The Ulster Society of Magicians

Members are reminded that, following the AGM, subscriptions for the year are now due.

Fees remain unaltered at £50 for the year or £25 for those over 60 years of age and who has given 5 years or more of continuous membership immmediately preceding retirement. Contact Treasurer Paula McIntyre for our Bank Details for transfer.

Our new Vice President Paul Gomac eventually received his medal of office at last night’s meeting from Secretary James Hobart.

Shame we didn’t check it wasnt back to front for the photo !

At last night’s meeting our second performer for MagiCon 2025 was released which will take place from 2-4 May 2025 in The Malone, Belfast.

We are delighted to welcome Tom Stone with a brand new lecture to that previously given in Ireland as well as closeup and Gala Show performances. He joins previously announced Griffin and Jones and many more still to be revealed.

If there is sufficient interest Tom will also be doing an extra fee masterclass on the Monday after the convention

Accommodation can now be booked for a rate of £125 per night B&B by ringing the hotel on +4428 9038 8000 and stating that you are attending the Magic Convention. Payment will be taken on arrival.

Registration details will be released before the end of the year but if you wish to commence payment by instalments please contact Paula McIntyre to arrange a bespoke plan to suit you.

May’s events make it into print in the Key Ring Magazine of International Brotherhood of Magicians British Ring.

If you like the look of the monthly magazine it’s one of the many benefits of membership of the British Ring.

Check out https://britishring.org.uk for more details

Today’s MagicWeek mentions the AGM and MagiCon 2025

https://www.ulstersocietyofmagicians.com/convention

At last night’s AGM initial details were released for MagiCon 2025 which will take place from 2-4 May 2025 in The Malone, Belfast.

Accommodation can now be booked for a rate of £125 per night B&B by ringing the hotel on +4428 9038 8000 and stating that you are attending the Magic Convention. Payment will be taken on arrival.

The first act announced to perform and lecture is Griffin and Jones - award winning comedy duo, making their debut at an Irish Convention.

Registration details will be released before the end of the year but details for payment by instalments will be announced very soon

Congratulations to our new Chairman Darren Close who received the wand last night from John Donnelly. He joins Alan Kennedy (Vice Chairman), James Hobart (Secretary), Paula Vippykins McIntyre (Treasurer), Lucie Wilson, John Donnelly on committee with new recruits Alan Curran and Duncan McClune.

Paul Gomac was elected Vice President and joins Fay Presto in office already as President for a period of three years@

Ulster Society of Magicians Chairman’s Dinner
11th May 2024 Rockmount Golf Club
Review by Marina Boyd

As my husband and I opened the door to the golf lounge, a wave of loud conversation, laughter and clinking glasses filled our ears. We moved timidly among the tables, looking for the hidden corner where we would watch our first live magic show. No such luck! From a distance, I saw the last two empty chairs, well centered in front of the stage. As we were kindly invited by our magician friend Craig Gill, I wondered if he had magically conjured our chairs there to give us a better view. We took our seats, the spotlight well placed over our heads already warning us that we would be in the magician’s eye line.

The Ulster Society of Magicians made sure their audience were well fed and ready to give their full focus to the upcoming acts. The food was delicious and the staff offered us a very fast and professional service. Our three courses were served at a perfect pace, one after another, as if by magic. We received, indeed, magic at our table while eating! The fabulous Fay Presto left us mesmerized with a round of close-up tricks. I watched attentively as her hands - only a few centimeters away from my eyes - would set a napkin on fire, to then rescue it from the ashes, intact. I even “helped” her to free a 50p coin she had stucked inside a beer bottle: one hit and the large coin was released from the too slender bottle neck without damaging either.

But that was just an amuse bouche, the real show was about to start. As the stage was prepared we could see tarot cards and a table covered in black cloth, funny shaped brass cups atop. Nikola Arkane was then welcomed up and I was immediately captivated by her bright red hair and theatrical manners. Trick after trick, she impressed the audience with her ability to seemingly make objects disappear and reappear but never where you expected. I had absolutely no clue where the small white balls were, even as I keep my eagle eyes fixed to Nikola’s every movement. Just as I thought I could maybe unveil her methods, the white ball sundenly became a big yellow ball, right before everybody’s eyes…and once again I was bewitched. Nikola proved herself a master in adding an unexpected twist to classic magic tricks, keeping her viewers guessing and second guessing, on the edge of their seats the entire time.

Arkane finished the first act to loud applause and cheers: the expectations were high and the audience was anxious for more. I watched as our second magician, Philip Partridge took the stage, well dressed in his dinner suit, his forehead shining with glitter. It felt like if I was witnessing a character from a novel: his distinct voice and endless ability for inuendos and wordplay were hilarious and added an extra flavour to his performance. Partridge shredded newspapers and then rejoined them without a tear; he then proceeded to poke a giant needle through a balloon without it bursting. He would jump from trick to trick while delighting us with jokes and lighthearted conversation. The viewers were not only enchanted by his magic skills, but also filled with laughter. But not everything was free of tension: a member of the audience almost left without his head as Partridge strapped him into a guillotine. Everything was performed with such charm and incantation as only a great magician could provide.

Speaking of great magicians, the third and final act was the legendary Fay Presto. We’d had a taste of her talent earlier, and were eager to see what else she had up her sleeve. Under the stage lights I took in her trademark emerald magician coat, it looked as though she could produce any number of wonders from it pockets and sleeves. Such illusion was not necessary as she brought with her three shopping bags packed with decks of cards, chinese rings and my favourite by far, a magic hat rabbit. The rabbit in question was in fact a puppet (no animals were harmed!) and it delighted us as it guessed the card my husband had chosen from a deck moments earlier. To follow, Fay filled a folded newspaper with water before distractedly tearing it apart, only to then join the pieces together again and empty the water back out. Having sat in the front row, I can assure that not a drop of water was lost in the process. Presto's talent was so undeniable that we approached the last minutes of the show feeling that everything was real, amazed by every second of a deliciously chaotic - and brilliant - act. And just like that, the night was ended with a flourish.

Leaving for the car park felt like waking up from a spell. The evening was a delight, with high quality entertainment, good food and even better company. Still trying to make sense of the fabulous talent that we had just witnessed, my husband and I drove home with the certainty that we would be back next year for another show.

Wishing a very happy birthday to our President Fay Presto

Thanks once again to Paul Gomac for this excellent record of USM Chairman’s Dinner 2024

Thank you so much to everyone who attended or contributed in any way to yesterday’s successful events.

I think I can genuinely say that a great time was had by all

Could anyone who has ordered a steak at the dinner please contact Paula and let her know how you want it cooked ?

From Saturday’s MagicWeek

You have only until TOMORROW to book for USM Chairman’s Dinner 2024 by contacting Paula

Just a few more days to book your place by contacting Paula

The final piece has been added to our USM Chairman’s Dinner 2024 as our own Alan Kennedy has agreed to compère

The only thing missing now is your booking. Paula is waiting to hear from you.

'Where can I get a quality magic magazine subscription for Christmas?' did we hear you ask? Members of the I.B.M. British Ring receive the Key Ring magazine every month as part of their membership so why not join today!

SPECIAL OFFER - If you join now, your first payment will cover your membership until 31st March 2025 - giving you 15 months of membership (and 15 magazines!) for the price of 12! 🎄🎅🎁

For more details visit www.britishring.org.uk or email [email protected]

From Broadway to Belfast - The Vanishing Elephant is back!
BIG NEWS - We are delighted to announce that The Vanishing Elephant will run in The Grand Opera House, Belfast from 31st October - 2nd November 2024 in association with Belfast International Arts Festival. Tickets on sale NOW to Grand Opera House Gold and Silver Friends and on general sale from Monday 11th December 🐘

Supported by the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland

For those asking this is where The Society of Irish Magicians meet that we will be visiting on 9th January.

Anyone interested in travelling down is asked to contact James. Some of us are planning to travel by train and stay overnight.

www.academyplazahotel.ie

Congratulations to Alan Kennedy for winning tonight’s Christmas Quiz

Many thanks to the team who performed yesterday evening at The Errigle Inn

CilliansMagic has just launched his new website

Home | Cilliansmagic

Christmas is coming. Experience the magic live ! Links in our profile. We can't wait to see you.

Coming to The Society of Irish Magicians next month usual rule applies to our members. Contact Quentin for further information

THE LUKE JERMAY LECTURE

Tuesday 5th December at The Academy Plaza Hotel 8pm
Members: No charge. Non-members: €20

What Luke has to say ...

LUKE JERMAY - FROM THE SHADOWS

I am Luke Jermay and I have lived a life consumed by mystery. For as long as I can remember I have felt an irresistible draw to all things strange and magical.

You might know my work as a mentalist. There is another side to my passion for the mystery arts. A side that you might not know. A side that, outside of my friends has remained hidden in the shadows, until now.

Magic.

Playing cards that appear, vanish and travel as gracefully as the birds flying south for the winter. Solid silver coins that impossibly pe*****te solid table tops under the strictest of conditions. Random actions inexplicably creating spooky action at a distance, reminding us that with the right magic no matter how impossible the circumstances seem, it is never to late to transform.

Beautiful, impossible, mysterious magic.

I invite you to join me in a celebration of pure conjuring. Not a single mind will be read. Instead together we will explore some of my favourite original conjuring creations. Each effect is designed to be performed in real world close up settings and no detail will be left out. Alongside the methods, techniques and secrets I will also share some tips and ideas to help you create your own beautiful, impossible, mysterious magic.

I love this material. I love performing it. I love sharing it.

At the very core, I love magic. I suspect you do as well, so what could be better than spending a few hours together talking about the thing we love the most?

I can’t wait for the conversation to start…

Luke Jermay

Message from our President George Bleeks

Friday the 24th of November! Don't miss out!

Stranded! – Sherlock Holmes meets The Magician - Strand Cinema Belfast The world of Sherlock Holmes is not as far removed from the world of magic as you might think. Magician Caolan McBride has been a fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories for many years. In fact, he uses the very techniques that Sherlock Holmes uses as the world’s greatest detective. Caolan has been sha...