With that in mind there is a panel event that will ask where we are on that particular journey here in Northern Ireland. 

How well is Northern Ireland progressing on the path to reconciliation? What obstacles do we face and what approaches should we be taking to build on the work that has been done and bring reconciliation home Former paramilitaries Davy Adams and Spike Murray will be joined by former Women’s Coalition leader Monica McWilliams and Nicola Brady who heads up the British Council of Churches to discuss where we have come and not come. 

It is all about to begin. So many opportunities. Make sure you make the most of it. 

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