DESTINATION - Belfast

A landscape which inspires visitors and unlocks the imagination. At the heart of Northern Ireland lies its unspoilt nature; a beautiful landscape, quality local produce where people are spontaneous in their humor, authentic and welcoming. Northern Ireland not only promises, but also delivers.

To the north is the dramatic coastline of the Causeway Coast with its many myths and legends. Crossing the Sperrin Mountains brings you to Belfast city where you are invited to connect with the spirit of both the people and the place.

Click any photo to send as an ecard!

The capital city of Northern Ireland is located on the coast below Cave Hill and the Black Mountain. Here, great ships of the past like the Titanic, the Olympic and the Britannic, were built and launched and the world-famous Irish Linen is still widely available. Belfast offers the visitor every delight you could hope for and the best way to explore is on foot. Sample fine cuisine and immerse yourself in the nightlife—friendly pubs, museums, restaurants, theaters and concert halls brimming with cultural vibrancy.

History

‘The approach to the sandbank—crossing’ doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue, does it? This is what Beal Feirste, the Gaelic origin of the name Belfast means. A port since the 12th century, Belfast's waterside is not only a vital part of the city's personality, it has been an engine of wealth that created its remarkable architectural style.

Belfast was transformed by the Industrial Revolution. It was in those Victorian times that the great industrialists and entrepreneurs of Belfast - shipbuilders, linen barons - made their money and left their mark with grand public buildings. City Hall, whose influence spreads outward from the heart of the city, is a magnificent piece of Classical Renaissance architecture: a statement of equality.

Belfast developed slowly at first, beginning its life as a cluster of forts built to guard a ford across the River Farset, which nowadays runs underground beneath the High Street. Its history as a city does not really begin until the seventeenth century. A Norman castle was built here in 1177, but its influence was always limited, and within a hundred years or so control over the Lagan Valley had reverted firmly to the Irish, under the O'Neill clan who had their stronghold in the Castlereagh Hills. Theirs was the traditional Irish pastoral community, their livestock and families spread between the hills and valleys.

In 1604, Sir Arthur Chichester, a Devonshire knight was ‘planted’ in the area by James I, and shortly afterwards the tiny settlement was granted a charter creating a corporate borough. By the end of the seventeenth century, things were looking up. French Huguenots fleeing persecution brought skills that rapidly improved the fortunes of the local linen industry—which, in turn, attracted new workers and wealth. 1708, the town was almost entirely destroyed by fire, but it was only a temporary setback: throughout the eighteenth century the cloth trade and shipbuilding expanded tremendously, and the population increased tenfold in a hundred years.

In 1888, Queen Victoria granted Belfast city status; the city fathers' gratitude to her is stamped on buildings throughout the center. By this time the population had risen to 208,000 and, with the continued improvement in both the linen and shipbuilding industries, the population exceeded even that of Dublin by the end of the century.

Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland and its largest city by some way. More than a third of the province’s population live within the Belfast conurbation and, consequently, there’s a pace and bustle about the place that you’ll find almost nowhere else in Northern Ireland. For many, however, Belfast will always be remembered as the focus of the Troubles that have dominated Northern Ireland’s politics and so many people’s personal lives since 1969.

Top Tourist Attractions

• Stormont Parliament Buildings Parliament Buildings are not usually open to the general public, but guided tours may be arranged in advance for visiting conference groups. The superbly symmetrical façade is worthy of a closer look.
  
  
• Queens University Serves as an information point, hosting a program of exhibitions and offering an extensive range of memorabilia in the gift shop.
  
  
• Linen Hall Library Established in 1788 it contains more than 26, 000 books on Irish politics, theatre and actors.
  
  
• Grand Opera House Designed in 1894, by the theatre architect Frank Matcham, inspired by his fascination with the East. It plays host to an electric range of musicals and plays.
  
  
• St Anne’s Cathedral A beautiful Romanesque building
  
  
• Belfast Waterfront Hall Ireland’s premier conference and concert center. The Council's award-winning £30 million flagship is a powerful symbol of the city’s renaissance.
  
  
• Ulster Museum National Museum noted for its collections of Irish art, history, natural sciences and archaeology.
  
  
• Belfast Castle Built in 1870, giving spectacular views of Belfast and beyond.
  
  
• St. Georges Market Elegant recently restored building, built in 1896; it is the oldest continually operated market in Ireland. Market day is on every Friday morning with the Farm and specialty Market every Saturday morning
  
  
• Belfast Zoo Set on Cave Hill.

Exploring Belfast

Belfast is a vibrant, fast-moving place with great sightseeing and shopping, as well as wonderful places to eat and drink. It is an arts hub with an outstanding program of year-round events. Also, Belfast is a pleasingly walkable city laid out on a human scale. You could cross the city in an hour on foot or, as the locals say, “just take a wee dander” to admire exquisite examples of Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian architecture, dominated by the magnificently domed City Hall. The barriers are down, the tanks are gone and the restaurants, cafes and pubs are full of the craic in this newly confident city.

The core of downtown Belfast sits beside the west bank of the River Lagan. The city revolves around a central point, Donegall Square, which holds the city hall and concentrates on the glories brought by the Industrial Revolution: grandiose architecture and magnificent Victorian pubs. All roads radiate out from there. Donegall Place, which extends north from the square, leads to Royal Avenue, a prime shopping district. To the south are the lively and influential Queen’s University and the extensive collections of the Ulster Museum, set in the grounds of the Botanic Gardens. A climb up Cave Hill, rewards you with marvelous views of the city spread out around the curve of its natural harbor, Belfast Lough. Nearly half a million people, a third of Northern Ireland's population, reside within the city limits.

With its large port, Belfast is an industrialized city, often referred to as the engine room that drove the industrial revolution in Ulster. Major industries range from linen production to shipbuilding to aircraft manufacturing. The Titanic was built in Belfast port, and today the world's largest dry dock is here.

The city's architecture is particularly rich in Victorian and Edwardian buildings with elaborate sculptures over the doors and windows. Busts of gods, poets, scientists and kings peer down from the ledges of banks and old linen warehouses. Some of Belfast's grandest buildings are on the banks of Waring Street. The Ulster Bank, dating from 1860, has an interior like a Venetian palace, and the Northern Bank, dating from 1769, was originally a market house.

Many other strands of Belfast history are within touching distance. Inside the beautifully carved stone and ironwork of St George’s Market flourishes again. This recently restored Victorian masterpiece is the last reminder of the great markets area of Belfast, where, for hundreds of years, the smells of fresh, country produce again mingle with the cries of the vendors. And that's the key to Belfast history—it’s alive.