Skip to content

Bangor courthouse becomes music venue

A former bank and courthouse has reopened as Northern Ireland’s newest live music venue.

The Victorian-era magistrates’ court on Bangor’s seafront was built in 1866 as a branch of the then-Belfast Banking Company before becoming a court in 1952.

Since its closure in 2013 campaigners have wanted turn it into an arts venue.

18 October 2022

Explore More

A shipwreck, rusted metal and fish visible poking out of holes in the wreck.

Are shipwrecks a climate change timebomb?

Rebecca Roberts lifting up a trophy and a Welsh flag with fireworks going on behind her

Welsh athlete's aim to be strongest woman ever

The inside of the Local Stop 24 Bangor newsagent store, with the till on the left hand side and a stack of newspapers in the centre. The seagull is in front of the newspapers with a newspaper in its beak.

Watch as bird bandit pinches paper from newsagent

Kevin Anderson

Swimming coach 'can't depend on Bangor pool'

Northern Ireland

Keyframe #1

Residents fear for their crumbling, damaged homes

Northern Ireland

Alan Couser

'My ribcage was like a crumpled up bag of crisps'

Northern Ireland

Alison Blayney

Funding loss means service 'switched off overnight'

Northern Ireland

Supt Johnston McDowell

Police give update amid UDA feud attacks

Northern Ireland

Supporters clash

Football supporters' fight prompts club probe

K9 search and rescue

Turkey earthquake rescuers 'doing absolute best'

Northern Ireland

Dog and handler

Shopping centre hosts dog search and rescue training

Northern Ireland

Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) on the picket line

Nurses in Wales join first day of strike over pay

Joanne Dorrian

'What is keeping you from telling us where Lisa is?'

Northern Ireland

Princess Anne

'Bangor - you are now properly a city'

Northern Ireland

A woman tells BBC News NI that she is struggling to find money to live on after her mortgage doubled.

'I check my bank account every morning'

Northern Ireland

Poppies

Wales falls silent on Armistice Day

Mass brawl

Seven red cards given in football mass brawl

Woman speaks to BBC news about the cost of living

'It just seems to be getting worse every day'

Northern Ireland

Seagull

Gull-ty thief is caught on shop owner's CCTV

Domenico Serafino

The pop star who ruined 145-year-old football club

Emma, with long brown hair and wearing a purple hoody, looks to the side of the camera

How schools can help bereaved pupils with grief

Emma, who lost her brother, says it can be "overwhelming" to deal with grief alongside school work.

Northern Ireland

Tom Hadden sits on a grey sofa. He is wearing a stripey top.

'Rural road crash changed my life'

Tom Hadden was driving a bin lorry down a country road when another truck collided with his vehicle.

Northern Ireland

A woman with straight blonde hair looks to the side of the camera. She is wearing a blue t-shirt and necklace.

Parents of SEN young people call for support

Currently pupils with special educational needs do not receive automatic support to continue in education when they leave school.

Northern Ireland

Memorial stone in Ballyatrick forest to Inga Maria Hauser. Bouquets of flowers have been placed around the stone

Murdered backpacker's family hopeful over inquest

Eighteen-year-old Inga Maria Hauser's body was found in Ballypatrick forest in County Antrim in 1988.

Northern Ireland

A hole in a dark gravel road up close with a road continuing in the background surrounded by fields

'The edges have eroded away'

Potholes and deteriorating rural roads are affecting journeys, said a transport provider.

Northern Ireland

Sebastian is being kissed on the cheek by his mother Amanda. He has short blonde hair and is wearing a blue jacket. Amanda is wearing a black and white headscarf and gold feathered earrings.

'He has nowhere to go and he's still there'

Sebastian's mother said he had limited access to the outside world after spending 10 months in hospital.

Northern Ireland

Noleen Mullan, the mother of Katie Simpson, speaking at a press conference. She is wearing an olive coat over a white top.

Katie Simpson family 'feeling empty' after report

Katie Simpson's mother says those responsible for police failings "are nowhere to be seen".

Northern Ireland

Debbie McCrudden

'I'm glad I didn't let the fear stop me'

Debbie McCrudden was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2014 and was worried about having children.

Northern Ireland

A man with black glasses and a yellow jumper looks at the camera. He has black hair

'We caught my cancer early - that was key'

Two men are raising awareness of the signs of testicular and prostate cancer.

Northern Ireland

A man with a black beard and black hair stands in front of University of Ulster building wearing a black hoody

Belfast reacts to Trump's US election victory

BBC NI asks people in Belfast how they feel about Donald Trump's victory in the US election.

Northern Ireland

Sandra Larmour

‘Drugs was never really a topic of conversation’

Sandra Larmour's daughter Jeni died hours after arriving at Newcastle University to begin her degree.

Northern Ireland

Gillian Kearney speaking at a police press conference. There is a green PSNI banner behind her and four microphones in front. She is in uniform and has blonde hair, which is tied back.

Increased police presence in Derry after attacks

Speaking at a press conference, Ch Supt Kearney says the extra policing will continue over the coming days.

Northern Ireland

Indiana Land sign, with snakes and birds

A trip down memory lane with BBC archives

More than 9,000 new video clips from the 1990s have been added to the BBC Northern Ireland Rewind website.

Northern Ireland

Cahir O'Hagan in football top in stadium

'Medication wasn't able to save my brother'

Cahir O'Hagan was 25 when he died from cystic fibrosis while waiting for a lung transplant.

Northern Ireland

Lara Storey sitting in front of a window

'I never had anyone sit down and take me seriously'

Former Tesco employee Lara Storey wants other women to know they don’t have to accept unwanted behaviour.

Northern Ireland

Melissa Hamilton - a woman with long, blonde hair which is tied back in a ponytail is smiling as she looks slightly off camera.

'To perform ballet back home is a dream come true'

Melissa Hamilton is performing three ballet shows in Belfast's Grand Opera House this weekend.

Northern Ireland

Kwame Daniels in front of the Telegraph building in Belfast. He is wearing thick-rimmed glasses, a green jacket, a red shirt and a ruck sack.

'I'm home': Anti-slavery show explores Belfast diversity

A unique live show commemorating Belfast's opposition to the slave trade has opened in the city centre.

Northern Ireland

Deirdre Shakespeare wearing a white blouse and gold necklace. She has wavy blonde hair and is outside. There are trees and fields behind her.

Mother 'vindicated' by report into autistic son's treatment

Deirdre Shakespeare's son, Harry, was restrained in a chair at his special school without her knowledge.

Northern Ireland

Christine McCleery - she has long blonde hair and a black top on.

'I want to prevent this happening again' - Mum of stillborn baby

Services for pregnant women need to be overhauled in Northern Ireland, a review finds.

Northern Ireland

Woody the dog - he wears a harness and is a red labrador. He has beautiful brown eyes

'One ferret killed 27 puffins' - the dog keeping seabirds safe

Ferrets and rats pose a grave risk to puffins and other seabirds who breed on Rathlin Island every year.

Northern Ireland