Win tickets to Nollaig na mBan Celebration with First Fortnight and an overnight at Hard Rock Hotel, Dublin.

First Fortnight Mental Health Art & Culture Festival 2024 offering one lucky Irish Times subscriber the chance to win two tickets to Nollaig na mBan – an evening of Celebration at the Smock Alley Theatre and on the same night, an overnight stay at the beautiful, bespoke, Hard Rock Hotel Dublin which takes immense pride in its gilded service with a warm welcome.

This coming year, First Fortnight Mental Health Art & Culture Festival is again honoured to have some of our country’s most creative and enquiring minds contributing to our festival programme. We are looking forward to bringing our audiences further new commissions including regional commissions. We are looking forward to a festival programme which, we believe, will once again alight all the senses.

With our 2024 Festival commencing on Nollaig na mBan weekend, a trio of these events will be spent marking this significant date. We will conclude this trilogy of Nollaig na mBan with First Fortnight events with an evening of celebration at Smock Alley Theatre, which we are thrilled to host Irish Women in Harmony, for a very special performance and author Louise Nealon, who will read an excerpt from her book, Snowflake. Snowflake is also confirmed as One Dublin One Book of 2024. In addition, we are delighted to be also joined by Barbara Brennan, an inspirational ‘thought leader’ in the field of Mental Health, who will share her story. The evening is hosted by the fabulous and hilarious Sharon Mannion.

Earlier the same day (1pm), also at Smock Alley Theatre, First Fortnight, in partnership with National Women’s Council of Ireland, Mental Health Reform, Mental Health Ireland and HSE Mental Health Engagement and Recovery present; WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH; In this panel discussion, we bring together several stakeholders in women’s mental health to discuss the current standing of mental health care for women in Ireland, findings of recent research and projects, and what we can do next. The panel includes Orla O’Connor, Director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland, Fiona Coyle, CEO of Mental Health Reform, Claire Flynn, Development Officer at Mental Health Ireland, Jessica Curtis, Senior Project Manager at Mental Health Engagement and Recovery, and Maria Fleming, CEO of First Fortnight.

At the same venue commencing at 3pm, The Sea and Me, will look at the relationship between the sea and mental health. Maria Fleming, CEO of First Fortnight will chair this panel discussion which brings together these voices who speak of turning to the sea in support of your mental health. In this panel discussion, we will hear from three women who turned to the sea for solace, motivation, and joy. Claire Walsh, author of Under Water is a free diver, year-round sea swimmer and teacher of breath work courses who moved to the coast in her twenties and never looked back. Ruth Fitzmaurice is the author of I Found My Tribe, the moving tale of how she found solace from family trauma in the cold waters of the Irish Sea.

Find out more about the festival by clicking here.

This competition is now closed.

Terms & Conditions

1. The promotion is open to residents of Ireland aged 18 years or over except employees of the Promoter, their families, agents or anyone professionally connected with the promotion.

2. A valid entry consists of a correct answer entered in the form above, accompanied by the entrant’s name, email address and a phone number.

3. No applications from agents, third parties, organised groups or applications automatically generated by computer will be accepted. No incomplete, illegible, or corrupted entries will be accepted. No entries not in accordance with the entry instructions will be accepted.

4. The Promotion will run from 20/12/2023 to midnight on 01/01/2024 inclusive.

5. All entries must be received by the Promoter by no later than midnight on the Closing Date. All competition entries received after the Closing Date are automatically disqualified.

6. Promotion limited to one entry per person. No entrant will win more than one prize.

7. By submitting an entry to the Promoter, you are agreeing to be bound by these terms and conditions.

8. Responsibility will not be accepted for entries lost, damaged or delayed as a result of any network, computer hardware or software failure of any kind. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt. Entries will become the property of the Promoter.

9. The prize is two tickets to Nollaig na mBan on Saturday, January 6th at Smock Alley Theatre and an overnight stay at Hard Rock Hotel on Saturday, January 6th and check out on Sunday, January 7th. There will be one winner.

10. All prizes will be subject to any additional terms and conditions of the supplier of the prize to the Promoter. This prize is only valid on Saturday, January 6th including partnered hotel prize, and cannot be refunded or redeemed for cash.

11. The Promoter shall not be liable for any loss, damage or consequential damage of any nature in contract, tort (including negligence) or otherwise caused by the acceptance of the terms and conditions or in connection with the prize.

12. In the event of unforeseen circumstances the Promoter reserves the right to substitute the prize for an alternative of equal or greater value.

13. The winners will be notified by email. The winner must claim the prize within 30 days of the notification. If the prize is unclaimed after this time, it will lapse and the Promoter reserves the right to offer the unclaimed prize to a substitute winner selected in accordance with the Promotion rules.

14. The promoters’ decision is final and binding in all matters and no correspondence will be entered into.

15. The winners’ details (name and county) will be made available on The Irish Times website.

16. The winner may be required to participate in unpaid publicity arising from this promotion.

17. The Promoter will only process your personal information as set out in https://www.irishtimes.com/policy-and-terms/privacy-policy and as set out in these terms and conditions.

18. Prizes are non-transferrable and cannot be exchanged for cash.

19. These terms and conditions shall be governed by Irish law and the Courts of the Republic of Ireland shall have exclusive jurisdiction.

20. Promoter and Data Controller: The Irish Times DAC, The Irish Times Building, P.O. Box 74, 24 - 28 Tara Street, Dublin 2.

21. The Promoter reserves the right to hold void, suspend, cancel or amend the Promotion where it becomes necessary to do so.