BBC Northern Ireland Welcomes Tall Ships Races

BBC Northern Ireland is to provide comprehensive coverage for the start of The Tall Ships Races 2015 from Belfast, from 2 to 5 July 2015.

The broadcaster will be quayside for the festival, and bring the event to viewers across its Television, Radio and online platforms.

Television
The BBC's The One Show will broadcast live from the Festival in Belfast on Friday 3 July at 7pm on BBC One. Chris Evans and Alex Jones will be joined by Barry McGuigan, Dan Snow and Miranda Krestovnikoff who heads out into the Atlantic to help bring the 260 foot Guayas into port.

BBC Northern Ireland will have an hour-long programme highlighting all the activity from Belfast docks on Sunday 5 July at 8pm on BBC One NI. The programme will bring viewers all the colour, spectacle and atmosphere of the Belfast Maritime Festival 2015.

The presenting team will include two times Olympic Gold winning sailor Shirley Robertson OBE who will be joined by BBC Northern Ireland's Gavin Andrews, Claire McCollum and Barra Best. The programme will broadcast from the Tall Ship Guayas which hails from Ecuador. The team will also be out and about around the docks going behind-the-scenes, meeting the crews and the many visitors taking part in the event.

BBC NI viewers will also be able to keep across all the activity from the festival with BBC Newsline. Donna Traynor will be down on the dock during the week with special reports from the largest maritime event this year.

Radio
Hugo Duncan and his team will present two outside broadcasts from the festival on Thursday 2 July and Friday 3 July, with special guests including Derek Ryan and country music from 1.30pm. This will be part of BBC Radio Ulster's 40th birthday celebration.

Hugo said: "We are really looking forward to bringing the show to Tall Ships. I still have vivid memories from our last Tall Ships outing in 2009 – the crowd and atmosphere were just fantastic. We have some great music stars joining us this time and when the bands are playing I will probably be in the continental market eating!"

Online
BBC News NI will have regular updates throughout the festival. Reporter Ciaran McCauley will be among the crowds on Friday, while live coverage of the event will continue on Saturday and Sunday at bbc.co.uk/newsni.

www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre

(JP)