As part of the much-anticipated 4 Corners Festival 2025, songwriter Anthony Toner and artist/playwright Andrea Montgomery will take centre stage in an intimate and thought-provoking event titled In Conversation About Home.
Hosted by festival co-founder Steve Stockman, this annual conversational series will delve into the theme of Home?, offering a unique blend of music, art, and storytelling.
Taking place on Friday February 7 at 7.30pm at Fitzroy Presbyterian Church in Belfast the show is just one of a series of interesting and thought-provoking events in the festival calendar.
Anthony Toner, well known for his heartfelt songwriting, brings a deeply personal perspective to the discussion.
From reflecting on his childhood on Coleraine’s Harpur’s Hill estate to capturing the spirit of East Belfast in his album Six Inches of Water, his work encapsulates the complexity of what it means to belong.
Joining him is Andrea Montgomery, an accomplished playwright, director, and producer whose artistic journey spans four continents.
Born in Delhi, raised in Canada, and now calling East Belfast home, she offers a global yet deeply personal insight into the concept of ‘home’.
This event promises an engaging exploration of the questions that lie at the heart of this year’s 4 Corners Festival theme. What does it mean to call a place home? How do our experiences shape our understanding of belonging?
Steve Stockman, co-founder of the 4 Corners Festival said: “As soon as we came up with HOME? As the theme for the Festival, I wanted Anthony for the In Conversation as he always writes about our wee place.
“I then thought I’d like his partner Andrea to join him and as it turns out she has been making home in various different places all her life.
“The perfect couple to talk about HOME? I cannot wait.”
The 4 Corners Festival, now in its 13th year, runs from January 31 to February 9 with a mission to inspire connection and reflection across Belfast’s communities.
This year’s theme is HOME?, offering another year of diverse range of events including art, music, drama, and faith-inspired activities aimed at encouraging attendees to explore new corners of the city and forge meaningful connections.
Co-founders Steve Stockman and Father Martin Magill said the festival is a celebration of diversity and belonging, with this year’s events rooted in the concept of home as both a physical and emotional space.
The wider 4 Corners Festival will encompass a wide variety of talks, discussions, practical workshops and more, spreading the word of local and global contextual issues across its ten day run.
Aimed at broadening perspectives and helping people to think about bigger issues, such as homelessness, the care of our common home, the earth, transport and accessibility within our home city, these heavy integral topics are interwoven together with lighthearted festivities like music, poetry, drama and the visual arts.
The event’s schedule of activities will also challenge attendees to step beyond the physical and psychological ‘corners’ of Belfast, discovering new parts of their city, fresh perspectives and meaningful connections.
4 Corners Festival is supported by The Executive Office’s Central Good Relations Fund, The Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund and Belfast City Council Good Relations Fund, St Anne’s Cathedral Sitout and Linen Quarter BID.
For more information about the festival and to keep up to date with programme updates go to 4cornersfestival.com
About the 4 Corners Festival
The 4 Corners Festival seeks to inspire people from across Belfast to transform it for the peace and wellbeing of all. It features innovative events designed to entice people out of their own ‘corners’ of the city and into new places where they will encounter new perspectives, new ideas and hopefully meet new friends.
The Festival takes place annually in February. It comprises a range of events featuring discussion, music, prayer, drama, poetry and story-telling in venues across the city of Belfast.
TOGETHER: BUILDING A UNITED COMMUNITY (T:BUC)
The ‘Together: Building a United Community’ (T:BUC) Strategy, reflects the Executive’s commitment to improving community relations and continuing the journey towards a more united and shared society.
The Strategy is based on equality of opportunity, the desirability of good relations and reconciliation. It also provides the framework for government action in tackling sectarianism, racism and other forms of intolerance while seeking to address division, hate and separation.
Key priorities
The T:BUC Strategy outlines how we in Government, in the community, and as individuals, work together to build a united community and facilitate change in the key priorities of:
- Our children and young people;
- Our shared community;
- Our safe community; and
- Our cultural expression.
Further information on the T:BUC Strategy can be found HERE.
The Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund
This publication is grant aided by Belfast City Council. The views expressed are not necessarily shared or endorsed by the Council. The Council does not accept any responsibility or liability for same.
Belfast City Council Good Relations Fund
This press release and the ideas, opinions and comments therein are entirely the responsibility of its author(s) and do not necessarily represent or reflect DFA policy.
