Newry cultural group is set to hit the American stage

Piping Hot, a celebration of cultural diversity, is to be presented by the Altnaveigh House (Newry) group in the United States next month.
From its strong Ulster Scots base, Altnaveigh House has worked with local amateur and professional musicians in the Newry area to promote the true culture of Northern Ireland. The organisation has over the past three years offered tuition to both the young and not so young in the development of music, song, dance and the spoken word.
Such a wealth of talent came though these initial workshops that, with assistance from the Arts Council for Northern Ireland, the Piping Hot show was developed.   The show  promotes all aspects of Ulster-Scots traditions in music, together with traditional Irish musicians and dancers .
The show has been described as a truly warm cultural experience, celebrating cultural diversity.
Altnaveigh House was delighted to receive an invitation from Roanoake in Virginia, United States to bring the piping hot show to this city to perform at the Mill Mountain Theatre in March.
Performers in the show were determined to take their talent to America and since August last have performed and raised money to allow this trip to happen.
The group leave Northern Ireland on Sunday March 13 arriving into  Washington DC later that evening. The group will  give a performance at a dinner hosted by the Northern Ireland Bureau in Washington on behalf of the International Fund for Ireland.
Altnaveigh House chief executive Margaret Thompson explains that the International Fund for Ireland has been really supportive of the various work of Altnaveigh House, especially in relation to their community development programme. 
This programme has over the past three years resulted in almost 200 small community-based groups being established.  Many of the groups are Ulster-Scots  and operate mainly from Orange halls throughout the South Down area.
"After  financial and mentoring support that Altnaveigh have received from the International Fund for Ireland we are delighted to perform at one of their fund-raising dinners," says Margaret.
The group has been invited to Capitol Hill before heading to Virginia. A short Virginian tour is being organised with the prospect of performances in the  Shakespeare theatre in Staunton, a performance in Lexington and a three-day stay with performances, workshops and participation at the St Patrick's Day parade in Roanoake.
David Hanna, chairman of Altnaveigh House, welcomes this opportunity to showcase the richness of musical diversity as it exists in the Newry and Mourne area, especially the Ulster-Scots culture and tradition.
The trip allows Altnaveigh House to demonstrate to the individual fund-giver, the benefits of how their contributions are being spent.
For those interested to learn more about  this trip, the Belfast News Letter will provide a daily diary of the group's journey.
Daily reports and photographs will be e-mailed to the News Letter so folks back home will be able to read on a daily basis how the group is getting on.
Altnaveigh House officials hope that performing  Piping Hot in America  will provide a unique platform from which to develop an improving understanding of the shared traditions in Ulster.