Event Description
For thousands of years people have partaken of a variety of mind altering substances from tobacco to alcohol, through to laudanum and cocaine. Join us for a fun evening of discussion and expert insight into legal highs through the ages with live music and complimentary drinks.
The format of this event is a little different to our regular talks programme at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens. On arrival, you will be welcomed with a drink in our State Entrance. Take your seat in the Throne Room, and watch Kyron Bourke and Linley Hamilton perform a selection of drink and drugs themed jazz and pop/rock standards.
The guest speakers are:
Professor Sharon Haughey ( QUB ) This interactive session will concentrate on alcohol and opium consumption (including laudanum) which was widespread in the mid-19th century. We will look at how people consumed these drugs in the past and how they acted upon the body.
Trevor Dawson – Trevor will discuss the process of making mead and the history behind possibly the world’s oldest alcoholic drink still in use in modern times, including Metheglin (Mulled Mead) made with Honey and spices, which was very popular with Queen Elizabeth I. Trevor will also provide a selection of mead for the audience to sample.
Dr Kathryn Harkup - What is your poison? And how might it be served? A tongue-in-cheek look at how to plot the perfect poisoning. Taking inspiration from real-life cases and the fictional world of the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, we will find out how the after-dinner cigar could kill, or how the cocaine in the cocktail might bring about someone's untimely end.