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Sunshine, Sunflowers and Song

The Down about Down Podcast at the 2024 Corner Stone Fest, Sunflower Cottage, Annacloy, County Down

On Saturday 10th August Chris popped along to the 3rd annual Corner Stone Fest, held in the beautiful surroundings at Sunflower Cottage, Annacloy, County Down.

Those who attended were treated to ten musical acts on stage from 12 noon through to 9pm. This was event that not only showcased local talent but raised much needed funds for the local LCCL Charity based in Downpatrick. The charity provides much needed services to help people overcome their mental issues, social isolation and addiction by offering a warm and welcoming environment for everyone of any age and background.

The sun shone brightly on Saturday, and the sunflowers in the adjacent field were beginning to show their faces! A nice touch to this well organised family orientated event.

Ten musical acts took to the stage across the day and entertained those who attended this year’s festival. Each of the singers and musicians had given their time entirely free of charge.

Conal Montgomery, the organiser of the event, told Chris “I’m totally blown away by the turnout and by the musicians. There’s a peace about this place and everybody’s chilled.”

The idea for a Corner Stone Festival was formulated after Conal had a chat with the late Nigel Blair on Belfast 89FM. “It was Nigel who said to me on my first radio interview with him, he asked me what would I like to do in the future to get the word out. I said I would like to play a festival. He lent over the table and said - Just go and run your own son.” The seed was sown. Conal takes pride in the fact that he can give those in the local music scene a platform to hear their music, when opportunities have been limited for them in the past.

Chris chats to well-known TV and radio broadcaster, Robin Elliott who popped along to lend his support. Local Killyleagh artist, Duxy Leahy, was also lending his support in both manual labour and artistic talent. He has donated two unique paintings, which will be put up for raffle soon, with all proceed going to LCCL. The paintings feature two well-known lighthouses – Fastnet and St. John’s, and they have been painted onto two offcuts from the stage at the festival.

Also included in the chats with Chris are Ted Ellison, Zac Mac, Short Circuit, Rikki Jordan, Nicky Brown and Barry Shields.

The complete bill included Conal Montgomery & Co., First Ted on the Moon, Every March, Short Circuit, Rikki Jordan band, Take it Easy, Charlie Hanlon, The Thing is, Zac Mac and Black Dog Moon.

Conal is hoping that the Corner Stone festival will go from strength to strength in the years ahead. He told Chris, “Hopefully we can make this grow and give them (LCCL) more every year and make more and more people aware of that hub that is on our doorstep, because you don’t know when you’re going to need it.

Eva Rowan, singer and guitarist from “The Thing Is,” also spoke to Chris about how the idea for the Sunflower Cottage and the subsequent Sunflower Cottage Fest came about. The area is owned by her family. There are five weekends set aside when the public can visit and “explore winding paths” in the sunflower field together with some live music from local artists. The event is in support of Cancer Fund for Children and Chest Heart and Stroke.

For further details on the events at Sunflower Cottage go to –

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085277680028

The Down about Down Podcast can be contacted via email at downaboutdown@outlook.com

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From Goal to Goal – The Down about Down Podcast with Kaitlyn Morrison. Dundonald’s International Ice-Hockey, Inline and Ball-Hockey player.

In this podcast Chris speaks to 21-year-old Kaitlyn Morrison from Dundonald about her career and successes both on and off the rink.

Kaitlyn was introduced to the ice rink at the tender age of four by her dad Mark Morrison, who was one of Belfast’s local sporting legends with the Belfast Giants.

Kaitlyn talks about her early career with the Junior Belfast Giants who had teams regularly playing in the Scottish League. She was fortunate to be selected for Team Scotland Under 15’s and within a few years had played games with Solway Sharks Under 16 girls at the age of 13 and she was also selected for Great Britain Under 16’s. This was a first for a female ice-hockey player from Northern Ireland.

Whilst playing for the Scottish Conference Team in a tournament at Sheffield in 2017, Kaitlyn was spotted by a representative of the Ontario Hockey Academy which led to a scholarship and placement at the academic-athletic developmental hockey training school in Canada. She told Chris “It is an amazing opportunity for anyone who gets the chance.” She made the Under 18 Great Britain Women’s team and played in the World Championships held in Dumfries where she attained a bronze medal. Kaitlyn returned to Northern Ireland in 2019 and played with the Junior Belfast Giants Under 20 team and Belfast Giants Scottish National League team.

Kaitlyn continued to pursue her studies and attained her A-Levels which secured her a place on a Sport and Exercise Science degree course at the University of Ulster. She will be starting her final year in September despite a busy schedule on both national and international rinks during this next season.

Kaitlyn scored her first international ice-hockey goal for GB Under 18 team in November 2019 at a four-nation tournament held at Dumfries, Scotland. She also represented Great Britain at the 2023 FISU World University games held in Lake Placid. In July 2023, Kaitlyn travelled to Belgium with the senior Inline Hockey Ireland women’s team to play at the European Championship. It was during this event that she made history, scoring a goal which gave her and the team their first international goal.

Kaitlyn signed for Whitley Bay Beacons, a women’s ice-hockey team, at the beginning of the 2023 season. This ensured she was playing ice-hockey on a regular basis at the highest level in the UK and at the end of the season Kaitlyn picked up the team’s ‘Best Defence Award.’ Inline Hockey Ireland recently awarded her with ‘Female Player of the Year Award 2024.’

Kaitlyn talks to Chris about her up and coming attendance at the trials in August for the Senior GB Women’s Ice-Hockey team and her selection in April to represent Team Ireland Senior Women Inline at the forthcoming World Skate Games this September in Italy.

A podcast not to be missed with a determined lady who not only scores goals but attains them!

The Down about Down Podcast can be contacted via email –

downaboutdown@outlook.com

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“On the record” - Conal Montgomery, Black Dog Moon and The Corner Stone Fest 2024 on the Down about Down Podcast with Chris Scott

The latest Down about Down Podcast features Killyleagh’s very own talented singer/songwriter Conal Montgomery.

Chris talks to Conal about his rock group – Black Dog Moon who are due to launch their debut album on Friday 19th July 2024 at The Pavilion Bar, Ormeau Road, Belfast. Support acts include Philip McCarroll, John Devlin and the Revolvers and Arc Dakota.

Conal dreamt of forming his own rock group which would eventually record their own material. That dream has now come true and the guys are now taking the local rock scene by storm. In Conal’s own words, “There’s a tornado going on and it’s blowing us in the right direction.”

Conal talks to Chris about how the group first formed. Black Dog Moon consists of Conal Montgomery, Stephen Glackin, Daniel Martin, Nicky Brown and Dylan Kelly.

The new album consists of nine pieces of original material which is available not only on streaming platforms and CD, but on vinyl! Why name a debut album using the group’s name? Well Conal talks about that and a lot more in this podcast.

Conal explains the background to some of the new material. There is everything from heavy rock to a celtic bluesy rock number titled River Maiden. This song was penned by Conal after a memorable experience in Dublin whilst attending a Who concert in June 2015. Conal had accidentally fallen into the River Liffey. “I fell in between the pontoon and a wall off a ladder. I had a couple of bangs before I hit the water. I was in the water and I remember coming to…. I was underwater and I was looking up and I could see a light.” Thankfully a friend pulled him out before a tragedy unfolded. Conal goes on to explain that this gave him the idea for the song which encapsulates a mermaid rescuing him and bringing him to the surface. There are three titles of Who songs in the chorus. Recently one of the group’s videos featuring the song “Rainy Night in Belfast” appeared on Ulster Television’s UTV Life programme.

In part two of the podcast Chris talks to Conal about his third annual Corner Stone Fest. This year it will be held at Sunflower Cottage, Loughinisland Road, Annacloy, County Down. It will feature ten acts with a lot of local talent including Every March, First Ted on The Moon, Short Circuit, Rikki Jordan Band, Take it Easy, Charlie Hanlon, The Thing Is, Zac Mac and Black Dog Moon. This unique music festival runs from 12noon to 9pm. Tickets, priced £30, are now on sale and money raised will be donated to local charity LCCL Pop Up Art, based in Downpatrick. This charity supports those affected by mental health, addiction and isolation. The Corner Stone Fest starts the sunflower season at the Sunflower Cottage during which a series of Sunflower Sessions will commence. Monies raised from these sessions will be donated to Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke and Cancer Fund for Children.

Exciting times ahead!

For further information on the album launch check out the Black Dog Moon facebook page at

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090149589998

or Conal Montgomery Music facebook page at

https://www.facebook.com/conaleaf

For further details on the Corner Stone Fest 2024 and other events go to the Sunflower Cottage facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085277680028

You can contact Chris at The Down about Down Podcast via email -
downaboutdown@outlook.com