OMAGH PREPARES FOR MILLENNIUM LAUNCH INVASION
Omagh prepares for Millennium launch invasion
A 'POSITIVE spotlight' will be turned on Omagh tomorrow (Friday) as the town faces an invasion of thousands for the special Corrs concert to mark the launch of the UK Millennium Festival.
Tickets for the free concert at the Showgrounds were distributed in venues throughout Northern Ireland at the weekend. Locally, queues began on Friday night at Omagh Leisure Centre, in anticipation of the Saturday give away.
By 9am, a huge crowd had formed, and within two hours the bulk of the tickets had been snapped up.
Compere for tomorrow evening's activities, which begin at 7pm, will be television presenter, Eamon Holmes, and, along with the Corrs, the entertainment will feature Dominic Kirwan, Artie McGlynn and Friends, and Tom Sweeney.
Different Drums of Ireland will get the proceedings underway, followed by the Omagh Community Youth Choir, and children from Dervaghroy Primary School, who will perform their 'Voices of Promise' song. The concert, which is set to be the largest entertainment event ever staged in the town, forms the launch pad for the official start of the Millennium Festival.
Civic representatives from 22 cities across the UK, including Belfast and Londonderry, will be present, along with representatives from eight towns in Northern Ireland.
A special Millennium Beacon will be lit during the extravaganza, lights from which will be carried back in specially crafted miners' lamps to the various towns and cities as beacons of hope for the new millennium. These will be used to light their own beacons on December 31.
In addition, youth representatives from the Province will be joined by young people from around the world in taking torches from the Omagh beacon to a number of locations in Northern Ireland on Saturday for a series of other events.
The Northern Ireland Millennium Youth Council will declare their Millennium Pledge, which will outline their future hopes and aspirations.
Attending the launch will be a senior Government official from London, as well as a representative from the Northern Ireland Office. A representative from the Irish government may also be present.
Mr. Paddy Murphy, of the Northern Ireland Millennium Company, said they had had an "enormous response" to the launch.
"This is a good news story for Omagh. Sky Television will be doing live links to the town, and Downtown, Ulster Television and BBC Northern Ireland are also covering it," he said.
"A positive spotlight is being turned on Omagh, and large numbers are expected to flood into the town."
A spokeswoman for Omagh District Council said demand for the concert tickets had been huge.
"There appears to have been a large take-up across Northern Ireland, and tickets were snapped up very quickly," she said.
In the run-up to the evening's entertainment, it is expected that there will also be a variety of street theatre in the town during the day.
Car parking will be on the outskirts of the town, and a free bus service will be operating before and after the event. Those living within walking distance are asked to travel on foot.
A 'POSITIVE spotlight' will be turned on Omagh tomorrow (Friday) as the town faces an invasion of thousands for the special Corrs concert to mark the launch of the UK Millennium Festival.
Tickets for the free concert at the Showgrounds were distributed in venues throughout Northern Ireland at the weekend. Locally, queues began on Friday night at Omagh Leisure Centre, in anticipation of the Saturday give away.
By 9am, a huge crowd had formed, and within two hours the bulk of the tickets had been snapped up.
Compere for tomorrow evening's activities, which begin at 7pm, will be television presenter, Eamon Holmes, and, along with the Corrs, the entertainment will feature Dominic Kirwan, Artie McGlynn and Friends, and Tom Sweeney.
Different Drums of Ireland will get the proceedings underway, followed by the Omagh Community Youth Choir, and children from Dervaghroy Primary School, who will perform their 'Voices of Promise' song. The concert, which is set to be the largest entertainment event ever staged in the town, forms the launch pad for the official start of the Millennium Festival.
Civic representatives from 22 cities across the UK, including Belfast and Londonderry, will be present, along with representatives from eight towns in Northern Ireland.
A special Millennium Beacon will be lit during the extravaganza, lights from which will be carried back in specially crafted miners' lamps to the various towns and cities as beacons of hope for the new millennium. These will be used to light their own beacons on December 31.
In addition, youth representatives from the Province will be joined by young people from around the world in taking torches from the Omagh beacon to a number of locations in Northern Ireland on Saturday for a series of other events.
The Northern Ireland Millennium Youth Council will declare their Millennium Pledge, which will outline their future hopes and aspirations.
Attending the launch will be a senior Government official from London, as well as a representative from the Northern Ireland Office. A representative from the Irish government may also be present.
Mr. Paddy Murphy, of the Northern Ireland Millennium Company, said they had had an "enormous response" to the launch.
"This is a good news story for Omagh. Sky Television will be doing live links to the town, and Downtown, Ulster Television and BBC Northern Ireland are also covering it," he said.
"A positive spotlight is being turned on Omagh, and large numbers are expected to flood into the town."
A spokeswoman for Omagh District Council said demand for the concert tickets had been huge.
"There appears to have been a large take-up across Northern Ireland, and tickets were snapped up very quickly," she said.
In the run-up to the evening's entertainment, it is expected that there will also be a variety of street theatre in the town during the day.
Car parking will be on the outskirts of the town, and a free bus service will be operating before and after the event. Those living within walking distance are asked to travel on foot.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1395
Published Date: 02-Sep-99
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