Booming Belfast

Quick Tips:

Whatabout is Belfast’s free city guide available from the Welcome center 47 Donegal Place; as well as English, it is available in French, Dutch, Spanish, and German. It is a comprehensive monthly guide with information on all happenings, sites, times, and sometimes fees. Internet is available at the welcome center and bus tours may be purchased (you can also pay the driver).

Take the hop on off bus tour, it will give you an idea of what appeals and where you may want to re-visit. The tour guides give an overview of each district, our guide had a great sense of humour and a depth of city knowledge.

We enjoyed walking to the following places:

-City Hall: Free-guided tours on weekdays. Queen Victoria visited the city in 1849 and the hall was completed in 1906

-The central dome and towers remind me of those at St Paul’s Cathedral and was most likely copied from that building. I would love to have seen the interior and the high dome from below. The tours take around forty-five minutes.

-Prince Albert Memorial Clock: This monument stands slightly askew due to its clay foundations. Prince Albert never visited Belfast so it’s a puzzle on why they would erect a monument to him.

-St Malachy’s Church: This is an interesting building with elaborate turrets, slits in the walls and crenelated towers it is more like a castle from the outside, try to time your visit when mass is done.

-Crown Liquor Saloon: A must see pub on the Golden Mile (Great Victoria Street) Glittering (in its day) glazed tiles adorn the exterior they could use a good scrub but the effect is still one of Victorian excess and it looks as if it belongs on a movie set.

-Grand Opera House: My favorite building was the Grand Opera house across from the Crown. There are performances from Monday to Saturday and I noticed there is a ticket office directly across the street. It has recently received an addition that is quite modern but it was the older parts of the building I enjoyed, molded cornices and sculpture adorn this pretty building.

I would definitely return to this city and expect a week would get me through the places I most want to re visit. Carrickfergus is approximately eight miles from the city and public transport is available.

Best Way To Get Around:

This fine Norman castle dominates the seaside town of Carrickfergus just 8 miles northeast of Belfast. Situated on a craggy promontory on the edge of the sea, its impressive stout walls are striking and I would love to have viewed it from the water. Built around 1180 by John de’ Courcy following his conquest of Ulster the castle was in continual military use until 1928, despite sieges by the Scots, Irish, English and French it is very well preserved. IgoUgo guide Drever wrote about this castle in his excellent journal "Three Days In Belfast". His in depth historical review of this castle is tops.

There are three floors of exhibits inside the massive walls but beware, as you enter beneath the gatehouse (1228-1242) the Murder Hole above your head has been known to rain down boiling tar on unwanted visitors. Seriously, this castle is one of the best I have seen and I would suggest touring the outside walls prior to visiting the interior just to get a feel for its lofty position. The clever use of model historic figures and panel boards chronicling the castles history make the visit a pleasure.

Following the number plan in the pamphlet issued with our tickets we started the tour in the oldest part of the castle and finished at the gatehouse. Information boards at each point illustrate the history of the area. I particularly enjoyed the model of the castle in the keep. The banqueting hall looked kind of modern and its moderate size was surprising. The staircases throughout where definitely easier to climb but not authentic. On the third floor the solar room housed a huge chess set and snake and ladder game, medieval clothing and dress up stuff were a big hit with the school group ahead of us.

The inner courtyards models of John de Courcy on horseback, his wife Princess Affreca gazing out from a window seat to her homeland the Isle of man and the rampart views over the Lough gave my imagination a boost.

Unfortunately during our visit extensive construction marred our access to many areas including the Postern Gate the castles escape route and the sea tower lookout. The French attacked the castle in 1760 and in the interior court you can see models of the defending soldiers and the grand Battery models of soldiers readying to defend against Napoleon should he have the audacity to invade.

The chapel window dates back over 800 years but this is viewed through glass. All in all we had a pleasant visit, the models and information boards certainly helped. The visitor center and gift shop is well stocked with books and gifts and I must say this castle is very very impressive.

This city emits optimism. Construction and rebuilding is apparent everywhere from the motorways to the city center. Giant cranes tower over the world’s largest dry dock and the nearby Odyssey center stuns. During the industrial revolution Belfast boomed, linen, rope- making, and shipbuilding increased the town’s population greatly. Those industries are responsible for magnificent public buildings, monuments, and gardens that make this Victorian city a pleasure to visit.

Our visit occurred on a Sunday therefore public buildings were closed, we opted for a city sightseeing bus tour " City Sightseeing Belfast," one of the hop on hop off type with sixteen stops. We didn’t get off the packed bus and the total tour was around 90 minutes.

Our first stop was the port; only its giant yellow cranes remain, in truth there is not yet much to see but the guide pointed out a red building where the Titanic plans were drawn and future sight of a Titanic exhibition. Beside the port is Belfast’s landmark entertainment building Odyssey, boasting Indoor arena, restaurants, Imax, and interactive discovery center.

Stops two to four passed by the Hilton Hotel, waterfront hall and many old re-furbished buildings. The Albert Memorial Clock erected 1853 has a very definite lean of around four feet due to its marshy foundation. It is an attractive sandstone monument and the lean gives it a bit of character. We passed by St Anne’s Cathedral and noted the Celtic cross on the west wall. It is purported to be he largest Celtic cross in Ireland but we saw one in Letterkenny that seemed to be about the same size. Charming cobbled streets and alleyways of the cathedral quarter house artists and cafes.

Stops five through eleven and the major focus of the tour took us through Crumlin Rd, Shankill, and Falls Rd. I cannot put into words what I felt on seeing these murals, to say they were disturbing is putting it mildly. I had seen photographs of them but was not prepared for the magnitude and messages. Whole gable ends and public walls are covered in images that often salute armed and hooded figures, I saw the word Murder so many times I wondered about the minds of the children who see those pictures daily. Both neighborhoods fly flags and buntings not really a sign of patriotism but as territorial markers that must antagonize the "other side". Many tourists desire to see this aspect of the city but after seeing them I feel terror tourism does not embrace Belfast at all. In my opinion it’s a cold kind of peace so long as murals remain.

Stops twelve to sixteen took us through the University district, botanic gardens and along the "Golden Mile" past the Grand Opera House, Europa Hotel, Crown bar and the stunning City Hall.

Tours every 15 minutes, Saturday through Sunday from 10am to 4:30pm.
Monday through Friday: 30-40 minutes. From March to October.

From November to February tours every 45-60 minutes Monday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday 30 to 45 minutes.