Old Bushmills Distillery, Co Antrim. Wed/Thurs 2pm (competition ticket holders only) 048-20733218

A handmade whiskey and music festival? I’ll be having some of that, if you don’t mind. A fine array of talent is performing at the Bushmills Distillery across June 20th and June 21st. It’s mostly Northern Irish (Snow Patrol headline and there’s the likes of Foy Vance, Iain Archer, General Fiasco and David C Clements), but there are also nice little non-Irish touches, such as English sibling folk-pop trio The Staves (above), hotly tipped UK singer-songwriters Marcus Foster and (particularly good) Benjamin Francis Leftwich, plus a DJ set from American actor Elijah Wood. Another nice touch: Snow Patrol are donating the entirety of their fee to Belfast’s cultural/arts unit Oh Yeah Music Centre (co-founded by the band’s Gary Lightbody, to assist emerging music/arts talent).

So there it is: a beautiful venue, a bountiful supply of libations, and some decent music played on a stage surrounded by whiskey casks. I’ll have mine in a glass, thanks. With a tinkle of ice. Cheers.

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