The Inn at Milltown is located on the R416, a busy regional route linking Newbridge with Rathangan, Allenwood, Carbury, Robertstown, Prosperous and Kilmeague.
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08 Jan 2026
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08 Jan 2026
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Sarah Jones (left), director of NI Science Festival and Stephanie Garner, project & events officer, NI Science Festival with Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Councillor Ruairi McHugh.
With a star-powered programme of world-class scientists and family-focused STEAM events, the NI Science Festival (NISF) returns to the north west from 11-22 February.
The festival celebrates the wonders of science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics through a vibrant programme of events that inspire curiosity, spark conversations and showcase how science shapes our world.
Commenting on this year’s programme, festival director Sarah Jones said: “Science isn’t just for labs. It’s in our history and culture. It’s how we understand the world around us and that’s what we’re about at NI Science Festival. We’re here to open up a whole world of possibility for audiences.”
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Ruairi McHugh, welcomed the return of the event to the North West, saying: “I am delighted to welcome the Festival back to Derry and Strabane and to see such a diverse programme of events taking place across our City and District. The festival is a fantastic celebration of exploration and innovation, bringing science out of the classroom and into our communities in a way that is engaging, accessible and fun for people of all ages.
“Events like this play a vital role in inspiring our young people and reinforcing our reputation as a place that values learning, culture and creativity.”
This year’s festival line-up features some of the UK and Ireland’s best-known science communicators and innovators, including Andrew Smyth, aerospace engineer and judge of Netflix’s Baking Impossible, whose new show, Bakineering Takes Flight, surprising connections between everyday baking and the extraordinary engineering that keeps millions of people flying around the globe when it lands at New Gate Arts & Culture Centre.
Andrew Johnston of Alternative Ulstours marks Friday the 13th with a new talk on Ireland’s deep relationship with superstition. In Piseóg: Bad Luck of the Irish Andrew will uncover how psychology, probability and culture intertwine to shape our sense of luck and logic.
In The Science of Flann O’Brien, DCU professor Dermot Diamond explores the scientific ideas shaping the novelist and playwright’s work, including his acclaimed novel The Third Policeman, the Strabane-born author’s most striking example of scientific imagination.
Left to right, Stephanie Garner, project & events officer, NI Science Festival, Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Councillor Ruairi McHugh, Brian Dougherty, CEO New Gate Arts & Culture Centre, Sarah Jones, director of NI Science Festival, Richard Laird, Social Value Co-ordinator, New Gate Arts & Culture Centre and Darren Milligan, Creative Programming Executive, New Gate Arts & Culture Centre.
Chemist Dr Kathryn Harkup, author of V is for Venom, returns for another Deadly Dinner Experience at the Walled City Brewery, an unforgettable evening of food, fascination, and fatal facts at the Walled City Brewery.
Neuroscientist Professor Gina Rippon will explore the science behind The Lost Girls of Autism at The Playhouse, revealing how generations of women and girls have been misdiagnosed, overlooked or silenced.
The Foyle Science Showcase returns to Foyle Arena for a day bursting with discovery, creativity and curiosity. This free family event brings together some of the most exciting names in science, technology and innovation for a jam-packed celebration of learning and exploration with hands-on experiments, jaw-dropping live shows, robotics demonstrations and interactive exhibitions.
As part of the 2026 programme, the festival is back on the road, visiting Bangor, Newcastle, Enniskillen and Limavady with its NISF Roadshow, which includes Horrible Science with Nick Arnold, an all-out gross fest of bugs, brains, burps and more. Expect outrageous experiments, revolting facts and laugh-out-loud mayhem for all the family. Also along for the ride is the W5 team with their new interactive show W5 on Tour: The Hunt – Extreme, a thrilling adventure into the animal kingdom exploring how animals survive life in the wild.
For booking information and further details, visit www.nisciencefestival.com.
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