There are times when it is just a monumental privilege to be Chaplain to the Titanic Quarter.  Last Sunday night was one of them, as we gathered at Titanic Belfast for A Night To Remember – an evening of storytelling, music and remembrance on the anniversary of the moment when RMS Titanic struck the fateful iceberg.

As you can see from the pics, Dock volunteers were very much involved, guiding visitors around the slipways as a series of actors enacted the eyewitness accounts of those involved in the events of 101 years ago.  (Michele, one of our Board members, made a memorable Lady Duff Gordon!)  We had an act of remembrance at the compass inside Titanic Belfast (check out the nice ‘knights of the round table’ vibe!) and then, at 11:40pm exactly, we braved the howling wind to stand on the spot where the story began, as we commemorated its end.

And new life continues to grow in the Titanic Quarter… has ever the arrival of a Mace inspired such excitement?!  Check out the pictures below to watch the shelves being stocked and the shop prepare to open this weekend:

The most exciting aspect, from my point of view, is how the Mace and the Dock dovetail together perfectly.  The Mace will have a ‘Green Deli’ hot food bar and fresh sandwich counter, serving pretty much anything your heart could desire as a takeaway slap-up lunch.  The Dock has seats galore, space to sit and eat and enjoy your food in comfort, and a BYOF (Bring Your Own Food) policy.

So in many ways The Dock is becoming more-and-more what we were hoping for right from the start: a community living room, a place for conversation to flourish.  We didn’t ever set out to be a restaurant or serious cafe – just to serve the bare essentials to make it comfortable for people to call in for a bite, eat, meet and chat.  When the Mace opens, that will become easier still – get yourself a nice chicken curry, lasagne or bowl of stew from Andy and Graham, then get yourself a plate, knife and fork at The Dock, grab a table and enjoy!

Doesn’t that sound like a whole new chapter of Life In The Titanic Quarter!

This is it: 14th April, the day we mark the unthinkable: the sinking of the unsinkable.

One little sidelong scrape with an iceberg, barely enough to rattle the ice cubes in the passengers’ whisky-and-sodas.  But it turned the world upside-down in countless tragic, moving, fascinating, unforgettable ways.

It’s a story we never could or should forget.  And so we’ll be telling and re-telling it again today: on the Dock Walk at 3:33 this afternoon, and at a special event tonight (run in conjunction between The Dock and Titanic Belfast) called ‘A Night To Remember’ – leading right up to 11:40pm, the moment of the collision.

Whether you can join us or not, take a moment today to remember the Night To Remember.

The Dock’s new next-door neighbours are making great progress – the Titanic Quarter Mace will be ready to open soon!

It’s very exciting to watch the progress.   The TQ’s long (long) awaited local shop will be worth all the anticipation – fresh bread, hot food deli counter, all the essential supplies of life – and we’re getting to meet the lovely bunch of people behind the counter as well.  It’s going to be great!

Well my Dock-World chums, get out your diaries…

This weekend you can knit with the knitters, brainstorm with the book club, marvel at the market stall and walk off the blues…

Sip/Sit/Knit at The Dock – Fri @ 11:30am – for everyone who enjoys a good yarn

Dock Book Club – Sat @ 3pm – looking at The Picture Book by Jo Baker

Dock pop-up market – all day Saturday you’ll be able to browse and buy Anabel’s home-made bookmarks, purses and coasters – come and pick up something unique!

And if you’re full of Dock scones, traybakes and hot chocolates, you could join Walking Off the Blues at Holywood Arches at 12 on Friday

Ever since the Dock Makeover in February, we’ve had a new blackboard wall just above the Honesty Box where Dock customers can scribble their own answer to the question ‘What Is The Dock?’

(For a while we were trying to figure out how to answer that question on a printed sign.  Then we realised – it’s much better as a conversation, rather than a statement.  So, blackboard and chalk provided!)

So (with the exception of a few ‘Chris&Susan4ever’ type comments, which were removed as not really being a valid answer to the question!) here’s the results of leaving the conversation open for the last month:

So, what is The Dock?  A refuge with great coffee… The heart of TQ… A place of warmth where courage thrives… Earthly home… A good-humoured oasis… A comfy haven… A sanctuary… A superhero hangout… A happy place… A home…

And much as many of those comments bring a lump to my throat and joy to my heart, I think my favourite is still the comment scrawled way out of reach at the very top of the wall… ‘A place for tall people’.

So it’s time to start the conversation all over again!

During a busy, sunny afternoon in Dock Cafe today, Harry got to work with the duster – so the blackboard is blank once more.

Over to you – call in soon and add your thoughts!