A CHRISTMAS concert will be held at St Comgalls on Divis Street, tonight, with the Ulster Orchestra as part of a cross-community initiative which will also feature Santa.

The event – which takes place at St Comgalls at 7pm – is organised by Falls Residents' Association, Falls Community Council, St Peter’s Cathedral, St Comgalls, New Life City Church and the Ulster Orchestra.

Gerry McConville from Falls Community Council said: “We will have the Ulster Orchestra doing a Christmas performance accompanied by children from St Joseph's and Blackmountain Primary Schools tonight at seven here in St Comgalls.

“The past few weeks have been really busy ones at St Comgalls. Last week we hosted Upper Springfield Healthy Living Centre tea dance. We had over 100 older people in attendance and they all really enjoyed the music, dancing and craic.

“On Sunday we had our first Christmas Bazaar in the newly refurbished St Comgalls. Several hundred people attended from across Belfast and all proceeds went to the mental health charity Inspire.

“We are really looking forward to tonight’s concert and we would like to invite people from all over Belfast to join us and also in attendance will be our Lord Mayor Ryan Murphy.”

CAROLS: The carol service last year on Northumberland Street
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CAROLS: The carol service last year on Northumberland Street

Robert McClenaghan from Falls Partnership Initiative said they and Falls Residents' Association are currently working on a "brilliant cross-community Christmas programme of events" which includes tonight’s concert at St Comgalls and an event next Tuesday at the peace gates on Northumberland Street.

This year will be the third year of the Christmas Carol Service on Northumberland Street which takes place on Tuesday 12 December at 6.30pm and it promises to be even bigger than previous years.

Robert said: “The carol service will be taking place at the gates on Northumberland Street, an area that used to be a ‘no-man’s land’ between the communities but this year again we will have a choir from St Peter’s led by New Life City Church and attendees from both communities and the Mayor coming to switch on some Christmas lights. 

“The brass band from the Ulster Orchestra will also be there to celebrate the true spirit of Christmas. We will be celebrating all together through the power of music and expressing the unifying spirit of Christmas.”