TRAVEL: HOME NORTHERN IRELAND

北爱尔兰  august 2017

DAFT EDDYS
(KILLINCHY AREA)


https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g1477825-d1929489-Reviews-Daft_Eddies-Killinchy_County_Down_Northern_Ireland.html

https://www.facebook.com/daft.eddys


THE FAMOUS DAFT EDDY
WAS A SMUGGLER

 NEWTOWNARDS/COMBER BACK ROADS

FRIENDS OF N.I IN CHINA NEWSLETTER

FRIENDS OF Northern Ireland IN CHINA END OF YEAR SUMMARY

 FNIC  – Summary for 2017

NOTE FROM THE CHAIRMAN

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to our ever-increasingly inaccurately named Summer Newsletter. The summer can now be said to be officially over and it is time to look back over our programme for the year. 

We had a great programme of activities with the goal of getting more people together and involved. Currently on our WeChat group we have 149 members and 9 on our committee. There is always room for others who want to be more involved in the organizing of the work we do. Just contact me or one of the others on the Committee and let us know what you would like to be involved in.

We are a growing force in Shanghai and welcome anyone with a connection to Northern Ireland to join our ranks. If you have something to contribute, just let us know and we will find a way to accommodate you. If it is support you need, just ask. We have more than enough talent and experience in the group to help you out.

Enjoy this copy of our newsletter and feel free to share it around.

Looking forward to seeing you all at our next event.

Stephen

UPCOMING EVENTS

Thursday 14^th December - Annual Christmas DinneR

Tipsy Fiddler

March 17^th 2018 – Saint Patrick’s Day Ball

Our Year to date

St Patrick’s Day celebrations at the Kerry Centre

By Andrew Brown (breakfast champion)

Breakfast Champion Feeds Belfast Baps to the Masses

 

On Saturday the 11th March Andrew and the Breakfast Champion team where invited to the Kerry Centre Puxi to cater for the masses at The Feile Shanghai 2017. Bacon and Sausage Baps were on the menu as well as “take home” fry up essentials and were a hit with Irish Patrons as well as the locals and others who attended.

Look out for more Breakfast Champion events, giveaways and promotions in the coming weeks and months.   

St Patrick’s Day Irish community reception

15TH MARCH

At the invitation of the Consul General of Ireland Ms Therese Healy, several of the committee members along with many others attended the reception leading up to St. Patrick’s day, held at the Shanghai centre in Nanjing road. Food and drink was offered, with many of the men opting for the Guinness and the Ladies for Baileys. The relaxed setting soon became lively when a group of Irish musicians dressed in traditional greens performed traditional Irish tunes with fiddles, whistles and accordions, etc. This was followed by a beautiful speech from Ms Healey before food was served, completing a great traditional evening and Irish setting completely in sync with the upcoming holiday. 

The Saint Patrick’s Ball 2017 – The Hottest Ticket of the Year!

 Pictures and editorial by Paul McCarthy

  Over 750 revellers packed into the Grand Ballroom at the Shangri-La Hotel, Pudong to party into the wee small hours.  As ever, Jameson’s Whisky and pints of the black stuff were in full flow.  FNIC hosted 2 tables, kindly co-ordinated by Holland & Sherry.  Guests included visitors from Northern Ireland representing BI Electrical, including Managing Director, Ian Humphreys.  BI Electrical is the first NI company to set up a commercial office in China and FNIC is always pleased  to support its endeavours.  Also in attendance was Miss Bei LI, the General Manager of Wenzhou Chamber of Commerce, who we are delighted to say brought a delegation to Belfast in April.  Guests were treated to a feast of  Irish traditional music, dance and song, - the bewitching hour saw a switch to rock anthems and The Beatles, live! It wasn’t long before the dance floor was packed, with a varied range of dance styles, much of it improvised, on display.  Brendan Brophy and his support team can be rightly proud of the result, as was the Irish rugby team beating England to crown a wonderful night.  We look forward to another evening of “Ceol agus Craic” next year.

  

  
Andrew’s Showstopper Bake Marks Titanic Belfast’s 5^th Birthday
Great British Bake Off Finalist, Andrew Smyth has engineered a bespoke birthday cake to mark the World’s Leading Tourist Attraction, Titanic Belfast’s fifth birthday.

Andrew, who is originally from Northern Ireland, the birthplace of the RMS Titanic, expertly designed the cake’s layers to showcase the enduring appeal of RMS Titanic, Belfast’s ship building heritage and the success of Titanic Belfast.

For the bottom layer, Andrew took inspiration from what first-class passenger Lady Duff Gordon remembered  most about the food on board Titanic - fresh strawberries, grapes and pink roses. He created a luxurious genoise sponge layered with fresh strawberry and red grape jam along with a lightly rose-flavoured buttercream to reflect the first-class experience on-board. Whereas the modern top layer of chocolate cake with a Bailey’s Cream filling reflects Titanic’s Northern Irish roots and celebrates the success of Titanic Belfast today. 

Great British Bake Off Finalist, Andrew Smyth, commented, "I am thrilled to be involved with Titanic Belfast's 5th Birthday celebrations and am delighted to be designing a unique cake for this special milestone. Titanic Belfast really is a fantastic experience, and is a real gem in Belfast's crown; a fitting celebration of the ingenious engineering and majesty of Titanic. It rightly deserves its title as the World's Leading Tourist Attraction and I hope many more visitors get to experience the magic over the next 5 years too!"

Tim Husbands MBE, Chief Executive of Titanic Belfast, “Having been crowned the World’s Leading Tourist Attraction, welcomed over 3.5 million visitors including Her Majesty The Queen, former US Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, TITANIC  director James Cameron, the discoverer of Titanic, Dr Robert Ballard. Today, as we celebrate our fifth birthday with Andrew’s cake, we’re showcasing the allure of RMS Titanic in 1912 as well as its enduring appeal today for visitors at Titanic Belfast. If you fancy yourself as a Titanic Bake Off Champion, check out the recipe at www.titanicbelfast.com.”

Described by The Guardian as "an inspiring testament to the Titanic and the city that built it", Titanic Belfast tells the story of the Titanic, from her conception in the early 1900s, through her construction and launch, to her famous maiden voyage and tragic end.  It is located on the exact spot where Titanic was designed, built and launched. For more information, visit www.titanicbelfast.com.

FNIC BBQ AT HOLLAND AND SHERRY - SUNDAY 30TH APRIL

  Barbecue Party

Not only was it a Bank Holiday weekend, and the last Sunday in April, but the afternoon of Sunday 30th April was also the first FNIC BBQ Party in Shanghai.

And it was a fantastic event at the beautiful Holland & Sherry Villa on Fumin Lu. The sun shone, the drinks were well chilled, the barbecue was lit and the people came and we are certain a great time was had by all.

More than 120 FNIC friends turned up for an afternoon of eating, drinking and socialising, catching up with old friends whilst making some new friends too. The garden was a hub of activity. Gerard did a grand job on the BBQ, the ale was flowing and Alan and Dave were providing the live music.

Upstairs in the lounge, guests helped themselves to refreshing glasses of Pimms cocktails, Prosecco, red and white wines, and I think, even a few glasses of whiskey went down a treat.

A huge thank you to everyone who supported our first FNIC BBQ in Shanghai, and in particular thank you to our generous sponsors; Mark Graham and Holland & Sherry, Andrew Brown, the Breakfast Champion, Dillon King and Camus Yuanliu, David from Westwood Ales, Tom from Laowines and Alan and Dave from the Tipsy  Fiddler.

   

VISIT OF WENZHOU CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TO BELFAST

APRIL 2017

FNIC Committee assisted in the visit of Zhejiang Wenzhou Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai to Northern Ireland in April. 

There were 9 delegates in the group made up of business owners and decision makers of Chinese enterprises with interests in exploring business opportunities in the area of technology, food & drink, investment, education, financial services, etc. 

The group met with H.E Brian Kingston (Lord Mayor) and Chief Executive Suzanne Wylie in the Belfast City Hall. Mark McCann of NI Invest give an introduction of Belfast to the group and the group also met with NWRC and BI Group. 

They also met with Madame Wang, Consul General of China to Belfast as well as representatives of China Chamber of Commerce in Belfast.    

                   

THE LIBRARY PROJECT

After another successful and entertaining Christmas Dinner and fundraiser, FNIC raised 27,030RMB to fund another Library in Liaoning Province - our  second in the area.

This time we denoted to :

Fang Yong Gang Elementary school

Chaoyang County

Liaoning Province

FNIC are happy to support The Library Project which has established over 2,000 elementary school libraries and put more than 1,400,000 Chinese language children's books into the hands of eager young readers. Over 700,000 children now have access to improved educational infrastructure. Together we are changing the world, one book at a time. 

Thank you to everyone at FNIC who bought tickets for our raffle at the Christmas dinner and who donated personally. You have all made this possible.

  

  

    

BRIT CLUB

Brit Club was founded in 2013 with the oversight on Owen Paterson the then DEFRA UK Government Minister.  Currently it has more than 500 members, mostly British expats living in Shanghai and also Chinese with British business interests or who lived or worked in the UK previously. Brit Club's mission is to promote UK-China interests and British culture here in China.  We have the support of the UK Consul General and British businesses. We operate a lively WeChat group and host a monthly meet up where we invite speakers from business, culture and diplomacy to talk about different topics.

That’s all for today folks.

We welcome anyone who wants to contribute, post anything or be part of the team. Please contact anyone on the committee by WeChat or email me at stevefg@mac.com.

FNIC - FRIENDS OF N.I CHINA SPRING NEWSLETTER

Chairman’s address 

Dear Friends of Northern Ireland in China and around the world, 

Happy Chinese New Year and I trust that 2017 brings health and happiness to you and your loved ones. 

FNIC had a great 2016, with our quarterly socials, meeting with various ministers from Northern Ireland, including the First Minister Mrs. Arlene Foster, working with Invest Northern Ireland on the Trade Mission in November and culminating in our annual Christmas Dinner in December where we raised money for another library in a rural primary school through The Library Project. 

In 2017 we will be launching our regular business briefings in Shanghai, and we look forward to another prosperous year for FNIC, getting as many people as possible involved in all the work we do. 

I look forward to seeing you at our FNIC events in 2017. 

Stephen Graham 

Chairman, FNIC 

“Our goal is to raise the profile of Northern Ireland in China through a range of initiatives relating to Business, Culture, Sport and Tourism. The FNIC will look to help NI companies do business in China and help raise awareness among Chinese investors/tourists of the opportunities/attractions available in NI. The FNIC is run by private individuals including Diaspora from NI, Alumni of NI Universities and others with an interest in strengthening relationships between China and NI. We look to work closely with the relevant partner organisations, both government and non-government.” 

Visit of First Minister 

Breakfast meeting in Shanghai with the First Minister, Arlene Foster.  

Stephen Graham, Chairman FNIC 

On Tuesday 6th December, FNIC had the privilege of having a breakfast meeting in Shanghai with the First Minister, Arlene Foster, facilitated by Tim Losty of the NI Bureau in Beijing. The First Minister was in Shanghai to take part in the Government level People to People talks and spoke about the meetings she had planned with the Vice Premier of China, Liu Yandong, as well as other meetings in Shenyang and Beijing.  

Over breakfast in the Shangri-La Hotel, Pudong, we had the opportunity to highlight our expertise in a range of industries from education, tourism, food and textiles, and our collective years of experience in China. 

Arlene Foster and her team, which included Sir Malcolm McKibbin, the head of the NI Civil service and a UTV camera crew, were interested in learning more about our group and how we could work with NI business who want to set up in China and Chinese businesses who are interested in NI. She also wanted to know what she could do for us back in NI and it was suggested she spread the word about the group so others may be aware of our presence and expertise.  

The First Minister had heard about us through other ministers who have been here but it was still great to get such high level exposure and for news about our wee group to be taken back home.  

 

FNIC Events Review 

QUARTERLY SOCIAL 

NOVEMBER 20TH at Kartel  

Our last Quarterly Social event for 2016 was very well attended despite the terrible weather, with over 30 members gathering at Kartel in Shanghai. 

It was a great chance to meet some new friends and enjoy the company of older ones. 

        

Christmas Dinner 

Thursday 15th December, Tipsy Fiddler, Shanghai 

Our 2nd Annual Christmas dinner was better attended than last year while the craic, music and opportunities to mix were all the same as you have come to expect from an FNIC Social evening. 

Mark Graham organised the event and MC’d like a professional. Alan provided the music and was joined later by Annemarie and Dave Anderson to add drums and the violin to the atmosphere.  

The food was superbly prepared and served by the staff at the Tipsy Fiddler and the drinks flowed to add to the evening’s festivities. 

The Chairman, yours truly, gave a short speech welcoming everyone to the Dinner, including the Irish Consul General, Ms. Therese Healey.  

He also thanked those who contributed gifts for the raffle, including:- 

• Howard Bennet and his team from the Radisson Hotel group who donated nights at 6 different locations for the Hotels in Shanghai.  
• Dillon King for the Glenrothe’sWhiskey,  
• Mark Graham for the Cashmere Scarf from Holland and Sherry,  
• Icarus Tang for the Chateau de la Ligne Red wine,  
• An Ulster Fry breakfast pack from our own Breakfast Champion Andrew Brown,  
• A case of Prosecco and Johnny Walker Blue label from Neal Beatty,  
• Vouchers for Pizza Delphina from Sophie Lo,  
• Vouchers for Seve’s Italian restaurant from Seve,  
• Tickets for any show at the Pearl from Ryan O’Reilly,  
• Apple headphones from Rory Sexton.  

All went into the Raffle and the money raised from this and from personal donations will met the 23,000 RMB needed to build a new library for the Library Project. So we have to give a big Thank You to all of you who donated gifts, came along to the Dinner and bought raffle tickets. And of course congratulations to the winners. 

Stephen Graham 

 

 

CHINA AND NORTHERN IRELAND 

Ministerial visits 

Chris Hazzard, MLA – Minister for Infrastructure 

FNIC has been busy recently meeting up with Government ministers including the Minister for Infrastructure Chris Hazzard MLA. He was here with his team visiting Wuhan and Shanghai looking at the infrastructure for both inland networks and ports. They took a few hours out of their busy schedule for refreshments and discussions with Paul, Stephen and Mark. This was a first trip to Shanghai for most of their team, except for Sean Boyd who had been teaching in Zhengzhou for 1 1/2 years. 

There was interest in the FNIC set-up and our connections in many different fields with talk that there would help to propagate our name back home. 

 

Michelle McIlveen, Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture 

NORTHERN IRELAND HOPING TO PLAN A PART IN FUTURE UK-CHINA RELATIONS 

Michelle McIlveen, Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture, recently led a trade mission to Shanghai in November as Northern Ireland seeks to play a role in the "golden age" of UK-China relations. Our relations with china go back over a hundred years and our future relations should continue. Several high standing political ministers have or have had recent trips to China to demonstrate Northern Ireland's commitment to building a relationship with China. Since Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the UK last year, relations between China and the UK have entered a "golden age." 

 

Michelle McIlveen, Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture in Pudong November 

 Following agreements between China and Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Bureau set up a representative office in Beijing and the first Consulate General of China in Northern Ireland was opened in Belfast last year. It was Michelle’s first trip to China since being appointed Agriculture Minister in May. She came to China to promote the safe, high-quality agri-food products of Northern Ireland. During the trade mission in Shanghai, McIlveen visited the Northern Ireland booth at FHC, an event for imported food, drink and hospitality industries in China. Eleven companies from Northern Ireland visited and exhibited this year. 

 Michelle said at the reception that 2016 is "the year of food and drink" in Northern Ireland to celebrate their food industry. 

Northern Ireland exports more than 70 percent of their food to countries across the world. They have been exporting top-quality dairy products to the Chinese for many years. Several large food businesses such as Moy Park and Dale Farm are increasing sales in the global marketplace. The visiting Companies made use of the trade mission to build relationships with local Shanghai importers and distributors to help promote their high-quality products. 

Invest Northern Ireland already works with the UK's Department for International Trade to promote the use of e-commerce in overseas markets and hopefully this will continue to help us extend our help of businesses to other companies of Northern Ireland. Some of the companies partaking in the trade mission event were Argento, Irwins, Tayto and Denman International Ltd to name but a few. 

 

                                 Biscuits from Irwin's Bakery  

FNIC COMMENT ON THE RECENT TRADE MISSION 

The week beginning 7th November proved to be a very busy one for the FNIC Committee, as we were involved in facilitating and hosting the Invest Northern Ireland trade mission to Shanghai.  The reception on Tuesday 8th November provided an excellent opportunity for the delegates and exhibitors from Northern Ireland to meet and interact with potential partners and many of the FNIC members. 

Vicki Chiu, Invest NI Shanghai welcomed the guest speakers, Michelle McIlveen, Minister for Agriculture and Alastair Hamilton, Chief Executive Invest Northern Ireland. Ms. McIlveen said she was delighted to be part of this Trade Mission to Shanghai and that she hoped that partnerships that were already in place would be strengthened still further and new opportunities for both Northern Ireland and China explored and developed. 

Mr. Hamilton, who was leading the Invest Northern Ireland Trade Mission to Shanghai, spoke about the “golden age” in UK-China relations and how Northern Ireland is playing its part in this. Manufacturing exports to China have increased considerably in recent years. In 2010/11 Northern Ireland exports totalled £60 million and by 2015/16 they had increased to 89 million.  It was encouraging to learn about the appointment of the first Consul General of the People’s Republic of China to Northern Ireland and we were delighted that he acknowledged the great work of FNIC too.  It was a privilege for us all to be part of this successful trade mission and support their strapline “Northern Ireland, home of the world’s most business friendly city of its size”. 

Lunch with the Minister 

As part of the Invest NI trade mission in early November, FNIC committee members were kindly invited to join the NI Minister for Agriculture, Miss Michelle McIlveen, along with Alastair Hamilton, Invest NI CEO, and other distinguished guests for a private lunch. FNIC briefed the ministerial delegation on its various milestones over the course of its first year.  

FNIC was warmly commended by the Minister for its efforts in raising the profile of Northern Ireland in China, acting as unofficial cultural and commercial ambassadors. FNIC also took the opportunity to emphasize how important the ongoing support of NI Assembly Ministers is to its activity here, especially those with a specific interest in engaging with China at a diplomatic and commercial level. FNIC is looking forward to strengthening these ties for collaborative working in 2017. 

  

 

Non-FNIC Events in Shanghai 

FEXCO ASIAN GAELIC GAMES 5-6TH NOVEMBER 

EMMA CATNEY 

For anyone who attended the Fexco Asian Gaelic Games (AGGs) over the 5th – 6th November, they’ll know it’s a weekend where friends are reunited, new friendships made and great craic was had by all and this year was no different.    

Featuring 65 teams representing 20 clubs from across 18 countries in Asia, the AGGs saw more than 600 Irish, as well as a huge number of non-Irish GAA players, come together to battle it out in over 200 fixtures. Shanghai welcomed 40 players from the Live Life Lisa Orsi Foundation team from Derry, a team from UCD and teams from other major cities across the continent.  

This year saw Singapore A Ladies win the Lisa Orsi Cup in a fierce game against Seoul A and Shanghai A Men win the Derek Brady Cup in a game against Hong Kong A which will go down in AGG history as one of the most exciting finals. Shanghai Ladies B team also won the Junior Plate against Seoul B in a grueling final. Thailand won the Hurling competition in an incredible fight against Hong Kong A.    

We also had the pleasure of welcoming several GAA celebrities who made the journey out from Ireland to coach and commentate over the weekend; Cora Staunton from Mayo, Brian Cullen from Dublin and the legendary Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh!  

Come Sunday evening, everyone was looking forward to the dinner (fancy dress of course) and the awards ceremony. Everyone ate and danced to their heart’s content at the Shangri-La Hotel and, as if that wasn’t enough, they then rocked the infamous Zapata’s for the after party that went on