Our fantastic next-door neighbours on SS Nomadic recently posted some pictures of the condition of First Class Upper when the battered, rusty ship arrived back in Belfast from the French scrapyard:

Amazing to think that just a few short years later, it has all been restored to its original 1911 splendour:

And even more amazing to think that it’s now the venue for our monthly Sunday Nights on Nomadic – I could scarcely have dared to dream that would be possible when I went down that historic gangway for the first time!

Which is all a way of reminding you that our next Sunday on Nomadic is this Sunday 1st June at 6pm – and that we will be getting a glimpse into some other areas of the ship, going on an adventure (bring your jacket), talking about some isms, and (of course) sharing old hymns and new insights, snug between the deck of the ship.

See you there!

PS – I nearly forgot to mention – today is the 103-year anniversary of Titanic’s 62-second launch from the slipways at 12:13pm on 31st May 1911.

I’ll never forget leading a 62-second cheer on live BBC News 24 while the headline on the screen read ‘More than 1500 people died when the ship sank… ceremony being held to remember those who died’!  People watching with the sound turned down must have thought we have a VERY strange way of expressing grief in Belfast…

Launch coverage – live footage from The DOCK Church on Vimeo.

A treat in store at 10:15pm on Thursday night if you can pick up RTE1 (if you have Sky it’s Channel 161) – the premiere of City Of A Thousand Launches, a truly fabulous documentary about the birth of Titanic Quarter and the construction of Titanic Belfast (here’s the trailer):

Having seen a contributors’ preview DVD (modest cough), I can tell you that this is one not to be missed… tracing the story of Belfast’s relationship with Titanic from the pride of construction, the heartbreak of loss, the long years of denial, to the rebirth of hope and the sense that the ship has regained her rightful place in our history books over these past few years.

I found the programme incredibly moving – I was practically out of my seat cheering towards the end – and feel humbled, thankful and slightly overwhelmed to have been a part of this amazing story over the past few years.

Apparently my cheery face pops up all over the trailer that’s being shown this week on RTE – leading to a slightly confusing conversation in the cafe at the weekend:

Customer: I saw you on the Late Late Show last night
Me: Are you sure? I have absolutely no memory of that
Customer: Definitely.  It was you, talking about Titanic
Me: (thinking: is it possible that I travelled to Dublin, appeared on a chat show and travelled home again without actually realising it): That sounds like me all right…

When I found out the adverts for City Of A Thousand Launches have been running all week, it all became clear!

Set your Sky+ now!

(And if you miss it, don’t despair – the DVD is on sale in Titanic Belfast and is currently being played on continuous loop on the big screen in Dock Cafe!)

Y’know the way they say there’s no rest for the wicked?  Well I must have been very, very naughty…

While we’re still drawing breath from our weekend in the pink, we’re gearing up for a weekend in the drink – the Maritime Festival is this coming Saturday to Monday:

This is becoming one of the best weekends in the Titanic Quarter annual diary – lovely old boats, loads of activities and attractions around the quayside, and plenty of opportunities to get out there on (or in) the Lagan if that floats your boat!

And this weekend, as well as flinging wide the doors of Dock Cafe (note our extended opening hours: Saturday 11-6, Sunday 2-5 and Monday 11-7) as a little haven of squashy sofas, friendly faces and cracking coffee in the midst of it all, we’re also repeating our fantastically successful experiment from the Giro weekend: running the Dock/We Make pop-up markets in the the unit just along from Dock Cafe at the base the ARC apartments.  Exciting!  So expect plenty more of this kind of malarkey:

So make sure you make a bee-line for the TQ this weekend.  Enjoy the boats and stuff that floats, chill out in the Dock with a nice long lingering cuppa, and then pop in to the pop-ups, get chatting to the stallholders, try a savoury waffle or a pulled-pork bap, have your portrait painted or pick up an upcycled bargain…

Talk about arriving on the map – quite literally in this case:

As promised, lots of pics and stories of the most incredible weekend of bikes, banter, madness, markets, pop-ups and (above all) pinkness as the Giro swept through the Titanic Quarter.

Thanks to our coffee providers, Bailies, the Dock team were resplendent in pink (even Arthur the knight got in on the act)

And thanks to the Friday knitters, visitors to the cafe were greeted by knitted pink bunting… how very Dock!

Meanwhile, just a few units along at the other end of the ARC, the Dock/We Make crew were busy putting the finishing touches to their pop-up market.  As with all such things, at the 11th hour there was still so much to do:

…but when the time came, it all clicked together beautifully.  Fifteen traders set up their stalls in a big, bright space with the smell of cooking filling the air… the atmosphere was brilliant, the buzz of happy customers eating, drinking, shopping and chilling – another new dimension to Life in the Titanic Quarter.

These are just a few of the stalls – I was overwhelmed by the quality, creativity and variety of top-notch stuff on offer:

When they could grab a gasped free moment in the middle of the madness, the Dock Cafe team were to be found feasting their faces and trying their best to sample everything from all the stalls…

And the best news is that the Dock/We Make pop-up is returning for the Maritime Festival next weekend (24th-26th May) – and who knows what might happen next after that…

And of course at the centre of everything, serving coffees to over 2000 people, providing space for chilling and conversation, full of music and friendly faces and life and joy… our beloved Honesty Box Cafe

What a weekend… I feel as if I’m only starting to recover now – but the Maritime Festival is just around the corner!  Whatever else it may be, Life in the Titanic Quarter is never boring!

Well that was quite a weekend!

Lots of pictures and stories from the Giro to share over the next few days – but first, a little glimpse of the fantastic pop-up markets run by the DOCK team and WE MAKE BELFAST: