Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk

Directions
Preheat heavy based flat griddle or skillet on medium to low heat.
Place flour and salt in a bowl and sift in baking soda. Make a well in the center, and pour in the buttermilk.
Work quickly to mix into dough and knead very lightly on a well floured surface. Form into a flattened circle, about 1/2 inch thick and cut into quarters with a floured knife.
Sprinkle a little flour over the base of the hot pan and cook the farls for 6 to 8 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Please don;t forget to review this recipe at the bottom of the page. Let us know if you liked the bread. Many Thanks.

Well anyway to the recipe.

2 1/2 pounds pork: “collar of bacon”, or shoulder

Once you have the pork, make your brine. This recipe makes four litres , which should be more than enough to cover two and a half pounds of pork. You only need enough of this to cover the meat you’re brining: throw out what you don’t use.

3/4 cup coarse salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water
4.5 Litres of cold water
1 tablespoon pepper
1 bay leaf

A stainless-steel bowl or re-sealable plastic bag can work as a brining container, as long as the pork is fully submerged. Weigh down with a plate, if necessary, to keep the meat fully covered with the brine.

Dissolve salt and sugar in the boiling water. Add it to the cold water; add pepper and stir well. Chill brine completely in the refrigerator before adding pork. Place your pork in the brine and place in the refrigerator for at least 48 hours. “Phew, I bet you’re hungry now, go grab something to eat while you wait”

When you’re ready to start cooking, remove the pork from the brine, rinse well and pat dry. Chuck the brine out.

When the bacon is ready, buy a fresh white cabbage

Place the bacon joint in a pot with a couple of bay leaves and a few peppercorns, cover with cold water and bring to the boil: then immediately reduce the heat to a simmer.

Remove any scum that floats to the surface. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours (or 30 minutes per pound, whichever is greater).

Fifteen or twenty minutes before the bacon is scheduled to be done, cut the cabbage into quarters and add to the pot. Cook gently for no more than twenty minutes or until the cabbage is just tender (whichever comes first).

Lift the cabbage out and drain: remove the pork and set aside to rest for five minutes or so before slicing.

Serve with potatoes boiled in their jackets, and a good dollop of good old HP sauce and mustard.

Now tell me if you liked this recipe by adding a review below, till the next time, bon appetit !!

Whats Needed.

1 kg round steak
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon raisins (optional)
5 onions
300 ml Guinness
8 slices bacon
3 ounces lard
Enough short-crust pastry for a two-crust pie in a deep dish

Cut the steak into bite sized cubes, roll in seasoned flour, and brown in the lard with the bacon, chopped small.

Place the meat in a casserole, peel and chop the onions, and fry until golden before adding them to the meat. Add the raisins (if you want them) and the brown sugar, pour in the Guinness, cover tightly and simmer over a low heat or in a very moderate oven (325-350F) for 2 1/2 hours.

Stir occasionally, and add a little more Guinness or water if the rich brown gravy gets too thick. Meanwhile, line a deep pie dish with half the pie crust: bake it, weighted down with dried beans or baking peas. Then add the Guinness/beef mixture from the casserole, cover with the top layer of pie crust, and bake until finished, probably about 10 more minutes.

Variation: for the brown sugar, substitute three tablespoons of honey…..mmmm now your suckin diesel.

Don’t ferget to write a wee review below.

Nowadays, Shannon Airport often tries to take the credit for the invention of the drink…but the cognoscenti know better. The only recognition Joe Sheridan seems to have received is in the naming after him of the Irish coffee liqueur, Sheridan’s, and the fact that the 24-hour airside bar at Shannon (across from the famous Shannon Duty-Free, first duty-free shop in the world) has also been named “Sheridan’s”.

Many variants of this drink have evolved over many years, but this is Joe’s original recipe, as reported by Irish food researcher and celebrity cook Biddy White Lennon.

The two most important things to remember when trying to reproduce the original: No whipped cream! And no stirring!
Joe Sheridan’s Original Irish Coffee

1 measure Irish whiskey
1 measure strong black coffee
2 teaspooons sugar
2 teaspoons fresh whipping cream or double cream

Heat the glass. Add the whiskey, add the sugar and the hot coffee.

Float the cream on top of the coffee. (To do this, pour into a spoon rested just on the surface of the coffee: let the cream flow into the bowl of the spoon and overflow onto the coffee. Lift the spoon as the cream builds up, so that a layer of cream builds up on top of the coffee.)

Do NOT try this in coffee without sugar in it: it’s the sugar that allows the cream to float successfully.

Serve. The coffee is supposed to be drunk through the cool cream, don’t stirr it in.

Enjoy!

Established in 1981, Share is the largest activity centre in Northern Ireland and Ireland, welcoming over 15,000 visitors annually. Share is a registered charity that works for the inclusion of disabled and non disabled people by providing opportunities for all to participate in a wide range of educational, recreational and creative arts programmes.

Share is located on a 60 acre site on the tranquil shores of Upper Lough Erne – part of the largest inland waterway in Europe.

All services and facilities are available on both a residential and a daily basis. We realise that every customer is different and our bookings team will be more than willing to help you tailor your programme to suit your groups needs and abilities.

Share is highly committed to protecting the environment and using renewable energy systems which can be seen from Shares Environmental Policy and our Renewable Energy Flyer.

Share is the ideal venue for Conferences and Teambuilding

Cathedral History

Cathedral Hill in Down has been a focus of Christian worship for almost as long as Christianity has been in Ireland. Tradition has it that Saint Patrick brought the Faith to the country in the early part of the fifth century. Patrick was a North Briton who was captured by a party of raiding Irishmen and brought to Ireland as a slave. During his years of captivity, he spent much time in prayer and would say as many as one hundred in a day, as he tells us in his Confession.

However, after six years of slavery and hardship, he escaped and boarded a ship. We cannot say if the ship was bound for Britain or Gaul, but we do know that he was re-united with his family. Patrick then tells of a dream in which a man named Victoricus brings him a letter. It was headed ‘The Cry of the Irish.’ While reading it, in his imagination he heard voices calling: ‘Holy Boy, we are asking you to come and walk among us again’. Thus far, we have Patrick’s own story, told in his Confession.

Patrick’s two principal biographers, Muirch and Tirechan, both writing some centuries later, take up the story. We are told that Patrick landed first on the coast of Wicklow and from there travelled northwards as far as Strangford Lough where he landed at the mouth of the River Slaney near Saul.

Here he met the local chieftain, Dichu, whom he converted to Christianity and who gave him a barn as his first church. The present Church of Ireland church at Saul, 2 miles distant from Down Cathedral, was built in 1932 to commemorate the fifteen hundredth anniversary of Patrick’s arrival. Patrick spent many years travelling among the Irish, converting the people to Christianity, consecrating bishops and founding churches as he went.

Many years later, nearing the end of his life, he returned to Saul but let it be known that he wished to die in Armagh. He began to make his way there, but was interrupted, however, by the angel Victor telling him to return to Saul. There, in his last moments, he was tended by Bishop Tassach of Raholp. Muirchu describes his burial with tremendous sense of drama: ‘Let two untamed oxen be chosen and let them go wherever they will with the cart that carries your body and wherever they stand still, there a church in honour of your body shall be erected . . . untamed oxen were chosen and they steadily drew the cart containing the holy body placed on their necks and, guided by the will of God, they went out to Dun Lethglaisse (Down) where Patrick lies buried.’

One cannot be certain of the exact spot of his burial, but the Memorial Stone, put in position by the Belfast Naturalists’ Field Club in 1900, traditionally marks his grave. It is a slab of granite from the nearby Mourne Mountains.

In the Early Christian period, Down was the seat of the kings of the Dal Fiatach, the Irish people who occupied the southeast of modern County Down. The first bishops would have been members of this family and they would not have exercised any jurisdiction beyond their own territory.

The year 753 marks the earliest reference to the death of an Abbot of Down. From this date onwards we can trace a fairly complete succession of abbots and bishops of the Celtic Monastery which occupied the Hill.

The monastery was plundered by Vikings on a number of occasions and by 1016 there was a stone church and round tower, subsequently burned by lightning.

The Round Tower was pulled down in 1790 and its masonry incorporated in the restoration of the Cathedral.. In the Celtic Church, the possession of the tomb of an illustrious saint was an important factor in the growth and wealth of a monastery. Pilgrims flocked from all over Ireland – and farther afield – to worship at the shrine of Saint Patrick.

Little wonder, therefore, that after the Normans came to Ireland, John de Courcy, one of their knights, set out for Down to conquer the north and possess the tomb of Saint Patrick. This was in 1177, when de Courcy ousted Rory Macdunleavy, the last king of the Dal Fiatach.

As was the custom of the time, de Courcy founded a number of monasteries in Down and elsewhere, but chief among these was the Benedictine Monastery on Cathedral Hill, which, in deference to the local people, he dedicated to Saint Patrick. He invited monks from St Werburgh’s in Chester to provide the first Prior and to become the founding community.

By now, the tradition of the hill being the burial place of Saints Brigid and Columcille had been added to the canon, giving rise to the well-known couplet:

In Down, three saints one grave do fill,
Patrick, Brigid and Columcille.

It is generally accepted that the main walls of the Cathedral date from the years after 1220. Then the monks, in a petition to Henry III, King of England, referred to the fact that the House of Saint Patrick, which had often been destroyed and burned, was being rebuilt again. Further destruction took place during the wars with Edward Bruce in 1316 and finally, on the suppression of the monasteries in 1541, the Cathedral was laid waste. Notwithstanding its ruinous state which lasted until 1790, King James I granted a Charter to the Cathedral in 1609, providing for a Dean and Chapter. The Charter also decreed that the Cathedral should be dedicated to the Holy Trinity, as the former Celtic church had been before the arrival of de Courcy. Rather than lose the connection with Patrick, the name began to be used for the growing town, which assumed the name Downpatrick.

Although successive deans continued to be installed within the ruined walls, there were no funds to rebuild the Cathedral until 1790 when Wills Hill, the Earl of Hillsborough (and afterwards first Marquess of Downshire), along with the then Dean, the Honourable and Reverend William Annesley, provided the impetus to commence the restoration.

Dean Annesley contributed £300 annually from the income of the Deanery and, by Act of Parliament, bound his successors to do likewise, in order to provide a fund to enable Divine Service to be carried on in the Cathedral. The Marquess of Downshire wrote to many of his parliamentary colleagues, to all the Irish bishops and to the nobility and gentry of the county in order to raise subscriptions. He even obtained a gift of £1,000 from King George III. Although it is apparent from the records that Divine Service was held in the Cathedral prior to 1818, it was not until that year that it was consecrated; the tower was completed in 1829.

When the Church of Ireland was disestablished in 1870, the Cathedral Chapter found itself totally disendowed and without funds. Since then the Cathedral of the Diocese of Down has had to rely on voluntary subscriptions for its upkeep and maintenance.

Over the years, there have been many periods when the Chapter Book records that the Cathedral was closed for repairs. But none was as far-reaching as the recent renovations which took place in 1986/7. Attacks of rot were so extensive that the Cathedral Board, acting on professional advice decided to remove almost the entire interior plaster walls and vaulting. What the visitor sees now is an almost entirely new interior, a replica of that which it replaced. The cost of this was upwards of £750,000 which was all raised voluntarily.

Chronology

432 Arrival of Patrick in Ireland
461 Death of Patrick
753 Death of Scannlan first recorded Abbot
1016 A stone church and round tower burned by lightning
1148 Death of Malachy, first reforming Bishop
1177 Arrival of John de Courcy
1183 Founding of Benedictine Monastery dedicated to Saint Patrick
1220 Monks petition Henry III, referring to the building of their Cathedral
1316 Cathedral plundered during Bruce wars
1541 Suppression and dissolution of monasteries
1609 Grant of Charter to Cathedral by James I
1790 Commencement of restoration by Wills Hill, first Marquess of Downshire and Dean William Annesley
1818 Cathedral consecrated for Divine Worship
1829 Completion of tower
1870 Disestablishment of Church of Ireland and consequent loss of endowments by the Cathedral.
1958 Revival of Saint Patrick’s Day Pilgrimage Service
1986/1987 Complete restoration of Cathedral at a cost of £750,000

An architectural masterpiece, in the Italianate classical style – this city centre luxury boutique hotel is a  wonderful base to explore Belfast. Offering a range of luxurious hotel rooms and elegant, opulent suites, Malmaison Belfast has everything you need. Created from a converted Victorian seed warehouse, it combines history with the best of contemporary style.

Malmaison Belfast is an intimate hotel with 62 luxury rooms. The Bordello style bedrooms have an exciting edge using bold colours, ‘Moulin Rouge’ style black and cream striped lamps and closet doors, as well as gold and red velvet touches in the furniture. All rooms have the complete set of Mal ingredients – great beds for sleepy heads, moody lighting, power showers, CD players, CD libraries, satellite TV, serious wines and naughty nibbles. Other little luxuries include fast and free internet access, same-day laundry, toiletries and room service for breakfast, dinner or those midnight munchies!

The shops, museums, theatre, Odyssey, W5, Waterfront Hall and Central Station are all within easy walking distance.

Conference

Malmaison Belfast is also an ideal venue for business meetings and conferences for up to 30 people. If you’re planning a high powered board meeting or an annual conference Mal have a professional meeting room to suit your needs. 

With one main conference room and 2 syndicate rooms available. The hotel is within 15 minutes walk of the Sea Cat ferry terminal; 15 minutes drive to the George Best Belfast City Airport; 35 minutes to the Belfast International Airport; close to the city centre shopping and within walking distance to the main visitor attractions in Belfast. Close to all transport networks – bus and rail travel Europa Bus Station and Central Station.

Bar

The hotel’s striking black & silver bar is a seriously dramatic setting. Before sunset, it offers a soothing space for informal dining from the light menu. After dark, Belfast’s party scene gather to lap up tongue-tingling cocktails & seriously good champagne amidst its buzzy atmosphere

Each Mal Bar and brasserie has an impressive cellar, courtesy of their world class group sommelier Johnny Walker.

Restaurant

The stylish Brasserie serves tasty French bistro-style cooking complemented by locally inspired dishes from the closest thing to wild salmon perfection of the Belveliy Smokeries to the wonderfully tasty wild boar sausages of Jilly Doogan, Malmaison have them all and more on their new Homegrown & Local menu in the Brasserie. If you’re in the locale, pop along to sample the finest local Irish produce. There is a fabulous wine and beer list.

The Private Dining Room overlooking the Bar provides a more secluded space for entertaining.

Health/Fitness

For active types the Mal Gym room is perfectly kitted out with resistance and running machines, not to mention free weights. However complimentary use of local Arena Health club is included.

Where else would you find a lovely burnished primrose yellow, red and gold ceiling, a floor laid in a myriad of mosaic tiles, brocaded walls ubiquitous highly patterned tiles, vigorous wood carvings throughout, ornate mirrors, wooden columns with Corinthian capitals and feathered motifs in gold?

Painted and etched glass is everywhere you look, vivid in amber and carmine painted shells, fairies, pineapples, fleurs-de-lis and clowns incidentally,the colourful decorative windows fronting the bar were originally intended to shield customers from inquisitive passers-by.

The long Balmoral red granite-topped ‘Alter’ bar is divided by columns and faced with gaily coloured tiles and a heated foot rest. Look out for the huge casks with their polished brass taps. Save for the inscriptions in English on the Mahogany cabinet behind the bar.

It might be something out of the Arabian Nights or a Bohemian setting akin to Ballf’s Marble Halls.

Yet the glittering exuberant feeling, in all it’s detail still remains within the bounds of good taste in a scene that has remained un-changed for over a Century.

The ‘Snug’ Habit

Another great delight in this magical place is the ten different shaped, cosy and elaborately carved wooden Boothes, lettered from A-J. In the snugs you will find gun metal plates for striking matches, and an antique bell system (this used to be very common in Victorian Houses where servants were employed), which alerts bar staff to your liquid needs. Drinking snugs according to old records were not originally built for comfort, but to accommodate those people who preferred to drink quietly and unseen.

‘To slip in for a quick one’ obviously referred to those reserved or shy individuals who may have held opinions on public houses, but at the same time, still like to drink, provided no-one saw him or her taking it. Those people are few and far between now: nevertheless the ‘snug’ habit very much remains with us and even in the most modern bar you will still find a version of this quaint drinking department, but it is still a snug or box- to use the colloquial name. It is no wonder that much revolutionary conspiracy and many clandestine meetings took place in these little snugs.

The Crown is both ageless and priceless, a gem of Victoriana and without doubt one of the greatest bars in the World.

The Crown Liquor Saloon in Great Victoria Street, Belfast was perhaps the greatest of Victorian Gin Palaces which once flourished in the industrial cities of Britain.Today wonderfully preserved, the Crown is cherished and still well used by the people of Belfast. It is owned by the National Trust and managed by Six Continents Retail Limited. The National Trust made the decision to purchase this exotic property in 1978 ( Sir John Betjeman, the late Poet Laureate, played a crucial role in the Trust’s decision.) In 1981 the Trust carried out a sympathetic restoration, and it took the sum of approximately £400,000 to restore the bar to its full Victorian splendour.

It is now a unique visual gem, a veritable masterpiece in bar architecture, which has the distinction of being known to millions all over the world. The Crown is famous as a tourist venue in the heart of Belfast, and the pub dates back to 1826, when the first train ran from Belfast to Lisburn.

It was then known as the Railway Tavern and was owned by Felix O’Hanlon; he sold it to Michael Flanagan, but it was Michael’s son, Patrick, who was destined to make it famous. A student of architecture, he travelled widely, and was impressed by what he saw. He arrived home with ideas to brighten up the old family bar.

Distinctive Italian Craftsmanship

The year 1885 was an era of emancipation in Ireland, which saw a sharp increase in the building of Catholic churches.

Skilled craftsmen from Italy were brought into the North of Ireland and Patrick persuaded some of these tradesmen to supplement their income by moonlighting on the building of his saloon.

These Italian craftsmen were responsible for the tiling, glasswork and rich ornamental woodwork which turned Patrick’s dream into reality, and gave the Crown it’s distinctive character.

No wonder, at times when the sun beams strongly through the stained-glass windows, you would think you were in a church.

This impression is also enhanced by the wonderful combination of snugs, which look at times like confessional boxes, and the stained-glass, of course, suggests a baroque church interior, rather than a bar. The exterior façade of the bar is a riot of polychromatic tiles, which clearly hint at the box of delights to be found within.

We focus on freshly prepared, local food with a retro twist. Who doesn’t love cheesy Veda!

Our breakfasts/muffins/scones & sweet treats are all made with love using free range eggs and our aim is to source most of our ingredients from Irish suppliers (the closer to the cafe, the better!)

We also offer a comprehensive catering service with unbeatable prices and wonderful products!

We are open Mon-Fri 8am – 4pm, Sat 9am – 3pm.

There are, however, some vital differences between the Fry and the Full Irish. Officially, the Fry does not contain anything that can’t be fried in bacon fat. This means that ingredients that have sneaked in from other regional Irish and British fry-ups (such as baked beans) don’t belong in the Fry.

The Ulster Fry is available all over the North both for breakfast and (in cafes and casual restaurants) as a lunch and dinner dish. It’s as close as this island comes to the “all-day breakfast” concept. The Fry is meant to be hearty and substantial, and any attempt to render it in low-calorie form is destined to fail, as the ingredients (except for the potato farl and soda farl) are already too high-cholesterol for grilling them to make much of a difference if you’re going to be eating them all at once. The key to keeping an Ulster Fry from doing long-term harm to your cardiac health or your waistline is simply not to eat it every day, or maybe even every week. But if you’re going to make it, make it the old-fashioned way.

The is a basic roster of ingredients without which an Ulster Fry isn’t genuine. They are:

Streaky bacon / bacon rashers
Sausages (typically the kind referred to in these islands as the “chipolata”)
Black pudding (an Irish sausage containing blood, a grain such as oats or barley, and various spices)
Eggs
Potato farl (a potato-based griddle bread, rolled out into a circle and cut into quarters, then baked)
Soda farl (soda bread baked on the griddle, also in quarters: “farl” is an old word for quarter)

Other ingredients that sometimes get involved, either as a garnish or as elements of other regional breakfasts that have slithered into the equation from the outside, are white pudding (a sausage like black pudding but without the blood), tomatoes, mushrooms, and fried bread.

Making a successful Fry is something of an exercise in logistics, as the various ingredients need different cooking times. You’ll need to work out first how many guests you’re having. For each fry-eater, you’ll need:

At least one egg: two if your guest is a two-egg person
Two slices of bacon (more if desired)
One slice black pudding: one slice white pudding, if you’re making that too
One farl of potato farl
One farl of soda farl (Note: you could probably make this using sliced cake-style soda bread, but it won’t work as well. Also: the Fry uses white farl, not wheaten bread.)
Half a sliced tomato if you’re bothering with tomatoes (some people don’t)

Once you’ve sourced your ingredients and have everything ready to go, you start out by frying the bacon in a heavy frying pan (cast iron is best), as you need its fat to fry everything else in. (A local cook with access to lard will refresh the pan with that, if necessary. However, no one would look down their nose at good Irish butter in this context if the bacon fat runs low. But some Northern cooks would simply say, “You didn’t fry enough bacon.”)

First, preheat your oven to a low “holding” temperature — say 100F / 50C — and prepare a covered platter to keep the various ingredients hot on while you’re working with the ones that come after them.

Having fried up the bacon, remove it from the pan to the covered dish and keep warm. Then fry the sausages in the bacon fat. (Prick them first so they won’t burst while frying.) When they’re done and removed to the warm covered platter, fry the slices of black pudding (and if you’re adding it, the white pudding.) Once the pudding slices are done, remove them to the warming platter and fry the potato bread and soda bread. Then, when those are finished, put them in the warming platter with everything else, and fry the egg or eggs.

Place the eggs on warmed plates and arrange the meats and fried breads around them. Serve with a sharp brown sauce (the British / Irish version of HP Sauce, now available in some North American groceries, is perfect), salt and pepper, and hot strong Irish breakfast tea.

Café Vaudeville’s pièce de résistance sits elevated above the bustling café/bar—this upper floor is truly a first for Belfast. Ireland’s first ‘Bolli’ Bar captures the very essence of Café Vaudeville, an invite only exclusive champagne bar, serving Bollinger as its signature brand, for special guests and those with expensive palates. Café Vaudeville’s Bolli Bar offers un-matched class and dedicated personal service to the privileged members of ‘Vaudeville Society’.

Café Vaudeville opens its coffee shop at 11.30 am Monday to Saturday with lunch served between 12-3 pm and dinner 5-9 pm Tuesday through to Saturday. The venue is open for drinking until 1 am 6 days a week, and closed on Sundays.

The largest passenger steamship in the world at the time, the Olympic-class RMS Titanic was owned by the White Star Line and constructed at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. After setting sail for New York City on 10 April 1912 with 2,223 people on board, she hit an iceberg four days into the crossing, at 11:40 pm on 14 April 1912, and sank at 2:20 am on the morning of 15 April, resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people in one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history.

On the maiden voyage of Titanic some of the most prominent people of the day were travelling in first class. Among them were millionaire John Jacob Astor IV and his wife Madeleine Force Astor, industrialist Benjamin Guggenheim, Macy’s owner Isidor Straus and his wife Ida, Denver millionairess Margaret “Molly” Brown (known afterward as the “Unsinkable Molly Brown” due to her efforts in helping other passengers while the ship sank), Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon and his wife, couturière Lucy (Lady Duff-Gordon), George Dunton Widener, his wife Eleanor, and son Harry, cricketer and businessman John Borland Thayer with his wife Marian and their seventeen-year-old son Jack, journalist William Thomas Stead, the Countess of Rothes, United States presidential aide Archibald Butt, author and socialite Helen Churchill Candee, author Jacques Futrelle and his wife May and their friends, Broadway producers Henry and Rene Harris and silent film actress Dorothy Gibson among others. Banker J. P. Morgan was scheduled to travel on the maiden voyage, but cancelled at the last minute. Travelling in first class aboard the ship were White Star Line’s managing director J. Bruce Ismay and the ship’s builder Thomas Andrews, who was on board to observe any problems and assess the general performance of the new ship.

In the days following the sinking, several ships sailed to the disaster area to recover victims’ bodies. The White Star Line chartered the cable ship CS Mackay-Bennett from Halifax, Nova Scotia to retrieve bodies. Three other ships followed in the search: the cable ship Minia, the lighthouse supply ship Montmagny and the sealing vessel Algerine. Each ship left with embalming supplies, undertakers, and clergy. Upon recovery, each body retrieved by the Mackay-Bennett was numbered and given as detailed a description as possible to help aid in identification. The physical appearance of each body—height, weight, age, hair and eye colour, visible birthmarks, scars or tattoos, was cataloged and any personal effects on the bodies were gathered and placed in small canvas bags corresponding to their number.

However, the ship found so many bodies that the embalming supplies aboard were quickly exhausted. Health regulations permitted that only embalmed bodies could be returned to port. Captain Larnder of the Mackay-Bennett and the undertakers aboard decided to preserve all bodies of First Class passengers, justifying their decision by the need to visually identify wealthy men to resolve any disputes over large estates. As a result the majority of the burials at sea were third class passengers and crew. Larnder himself claimed that as a mariner, he would expect to be buried at sea. However complaints about the burials at sea were made by families and undertakers. Later ships such as Minia found fewer bodies, requiring fewer embalming supplies, and were able to limit burials at sea to bodies which were too damaged to preserve.

Dulse, or Palmaria palmata to give it its botanical name, originates from the North Atlantic ocean. The earliest record of dulse is of St Columba’s monks harvesting the sea vegetable some 1,400 years ago in Ireland, and it is there that has shown the greatest eagerness towards the consumption of dulse. In fact, the common name ‘dulse’ originates from the Irish, and has come to be in widespread use even in countries where English is not used. Dulse is frequently used in Northern Ireland, Iceland and North East America as both a food and a medicine.

In order to reach the dulse, harvesters must travel in flat-bottomed dories to remote shores in the early hours of the morning. The harvesters then drop their anchors on a very long, shallow bay and wait for the tide to go out.

Once the collected dulse has been safely returned to shore, it is laid out on nets laid out on fields of beach stones to dry in the sun, and then carefully packed for storage. Because the experience of harvesting dulse is such a magical one, there are many in the business who have been doing it for years, referring to themselves as ‘dulsers’.

Dulse is very nutritious and rich in fibre, and is considered one of the most delicious sea vegetables, with its slightly salty flavour and chewy texture. It contains high levels of protein, even higher than chickpeas, almonds and whole sesame seeds. It makes a very versatile ingredient, and can even be pan-fried and combined with tomato and lettuce to give a great-tasting DLT sandwich.
Dulce, a little like the taste of Guinness or Marmite definately take a few attempts before the tastebuds will allow you to eat it before pulling a face. However once you get the taste for Dulce, you’ll come back for more and do you know what? it’s very good for you.

The castle was occupied until its capture and destruction by Cromwellian troops in the 1650s, and today only the ruins of the gatelodge remain. A small residential tower survived until 1978 when it eventually surrendered to the sea below.

Part of a tower is all that remains of Dunseverick Castle which was destroyed by a Scottish army sent here in 1642 under the command of General Munro to combat the rebellion by Rory O’More, Lord Maquire and Sir Pheilim O’ Neill which started in 1641.

The ruin you see today was probably built by the MacDonnell clan who had establish a power base along the north coast during the 1500s, this control stretched from Red Bay to Dunluce Castle.

Surrounded by the ocean on three sides,Dunseverick was a key ancient site in Ireland, one of the royal roads from Tara, seat of the Kings of Ireland ended here. The site was originally founded by Sobairce, one of the Kings who built a fortress here in 1525BC to rule the ancient Kingdom of Dariada, the location is named after him – Dunsobairce (Fortress of Sobairce) now Dunseverick. Many heroes of Irish legends such as Cuchulain, Queen Maeve and Turlough are associated with the area. A story given to me by the late Bertie McKay, a local historian and fisherman from Portbraddon, explores more of the adventures of  Turlough.

Another interesting fact for anyone who walks up to the castle and takes in the breathtaking view to Portmoon – if you do, then you can rest safe in the knowledge that you have walked in the footsteps of Patricius (Saint Patrick) as it is known he visited Dunseverick on several occasions for baptisms and on one of these occasions he baptized a local man called Olcan, who became Bishop of Armoy and later a Bishop of Ireland, Olcan died in 480AD. He may well have baptised Gobain here to.

A well which existed a few feet from the cliff edge is named after St. Patrick and reputed to be be one of the ‘holy’ wells of Ireland, though sadly, the christening stone and the seat he used still lie unfound in the waters below, having been tumbled there during a time of upheaval.

How to get there

• Train: Service from Belfast or Londonderry to Coleraine
• Bus: Causeway Rambler (Ulsterbus no 376) Bushmills to Carrick-a-Rede; or Ulsterbus no 252 is a circular route via the Antrim Glens from Belfast. Both stop at Dunseverick Castle if requested.
• Car: on B146, 5ml from Bushmills, 9ml from Ballycastle. Drive time: Belfast 1.15 hrs, Giant’s Causeway 4mins
• Cycle: NCN route 93 runs past Dunseverick Castle.

High Till Speak a Belfastian – how to speak belfast slang

A

Afeard – scared
Ah – I or me, ie Ah don’t feel well
Aminal -common mispronounciation of Animal
Amptinat? -I most definitely am.
Arsehole – calling someone a rectum
Aye -meaning “yes”

B

Balleex -”b0ll0cks” Thats balleex – Used in context when disagreeing with someone
Bake -someones face
Baltic – quite cold
Bate -beat, I bate her up so ah did
Bate The Wife – bottle of cider
Beef -male sexual organ ie “Ah slipped her the beef lawst nite”
Beezer – Very good, Thats Beezer
Beg -wafer thin plastic vessel; good for carrying shopping :also oul’ beg” when referring to an elderly female
Blurt -Slang for female genetalia
Boggen – dirty, unclean
Boulin’ -messing about
Bout Ye -”Hello”
Brave – large
Brew – weekly benefit
Buggered -broken

C

Cameracorder -grannies use of the word “camcorder”
Cheeser -like Beezer, meaning “very good” or “exellent”
Chicken -child slang for “afraid”
Chinks -popular Chinese food Take Aways
Childer -children
Cracker -not something you put cheese on, means super
Creamed -tired

D

Dander -a walk, ie I’m goin fer a dander
Dawg -canine, dog
Digikil -common mis-prounciation of “Digital”
Drawers -underwear
Dour -a door
Duncher -Cap

E

Earlee-er -before the present
Eejit -derived from “Idiot”, means “Idiot”
Eff Aaf – Feck Off

F

FaakAaf – Excuse me my good man, kindly vacate the premises
Faaler -father
Fally – follow
Fillum -a movie or film
Fingy -someone whose name you can’t remember
Frig -polite word for “F*ck”, also used: Flip
Flour – a floor
Fut – foot

G

Gat -slang, You’re a wee git or get
Geg -fun, ” Ats a geg”
Getawaydaf*ck -go away now
Givuz -give me
Glass -Half-Pint
Goes -replaces the word “Said” ie And I goes: What? Are you slabberin’?” And then she goes,Yip.”
Gutties -training shoes

H

Happy Days – that’s good
Hardly -meaning “Thats not true” ie Hardly now. Hardly.
Hectic – See Mad
Heel -not to be confused with the back of your foot, means end of a loaf
Heerzme – “And then I said…”
Hidin-batein
Hippy – someone who likes anything other than dance etc. (eg.metal, rock, emo, punk etc.)
Houl On -please wait

I

I’ll do ur knees in – ur gettin bate

J

Job -activity usually carried out under the cover of night
Joken -joking

K

Kudn’t -couldn’t ie Ah kudn’t do that…

L

Lairdindeyit -please do start eating (or drinking) see also
“wiredintillit”
Leenantarsapees -Famous Italian landmark
Lifted – arrested
Lingo -language

M

Mad – See Hectic
Mairshen -Emersion Heater
Magic -not tricks, but another word meaning great or good
Majassif – large
Mawn -a man, male
Meat Wagon -RUC Landrovers
Melt -no actual meaning, used as: “I’ll knock your melt in”
Messages – weekly shopping
Milly -name given to teenage females. See also: Steek
Moufygit – rather outspoken person
Mucker -a friend or mate
Muller -Mother or “Ma”

N

Nek it – drink that drink in one
Nice One -that was good
Norman -bullying term for someone with no friends
Norwegain – Another Gin please
Now Yer Sucken Deezel -that’s a good way of going about that

O

Offees -alchohol retailer
Oi -a yelp for someones attention ie Oi! You! C’mere!”
Oxters -Armpits

P

Pat – container in which food is boiled
Prably – maybe, its likely
Passion -heavy rain in Ballymena
Parfil – strong
Peeler – a police officer
Piece – sandwich
Pot – short for Patrick
Pssskety -common misprounciation of “Spaghetti”
Pump – to urinate
Purdie -countryside slang for Potato

Q
Quim -slang for female genetalia

R

Ragin’ -angry, Ahm bloody ragin’ so ah am.
>> >>>Ration – you’d be doing this if you were trying to get to somewhere in a hurry, in Ballymena
Rare -not to be confused with “scarce”, means crap

S

Samitch -mispronunciation of “Sandwhich”
Scundered – embarrassed
Sebm – seven [7]
Shap – shop
Shar – a shower
Sicken’ Ye – would annoy you
Skinned Ye! – Haha my good friend, I do believe I won that particular game by a significant margin

Slabber -someone who makes bad comments about you behind your back or to your face
Spoofen – lying
Spide – see Steek (exept worse)
Spoon -someone with a low IQ
Steek – male with bad dress and hair sense, hates “hippies”
Stroked – stolen / ripped off

T

Ta -Thank You
Tarl – a towel
Theee -the number three
Theee Leet – 3 litre bottle of cider
Till -replaces the word “to” ie Goin till the shap”
Tube -see: Spoon
Two Leet – 2 litre bottle of cider

U

Undurstawnd -understand ie Do ye undurstawnd me?

V

Vaka or Vaadka – Vodka

W

Weeker – another word for “brilliant”
Welt – male genitalia
Wee – put in front of words such as “drink”, “dander”, and basically anything, means small
Wick – not exactly brilliant
Willeek – nose
Wiredintillit -”Got wiredintillit earlee-er”
Windie -a window
Windielickurs -horrid term for the mentally disadvantage
Windie Sill -a window sill
Wooden One -not a clever person

X-Acktlee-exactly

Y

Yermaa -an insult said when nothing else can be thought of
Yeegittin? -Are you being served?
Yip -yes
Yousens – When addressing more than one person
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Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children — last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.”

Houses had thatched roofs — thick straw — piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the dogs, cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof — hence the saying “It’s raining cats and dogs.”

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could really mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That’s how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt, hence the saying “dirt poor.”

The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they kept adding more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway, hence, a “thresh hold.”

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been there for quite awhile. Hence the rhyme, “peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.”

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man “could bring home the bacon.” They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and “chew the fat.”

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with a high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning and death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Most people did not have pewter plates, but had trenchers, a piece of wood with the middle scooped out like a bowl. Often trenchers were made from stale bread which was so old and hard that they could be used for quite some time. Trenchers were never washed and a lot of times worms and mold got into the wood and old bread. After eating off wormy, moldy trenchers, one would get “trench mouth.”

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or “upper crust.”

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock them out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a “wake.”

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a “bone-house” and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the “graveyard shift”) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be “saved by the bell” or was considered a “dead ringer.”

And that’s the truth. . . (who ever said that History was boring)?

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Potatoes were the staple diet of the rural population of Ireland. However, this crop was very vulnerable to disease and no cure existed in Ireland for the dreaded ‘potato blight’. Even if a cure had existed, the people on the land would not have been able to afford it.

In 1844, a new form of potato blight was identified in America. It basically turned a potato into a mushy mess that was completely inedible. The American blight was first identified in France and the Isle of Wight in 1845. The summer of 1845 was mild but very wet in Britain. It was almost the perfect weather conditions for the blight to spread. The blight is still with us and is called ‘Phytophthora Infestans’ – an air carried fungus.

The people of Ireland expected a good potato crop in 1845. The weather had appeared to be favourable and in many senses, the farming community of Ireland expected a bumper harvest. However, when it came to digging up the potatoes, all they got was a black gooey mess. In fact, the expected bumper crop turned out to be a disaster. There was a 50% loss of potatoes in this year. The rural community had no way of countering this. Each family grew what they needed for that year and few had any to keep for times of trouble. In fact, the problem got worse. The crop of 1846 was all but a total failure and there was a very poor harvest in 1847. Three disastrous years in succession presented Ireland with huge problems.

The advice given to those affected by the potato blight bordered on the absurd. One scientist advised people to get hold of chloric acid and manganese dioxide. This mixture should have been been added to salt and applied to the diseased area of the potato. Even if the farmers had the opportunity to obtain such chemicals, they would have produced chlorine gas used to poison troops in World War One!

The government in London initially decided to do nothing. The logic behind such a decision was that Ireland had suffered from potato famines before and would have the necessary knowledge on how best to get by in this case. However, by 1846 it was plain that this was no ‘ordinary’ famine. Sir Robert Peel, despite opposition from the Treasury, imported £100,000 worth of corn. By 1846, £3,500,000 worth of potatoes had been lost – therefore, the government’s initial aid was well below what was needed.

Peel believed that if this corn was released onto the Irish market in stages, it would keep down the price of other foods. This actually worked reasonably well but it also showed the lack of knowledge that existed in London with regards to Ireland. While Peel was at least doing something to help, he also had little knowledge of the country he was trying to help. The corn was welcomed as better than nothing. However, there were very few mills of any sort in Ireland, so simply grinding it down into flour was very difficult. Many people in Ireland became seriously ill by attempting to eat the corn without it having been ground down. As a result of this, the corn sent to Ireland by Peel became nicknamed “Peel’s Brimstone”.

The government also tried to help by establishing public work schemes and road building projects in an effort to create employment so that some families got some money. The government also established emergency fever hospitals in Ireland to care for those who could not afford any medical treatment.

However, two issues hampered any work done by the government:

1) The general view in Westminster of the Irish was simply that they were not worth the effort and that anything that happened there was their fault.

2) The government also was driven by free trade. There were those who argued that if the Irish could not survive on the way they lived, then they should fall by the wayside. Free Trade meant the survival of the fittest.

The whole issue was not helped by the majority of landlords in Ireland who showed no sympathy for those who worked their land. Those who could not pay their rent were evicted despite the government’s effort to establish some form of employment in rural Ireland. Also during the time of the famine, £1million of corn and barley were exported from Ireland to mainland Britain, along with quantities of dairy produce. This fitted in with the free trade approach of the time. Those who produced these vital products simply got a better price for them than in Ireland. Driven on by free trade, foodstuffs left Ireland – despite the fact that it was desperately needed in Ireland itself. Any initiatives in London were also hindered or simply blocked by the chief civil servant to the Treasury – Trevelyan. He was symptomatic of those who worked for the government in Westminster. A supporter of free trade, Trevelyan was also less than sympathetic to the Irish or their problems.

There were some good landlords. Vaughan in County Mayo is recognised as one, but he was simply overwhelmed by the extent of the poverty. Tenants on neighbouring estates came to his land for help but Vaughn was swamped by the sheer numbers involved. Ironically, those landlords who can be classed as compassionate suffered as a result of those who did nothing.

Some landlords resorted to forced emigration of their tenants in an effort to ‘solve’ the problem in Ireland. In October 1847, the ship ‘Lord Ashburton’ carried 477 Irish emigrants to North America. 177 of these people came from one estate owned by an absentee landlord. They were so poor that they were all but naked for the journey and 87 had to be clothed by charity groups in America before they could leave the ship. On this particular voyage, 107 people died of dysentery and fever. The ‘Quebec Gazette’ described the ‘Lord Ashburton’ and all that it represented as “a disgrace to the Home Authorities.” The absentee landlord who had forced 177 of his tenants onto the ship was Lord Palmerston, the British Foreign Secretary at this time, and one of the most famous of Britain’s politicians in the Nineteenth Century.

What was the result of the famine?

Between 1846 and 1850, the population of Ireland dropped by 2 million which represented 25% of the total population.

This figure of 2 million can by effectively split in two. One million died of starvation or the diseases associated with the famine and one million emigrated to North America or parts of England, such as Liverpool, and Scotland, such as Glasgow. Many found that the areas where they settled in Britain were not welcoming as the Irish were seen as people who undercut wages. Therefore, employers in mainland factories were willing to employ the Irish at the expense of the English/Scots. However, many of the Irish who settled in industrial cities were completely unprepared for work in factories having spent their time working in a rural environment.

Ireland continued to suffer de-population after the famine ended. Many young Irish families saw their futures in America and not Ireland. This affected Ireland as those who were most active and who could contribute the most to Ireland, left the country.

Ironically, the famine did not help those who stayed on the land. With far fewer people to work the land, it might be thought that landlords would be less harsh on their tenants as they had a vested interest in having their land worked. This did not happen. Landlords used the opportunity to ‘rationalise’ their estates and there were more evictions even after the famine had ended.

Irish culture was severely hit by the famine. The sharp decline in the speaking of Gaelic has been specifically linked to the late 1840’s. There was little use speaking Gaelic in England, Scotland or America. The areas where Gaelic was at its strongest – in the west of Ireland – were the areas hit the hardest by the famine, both in terms of deaths and emigration.

The political impact of the famine in Ireland was very great. There were those who believed that the government in London had done as little as it could to help the Irish. Therefore, they believed that the only people who could help the Irish were the Irish themselves. Some of the leaders of the Easter Rebellion of 1916 had families affected by the Great Famine. Finance for a number of Irish republican movements in the late Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries, came from the east coast of America, primarily Boston and New York. James Connolly, one of the 1916 leaders, spent time in America where he lived among families who had originally come to America as a result of the famine. The mother of Patrick Pearse, Margaret, had come from a family directly affected by the famine.

Northern Ireland, is a piece of land across the sea on the second of the two islands, Ireland.

Although it is on the island of Ireland, it is not part of the country of Ireland, which is the Republic of Ireland.

Sound Complicated? let me explain.

Northern Ireland is not part of the Republic of Ireland but rather, together with Great Britain forms the country called United Kingdom. It is part of the same country as England, Scotland and Wales.

Differences between Northern Ireland and England, UK

Take money for example. Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales all have the same currency, which is Sterling, or GBP, British Pounds as it is also called, yet, they all print their own bank notes. Whilst you will be able to spend English banknotes in Scotland and Scottish ones in England, Northern Irish notes seem to get treated differently.

Each time when visitng England and tried to pay with Northern Ireland banknotes I usually got a funny look and the shopkeeper would say “What is this?” On most occasions after explaining that the currency was Sterling they would accept them because Northern Ireland banknotes are legal tender and of exactly the same value as their English and Scottish neighbours.

Comparisons in Mortgages and Insurance in Northern Ireland versus the UK

When we started looking for a mortgage to buy a house we discovered that most mainland British banks did not give mortgages for Northern Ireland. “But it is the same country,” I tried in vain to explain.

And when we tried to insure our car we likewise discovered that most mainland British insurance companies did not insure cars in Northern Ireland. Thankfully, things have improved recently both in terms of mortgages and insurance although I stil find that there are better deals to be had in mainland Britain.

So while Northern Ireland is technically part of the UK and therefore part of the same country as England, Scotland and Wales, there are many differences.

Apart from the UK (N. Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales) the other country of the British Isles is the Republic of Ireland, usually called “Ireland” for short.

However, the country of Ireland does not coincide with the island of Ireland.

Confused again? Well I don;t blame you.

One island, Two Countries: about Ireland

The Republic of Ireland covers about 80% of the area of the island of Ireland. The remaining 20% is Northern Ireland, a different country.

When did Ireland separate from the UK?

Once both parts belonged to the UK. But in 1921 the southern part opted to separate and eventually became independent while Northern Ireland opted to remain in the UK. So, one island, two countries.

What is different and what is common between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland

In the South the currency is the Euro; in the North it is the British Pound.

In the South they measure speed and distances in kilometers; in the North in miles.

In the South it is kilograms; in the North kilograms and lbs.

The good thing is that in both countries they speak English, though in the South Gaelic is also used, especially in road signs.

They both drive on the left side of the road .

They both have the same three-pin electric plugs. Believe me, it helps!

Basic Facts: What is Ulster

Another name you need to be aware of is Ulster. The whole island of Ireland is made up of four provinces or geographical areas: Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connaught. Each province is subdivided into nine counties.

Ulster map What are the counties of Ulster?

Munster, Leinster and Connaught belong to the Republic of Ireland so no confusion there. However, Ulster is divided.

Six counties make up Northern Ireland:

Antrim

Armagh

Down

Fermanagh

Londonderry

Tyrone.

Three counties are within the Republic of Ireland:

Cavan

Donegal

Monaghan.

Northern Islanders will often use the name Ulster to refer to their little part of the world. When you hear this be aware that technically Ulster covers counties in both North and South. You will need to know this when, for example, you read about the different flags, for there is one Ulster Flag for the six counties that make up Northern Ireland and another Ulster Flag for the nine counties.

Basic Facts: Conclusion

So there, I have spent one and a half hours trying to explain the “hows” of UK and Ireland political administration.

And I haven’t even mentioned the Isle of Man or the Channel islands or… Ok, ok, I will stop here.

Bottom line? To understand British political administration you need a degree in Political Science or, at least, the prerequisites for it!

At any rate, do enjoy Northern Ireland and if you are lucky enough to visit the Republic of Ireland and cross over to Mainland UK, you won’t regret it. They are great countries to visit!

Ancient and mysterious
According to archaeological finds, the earliest people arrived 9000 years ago. Ireland’s first known house is on the River Bann at Mountsandel. The Beaghmore Stone Circles in Tyrone’s moorland, and the enigmatic figures on remote White Island and Boa in Lough Erne, county Fermangh reveal that our earliest prehistoric culture was rich in complexity and artistry.

Several waves of migration of people followed (real clans as well as mythical), often via our close neighbour Scotland.

Myths and magic
Much of what we know about pre-Christian times comes from the epic legends. Magic, druids, fairies, warriors, giants, superhuman heroics, awesome beauties, kings, tricksters and leprechauns all feature in these vivid sagas passed on through word of mouth by the bards. The most famous, the Ulster Cycle, includes tales of Cuchulainn and the Children of Lir, set in Armagh (Navan Fort) and the rugged Antrim coast.

Christians and vikings
Saint Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland in the 4th century. Ireland’s patron saint has strong Northern connections. As a boy slave, he tended sheep on Slemish Mountain and his grave is at Downpatrick Cathedral. The Saint Patrick Centre in Downpatrick tells his story using stunning displays.

The new religion quickly took root. Soon monks were venturing from Northern Ireland’s monasteries to spread learning across Europe. The legacy of Celtic Christianity lives on in our High Crosses, ancient abbeys in sacred sites like Devenish Island, and Nendrum’s monastic ruins.

By the tenth century, the land had endured many years of warring clans, but the Viking raids were something else. The Norsemen didn’t stick around for long, but left a legacy of place names. e.g. Strangford and Carlingford.

Siege and settlement
In the early 12th century, the Normans, having conquered England, moved into Ireland, marking their progress with fortifications. But centuries passed before the Norman successors, the English, could consolidate their conquest. Home to some of Ireland’s most powerful chieftains, Ulster fought hardest and held out longest. Carrickfergus Castle, the most formidable (and at one stage the only) stronghold on the island, was enlarged several times and saw many a battle and siege.

Four centuries on the English finally had the upper hand. In 1607, the cream of the native noblemen sailed to France, never to return, this became known as “the Flight of the Earls”. England quickly set about turning an unruly land into a settled province, through the Plantation of Ulster. Settlers from overcrowded England, and in particular, the Scottish lowlands were brought over. Soldiers and gentry received lands for their service to the Crown, but most of the new arrivals were poor labourers and artisans. Lord Chichester founded Belfast in 1613 and the town grew so quickly it soon outpaced Carrickfergus as the main hub.

Since the Reformation, England had been a Protestant nation. But Northern Ireland’s native people were Catholic. Religion, along with land dispossession, rights and sovereignty issues, became a source of conflict and uprisings.

In 1690, the ‘Planters’ celebrated when the Protestant King William of Orange ousted Catholic King James from the British throne, defeating him in Ireland at the Battle of the Boyne. Just a year before James’ supporters had held the plantation city of Londonderry (Ireland’s only remaining completely walled city) under a 105 day siege.

Prosperity and poverty
More settled times followed enabling rapid development. Linen production became the major rural industry in the 1700′s (The Irish Linen Centre weaves the story), and, in the wake of the industrial revolution, moved to the cities and towns. Soon Belfast was a textile powerhouse. Shipbuilding, engineering, ropeworks and more followed. The ports of Derry and Belfast boomed.

Rural people flocked to the cities for millwork, but found low wages, appalling overcrowding, open sewers and disease. Meanwhile the Georgian aristocracy enjoyed a life of ease and elegance in the great mansions of Florence Court, Castleward and Castle Coole.

Those that could, sought a better life across the Atlantic. The first emigrants of the 1700s were mostly Protestant; Presbyterians seeking religious freedom, pioneers seeking land and opportunities only a new nation could provide. Known as the Scots Irish in the USA and Canada, these energetic, independent minded people produced 17 presidents of the United States of America and numerous business leaders.

In the 1840s, the Ulster counties were badly affected by the potato blight and ensuing famine. An even bigger wave of emigration followed. This time it was the poor and desperate escaping starvation. The Ulster American Folk Park, which tells the emigrant story, evokes the terrible conditions aboard ships sailing from Belfast and Derry.

Triumphs and tragedy
But by the end of the century, Belfast was one of the leading industrial centres of the United Kingdom, indeed the world, and the largest, most prosperous city on the island. Belfast’s most imposing architecture dates from this period; the magnificent Belfast City Hall exudes civic affluence and pride.

Northern Ireland also enjoyed a reputation for science and innovation, producing some of the most influential inventors of the era. The Ulster Museum and Transport Museum celebrate the contributions of Dunlop, Ferguson and their colleagues.

But it was the White Star liners built by Belfast’s shipworkers that epitomise this golden age. The world’s most impressive oceangoing vessels, they were the height of luxury and technology.

In 1909, when work began on the Titanic, Belfast was one of the world’s greatest ports and Harland & Wolff were shipbuilders to the world. The skills of their work force were recognised throughout the British Empire and the Titanic was the last word in luxury and technological innovation. RMS Titanic was a magnificent spectacle with 5 miles of decks, squash courts and a swimming pool. The crowning achievement was the world’s most famous and ill fated ship when she sank in 1912.

Errected in 1920 and set in the grounds of Belfast City Hall is the Titanic Memorial dedicated to the 22 Belfast men who died on the Titanic. There is a bronze statue of Lord William Pirrie. There are also a number of Churches and Graveyards throughout the Greater Belfast area with a connection to the Titanic.

Wars and politics
Politics were on a collision course too. The British Government was under growing pressure to bring home rule, and in time, independence to Ireland. Tensions mounted as a large proportion of Northern Ireland’s population wished to stay within the British Union. Impending conflict was shelved with the outbreak of World War One. Northern Ireland, indeed Ireland as a whole, sent thousands of young men to the battlefields of France. Many never returned and are still honoured today. The Somme Museum portrays life as it was endured in the trenches.

Following the Irish War of Independence, a border was drawn up in 1922 to accommodate the Unionist population of the North. 6 of the 9 Ulster counties remained part of the Union, forming today’s Northern Ireland, and the other 26 counties became the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland got its own local government and in 1933, imposing new government buildings at Stormont.

But the boom years were over. The Depression, new manufacturing rivals and the Second World War saw to that. And in 1941, the Luftwaffe bombed Belfast. The pilots overshot their targets, the city’s aircraft factories and shipyards, destroying residential streets and mills. There were hundreds of people killed, thousands were made homeless, and fires were so intense, rescue crews had to come from Dublin.

Past and future
Post-war Northern Ireland was a quiet, relatively prosperous place and a picturesque tourist destination. But that all changed in 1969, as bombs and riots burst onto television screens around the world. This was the beginning of a dark period of violence and death. ‘The Troubles’, as the Civil Strife came to be know as, is now recalled in Belfast and Derry’s Living History Tours, finally ended with the ceasefires of the early 90s.

With the return of normality, Northern Ireland has blossomed. The economy is thriving. New industries are setting up business. Cities are being revitalised with millions being invested in regeneration. There is a new cultural vitality, pride and optimism. Instead of emigrating, our brightest graduates are staying. Tourists are back too, discovering our humour, hospitality, scenery and quality of life.

Today the people of Northern Ireland are confidently looking forward to building a new future together.

Our family run Dobbin’s Hotel is located in the heart of picturesque Carrickfergus, the gateway to Belfast and the North East Irish coast, offering tastefully decorated rooms, warm bar, a ghost (apparently), quality Irish cuisine and most importantly a traditional Irish welcome.

With a central location (including ample street parking) there is much to see and do on the hotel doorstep. The Castle and St Nicholas Church are within a five minute stroll. Golfing and angling, popular activities in the borough can be arranged at various locations by enquiring at the reception.

The town, made famous for offering a superb coastline setting along Belfast Lough with views to Bangor, is just 20 minutes drive from Belfast City.

If you like a good ghost story, Dobbins Inn Hotel is the place for you.

It was during this period that the inn acquired its resident ghost, when Elizabeth, wife of the owner, Hugh Dobbins, fell in love with a handsome soldier, stationed at the castle opposite. At night she would creep through a secret tunnel (the entrance to which is still evident at the back of the huge stone fireplace in the hotel’s reception) in order to enjoy romantic trysts with her soldier love, remembered simply as ‘Buttoncap’. But her husband discovered their affair and, according to contemporary accounts, ‘did put them to death with his sword’. Whether or not the husband was punished is not recorded, but Elizabeth’ s ghost has wandered the building ever since.

In 1946 the old property was converted into a hotel and the spirit of Elizabeth – or Maude, as she for some reason became known – lingered on as its oldest resident. Several guests have been wakened from their slumbers by the light touch of a ghostly hand caressing their faces. Others have caught glimpses of a furtive figure flitting across reception and disappearing close to the stone fireplace. A waiter working in the restaurant one night was struck on the back of the leg by a coin, but when he turned to remonstrate with whoever had thrown it, found that the room was empty.

Located on the coastline along Belfast Lough, Carrickfergus has a renowned 12th century Norman Castle, built by John de Courcy. The castle overlooks an ancient fishing harbour. Carrickfergus is an historical town enclosed within 16th Century stone walls and there are tours available of the town throughout the year.

Carrickfergus has long been a haven for seafaring pursuits and has a spectacular and modern Marina. The town centre is just 8 miles, 15 minutes drive from Larne, which has a port of entry. Carrickfergus is 11 miles, 20 minutes drive from the capital Belfast. Carrickfergus is 50 miles, 1 hours drive from Portrush. Amazing coastal drive.

Situated in the historic coastal town of Carrickfergus in County Antrim, our hotel makes a superb base from which to explore all that Belfast and Northern Ireland have to offer.

Relax in our stylish Carrickfergus hotel

The Clarion Hotel Carrickfergus has 68 luxurious en-suite bedrooms with amenities such as executive desks, computer hook-ups, WiFi access, satellite televisions, and tea and coffee makers.

You can enjoy a choice of a la carte or table d’hôte menus in our Red Pepper Restaurant, while the hotel’s Pizza Worx dining venue offers delicious home-made pizzas and an extensive grill bar menu. You can also relax with a drink in our hotel lounge bar.

Choose the Clarion Hotel Carrickfergus for your events

The Clarion Hotel Carrickfergus has become one of Northern Ireland’s premier event venues, thanks to its fantastic conference and banquet rooms. Seven suites of varying sizes have been purposely built to cater events, and the hotel can accommodate 600 delegates in the Causeway Suite and provide meals for 360 guests.

Explore Northern Ireland from our Carrickfergus hotel

Northern Ireland is small enough to explore from a single base and the Clarion Hotel Carrickfergus is conveniently located close to all major transport links, making it easy to get around.

Attractions near our Carrickfergus hotel include Carrickfergus Norman Castle and the famous Glens of Antrim. Belfast, only half an hour’s drive from the hotel, has a wide range of attractions, including Belfast Castle, Belfast Botanic Gardens and Belfast Zoo. Alternatively, you can head north from Carrickfergus to see the legendary Giant’s Causeway and some of Northern Ireland’s most breath-taking scenery.

Quick Information

• Check-In Time: 15:00
• Guest Rooms: 68
• Check-Out Time: 11:00

“Carrick” means “rock” in Gaelic. The name Carrickfergus means “the rock of Fergus” and derives, according to legend, from king Fergus who died nearby in the sea during a storm.

After use as a prison in the 18th century it was further strengthened and served as a magazine and armoury until 1928. Cannons from the 17th to 19th centuries are on show in the castle, while the keep houses historical and other displays.

Carrickfergus was built by John de Courcy in 1177 as his headquarters, after he conquered eastern Ulster in 1177 and ruled as a petty king until 1204, when he was ousted by another Norman adventurer, Hugh de Lacy. Initially de Courcy built the inner ward, a small bailey at the end of the promontory with a high polygonal curtain wall and east gate. It had a number of buildings, including the great hall. From its strategic position on a rocky promontory, originally almost surrounded by sea, the castle commanded Carrickfergus Bay (later known as Belfast Lough), and the land approaches into the walled town that developed beneath its shadows.

Exhibition on the castle’s history, audio-visual, shop, wheelchair access limited.

No admission to unaccompanied children under 16.

Last admission is 30 minutes before closing.

How to get there

It is easily accessible from Belfast, just 15 minutes away by car on the M5 north and then A2 along Belfast Lough through Whiteabbey and Jordanstown.

If you are staying in Belfast you can arrange a visit when it suits. If you are staying further afield, you might want to combine a visit to Carrickfergus Castle with other sights on a day tour.

Carrickfergus is also the name of the town where the castle is situated.

Admission charges:

Adult – £3.00

Children / Senior Citizens – £1.50

Family (2 adults, 2 children) – £8.00

Group rates available (10 plus must be pre-booked)

The 17th century mainland court contains domestic buildings leading downhill to the narrow crossing to the rock, formerly protected by a drawbridge to the Gatehouse. The buildings on the rock are almost all from the 16th and 17th centuries. Earthworks to the west of the castle are remains of the long-deserted town whose ruined church stands in the graveyard south of the castle, separated from it by the Coast Road. It often came under siege, and in 1584 Sorley Boy MacDonnell(1505-1589) captured it when one of his men, employed in the castle, hauled his comrades up the cliff in a basket. Sorley Boy came into some booty (some of which can be seen in the Ulster Museum in Belfast) in 1588 when the Spanish Armada treasure ship Girona was wrecked by storm off the Giant’s Causeway. The money was used to modernise the castle but in 1639 the kitchen fell into the sea and carried away the cooks and all their pots. After this it was abandoned by the MacDonnell clan.

The castle was given  to the Northern Ireland Government  by the Earl of Antrim in 1928 to be preserved as a National Monument, since that time the Department of the Environment have taken great care of it. It is obviously a constant process to maintain and preserve such a large artefact of our past and the Department have done this exceptionally well – many skilled workers have been employed in replacing, renovating and preserving the structure over the past decades – for our continual enjoyment

The Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark is host to one of Europe’s finest showcaves allowing visitors to explore a fascinating, natural underworld of rivers, waterfalls, winding passages and lofty chambers. Lively and informative guides conduct tours past a bewildering variety of cave formations – stalactites glisten above stream ways and chambers while fragile mineral veils and cascades of creamy calcite coat walls and spread as shimmering terraces across rock strewn floors. Spectacular walkways allow easy access while powerful
lighting reveals the stunning beauty and grandeur of the caves. Electrically powered boats glide through huge caverns carrying visitors along a subterranean river.

Tours last for 75 minutes and are suitable for people of average fitness. Comfortable walking shoes and a warm sweater are recommended.

Opening Times

Caves open for the 2011 season on the 28th March 2011

* Starting time for last tour. Caves are open daily throughout the season.

Note: The caves may close for safety reasons following heavy rain so we suggest you telephone before setting out during bad weather.

Admission Charges 2011

Note: Children Under 5 years old are admitted free of charge but must be allocated a ticket at the reception desk.

The caves have good parking, a souvenir shop, restaurant, exhibition area, an audio-visual theatre and are located in a National Nature Reserve. Education Services are available for schools and colleges.

The Geopark takes in numerous sites throughout Cavan and Fermanagh many of which are open to the public. All of the sites provide for a vareity of interests including not only geology but also archaeology, history, folklore, wildlife and activities such as cycling and walking.

A Geopark is an area recognised by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) to have exceptional geological heritage.

To many visitors Enniskillen Castle must present a puzzling array of buildings.  In the middle stands the main castle, to the south with its two distinct turrets is the Watergate, and ranged about are barrack buildings and more modern additions.

All roads in Fermanagh converge on Enniskillen which commands an important strategic crossing of the Erne between the Upper and Lower lakes.

The first castle was built in the early 15th century by Hugh “the Hospitable” Maguire, whose family had by this period, secured the whole of  the Erne basin.  The first mention of Enniskillen Castle is in 1439.  The castle became the principle Maguire seat in 1484 when Sean Maguire became chieftain of the clan.  During the 16th century the castle was captured and retaken many times by the O’Donnells, the O’Neills and the English.

The castle became the focus of a plantation town after the defeat and subsequent departure of the Gaelic chieftains in 1607.  Captain William Cole was then appointed constable of the Royal Fort of Enniskillen.

When the planters arrived they found not the princely house of the Maguires but a tumbledown wall enclosing the burnt-out shell of the medieval tower-house.  Cole proceeded to rebuild the castle and a house alongside for his family.  The Watergate was built between 1615-1620 and beside it on the inside is a well.  The name Watergate is misleading as there never was a gateway here. 

However in the 16th century there had been a gate leading to the water not far from the present watergate.  The Castle remained the Cole family residence until a fire in 1710, when they moved to nearby Portora Castle and later to Florencecourt.  The ruined castle was refurbished during the late 18th century as a military barracks.  The castle and the surrounding barracks remained in military occupation until 1926.

Castle Keep
The rectangular three storey Keep in the centre of the castle complex incorporates the battered base of the old Maguire Tower House.  It consists of vaulted ground level chambers originally devoted to storage and defence.  In the 16th century it was exactly the same length and breadth as it is today but it was higher and had at least four storeys.  The present windows are 19th century in date.  The Castle in medieval times was separated from the rest of the island (now Enniskillen town centre) by a deep moat and the entrance was by a drawbridge from the north.

In the early 15th century, the Gaelic Maguires, who ruled Fermanagh, built a castle at Enniskillen to maintain control over the north-western part of their territory.

The chieftain at the time, King Thomas Maguire, (Thomas the Great) ruled from Lisnaskea in the south-eastern part of the county. His younger brother, Hugh ‘The Hospitable’ Maguire, was deputy chieftain and he is credited with building Enniskillen Castle, locating it in a strong defensive position beside the River Erne.

The original castle, a small square tower-house, guarded one of the few passes into Ulster and defended Fermanagh from attack, particularly from the neighbouring O’Rourke and O’Donnell clans. The exact date of the building of the castle is not recorded.

The earliest reference to Enniskillen Castle occurs in 1439 in the Annals of Ulster and refers to King Tomas Og Maguire being held prisoner at his own castle in Enniskillen by Domnall Maguire ‘the Freckled’, and liberated eventually by Henry O’Neill.

However, Hugh Maguire, the reputed builder, died in 1428, so, if this tradition is correct, the castle was obviously built before then.Hugh’s death took place in Kinsale in county Cork as he returned with his nephew from a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint James at Compostella in Spain.

The Maguire stronghold at Lisnaskea remained the seat of the ruling chieftains until 1484, when Sean Maguire became the first member of the Enniskillen branch of the family to be elected chieftain.

From this time and throughout the following century all but two of the Maguire chieftains came from Enniskillen Castle, thus establishing it as a power centre in Fermanagh.

^{Hugh the Hospitable Maguire,
builder of Enniskillen Castle.}

Offering a comprehensive range of accommodation to suit all needs. The Belmore Court and Motel, Enniskillen is unique, successfully combining the Motel, a distinctive terrace of houses, and the splendor of the new Belmore Court.

A warm welcome awaits! Your comfort is our concern.

Whether you stay 1 night or 1 month; Whether you attend a wedding in a nearby Enniskillen Hotel or a Enniskillen bar or restaurant we should have the accommodation to suit all budgets.

We have Standard, Superior & Executive Rooms, Accessible Rooms, Inter-connecting Rooms, Room with Baths, Showers and both. Ground Floor Rooms, Upstairs Rooms, Family Apartments. Cots available. If you have any special requests,please ask at time of booking. All within walking distance of Enniskillen town centre.

• Warm, Friendly & knowledgeable Staff
• Room Types for all Budgets
• Complimentary Wifi
• Close to all restaurants and attractions
• Free, Private & Safe Parking
• Healthy Continental Style Breakfast
• Dietary Requirements Catered for with Prior Notice
• Dinner Packages using 4 Local Restaurants
• Modern and Well Appointed Superior & Executive Rooms
• Functional and Reasonably Priced Standard Rooms

For those attending wedding and functions at the Lough Erne Resort, we have the Lodge at Lough Erne – owned and operation by the Belmore Court & Motel, Enniskillen, this 3 bedroomed lodge is only 2 minutes walk from the actual Lough Erne Resort Hotel. Ideal for Golfing, Weddings or Holidaying.

The Belmore Court & Motel is committed to operating a culture that recognises its responsibilities, and that of its employees and customers, to society to maintain satefy, quality and environmental protection in all our operations. Visit our Green page on our website to find out what we are doing to help the enivornment and our visitors charter to see what you can do to help.

We have now achieved the Silver Award in the Green Business Tourism Scheme.

Our totally refurbished hostel offers a wide selection of room choices, from single through to large rooms suitable for groups, with optional en suite. We are located close to both bus/train stations – only a 10 minute walk from the City Hall/Belfast City centre. Facilities include Causeway Café, games room, library, TV lounge, internet lounge, laundry, foreign exchange, self-catering and 24 hour reception. Also conference facility, group catering and group rates – all available on request.

Beds from £11, Single room £21

Global Village is a recently opened backpacker’s hostel, providing world class hostel accommodation in the heart of Belfast’s Queens Quarter.  Ideally located just off Botanic Avenue we are close to the main tourist attractions as well as the many cafes, restaurants and bars Botanic has to offer.
Created and run by backpackers we know what what’s important to make a great hostelling experience and we’re here to ensure you really enjoy and get the most out of our city!
Our recently converted building provides excellent facilities for guests use including, a games room, TV lounge, beer garden, BBQ area and a very well equipped kitchen, we provide free breakfast, free internet and free wi-fi.

Check out our website for more details @ www.globalvillagebelfast.com

Prices per person per night:
8 bed dormitory – £13
6 bed domitory – £14
4 bed dormitory – £15
2 bed dormitory - £20

Opened in June 2009 Vagabonds is located in a beautifully renovated Victorian mid terrace property in the city’s Queen’s Quarter.

This contemporary furnished hostel offers a full range of facilities including internet access, bike hire, common room, free breakfast, linen, and free tea and coffee all day. The hostel offers a self catering kitchen and has two communal exterior spaces to the front and rear of the hostel. Other services include: luggage storage, 24 hour check in, tour booking, movie nights, under bed storage for ruck sacks, laundry facilities and no curfew.

Room sizes and prices:
Double/Twin – £40 per room
4 bed dorms – £16 per person per night
6 bed dorms – £15 per person per night
8 bed dorms – £14 per person per night
12 bed dorms – £13 per person per night

The Linen House Hostel is the largest independent hostel in Belfast, and the only hostel in Belfast City Centre. Previously a linen factory, it has been beautifully restored, all the while keeping its original character and ambience. 

Great location, situated in the Cathedral Quarter, right in the heart of Belfast’s city, close to St. Anne’s Cathedral, and the main shopping areas.  Easy access to harbour, bus and railway stations.  Giants Causeway, Black Taxi Tours, and city sightseeing tours easily arranged from hostel reception.

Car parking available. No curfew, hot showers, cooking facilities, bike storage, etc.  Laundry and internet access and WIFI also available.

Price Range:
Dormitory beds from £6.50 per person per night.  Private rooms from £15 per person per night.  Large dormitory rooms available, 8-10 bed, 4-6 bed and single + double / twin rooms available. 
Large groups welcome.

Roger and Olive Nicholson offer bed and breakfast accommodation with friendly and professional service in the relaxed surroundings of their restored Victorian home.

On arrival guests are welcomed with tea, coffee and biscuits, giving the opportunity to browse the collection of local interest books, maps and information. Built as a family home in 1886 Ravenhill House has been carefully restored and decorated in keeping with its age.

The five guest bedrooms have hand crafted furniture in oak and ash, designed and made for by the nearby Cove Workshop. All rooms have an en suite bathroom with a power shower (some have bath tubs as well), tea and coffee making facilities including fresh coffee and biscuits, television, alarm clock, hair dryer and a good quality Roberts or Hacker radio.

A free wireless internet connection is available throughout the house as well as a PC for guest use in the sitting room where you will also find an extensive library of local interest books and maps, radio, CD player and CDs.

Ravenhill House aim to make breakfast a highlight of every guest’s stay so a special effort is made to serve the best fresh, local, organic and home made food. Their own traditional Irish wheaten bread is baked daily from flour milled on the premises. The house is in the area of Ballynafeigh which includes Upper Ormeau and Ravenhill Roads.

Local amenities are centred on Ormeau Road, a five minute walk from the house and include four pubs, five restaurants, three daytime cafes and various shops.

The extensive range of services available at the Templeton Hotel include “Raffles” A la Carte fine dining Restaurant, the more informal Upton Grill Room, the elegant Lounge and popular Public Bar “Sam’s Bar”.

Both Raffles Restaurant and the Upton Grill Room, together with the Lounge Bar are wheelchair accessible. The elegant “Raffles Restaurant” overlooking their garden terrace offers an award winning menu ranging from traditional Ulster fare to modern and innovative cuisine, with a wide Vegetarian selection always on offer. Taking its name from nearby Castle Upton, the bustling Upton Grill Room is a favourite venue for those seeking a lively mix of modern and traditional food in a cheerful setting.

Take time to sample “Sam’s Bar” with its buzzing atmosphere. Its wooden beams and roaring open fire make this cosy bar a popular meeting place.

The Templeton’s 24 ensuite bedrooms are individually designed to meet the needs of every guest and complement the standards of the Templeton. There are 18 Standard rooms, 2 Executive rooms and 4 Family rooms. All rooms have en-suite bathrooms and are equipped with a colour television with remote control (including Satellite channels), radio, direct dial telephone, trouser press, hair dryer and tea and coffee making facilities.

Conference

The Templeton Hotel offers an unrivalled conference service. Several function suites, ranging from small syndicate rooms to larger suites seating several hundred delegates anticipate every business need. Each seminar room in fully equipped with telephone sockets, power points and coffee- making facilities. We can provide state of the art slide projectors and Audio-Visual equipment, and secretarial back up is available upon request.

The De Courcy Suite, a large banqueting hall with a vaulted ceiling and impressive crystal chandelier, seats up to 450. It provides an ideal setting for meetings and seminars, trade shows, exhibitions, workshops and product launches.

Private lunches for your delegates may also be organised in Raffles Restaurant.

8 Hour Delegate Rate of £27.55 per person and 24 Hour Delegate rate of £123.00 per person are also on offer.

The hotel is in a prime location, close to Belfast International Airport, Larne Harbour & George Best Belfast City Airport.

Early Life. Like many Irish heroes, Cuchulain had a short, adventurous, and tragic life. He was the son of Dechtire, sister of King Conchobhar. She and some of her handmaidens were kidnapped on her wedding night by Lug, the sun god, who appeared to her as a fly. Dechtire swallowed the fly and later gave birth to a son whose original name was Setanta.

From the beginning, the child possessed extraordinary powers. He could swim like a fish at birth. He had seven fingers on each hand, seven toes on each foot, and seven pupils in each eye. At the age of 7, he fought off 150 boy warriors to gain entrance to his uncle’s court. When he was 12, Setanta accidentally killed the watchdog of the smith Cullan and offered to guard Cullan’s property until another dog could be trained. It was at that time that he changed his name to Cuchulain, which means “hound of Cullan.” He grew up to be a handsome, well-spoken man who was very popular with women.

Trials and Achievements. Cuchulain fell in love with Emer and asked her to marry him. Emer insisted that Cuchulain must first prove his valor by undergoing a series of trials and sent him to the war goddess Scatha to be trained in warfare. On his journey to Scatha, Cuchulain had to pass through the plain of Ill Luck, where sharp grasses cut travelers’ feet, and through the Perilous Glen, where dangerous animals roamed. Then Cuchulain had to cross the Bridge of the Cliff, which raised itself vertically when someone tried to cross it. Cuchulain jumped to the center and slid to the opposite side.

To repay Scatha for his training, Cuchulain fought her enemy Aife, the strongest woman in the world. After defeating Aife, he made peace with her, and she bore him a son, Cornila. While returning home to claim his bride, Cuchulain rescued a princess and visited the underworld.

Back home, Cuchulain achieved his greatest victory. When Queen Medb of Connacht sent a great army to steal the Brown Bull of Ulster, Cuchulain stopped them single-handedly. He alone, of all the Ulster warriors, was unaffected by a curse that had weakened the strength of the fighting force. Unfortunately, during one of the battles, he was forced to fight his good friend Ferdiad, whom he killed. On numerous other occasions, Cuchulain defended Ulster against the rest of Ireland and won numerous contests of bravery and trustworthiness.

But misfortune followed him. Cuchulain killed his own son, Connla, learning his identity too late. In addition, Cuchulain died as a result of trickery. After offending Morrigan, the goddess of death and battles, he was summoned to fight at a time when he was ill. On the way to battle, he saw a vision of a woman washing the body and weapons of a dead warrior, and he recognized the warrior as himself. Knowing then that his own death was imminent, he fought bravely. When he was too weak to stand, Cuchulain tied himself to a pillar so that he could die fighting on his feet. He was 27 years old.

underworld land of the dead

imminent about to take place; threatening

The Warrior. Cuchulain had several magical weapons: his sword, his visor, and his barbed spear, Gae Bulga, which inflicted wounds from which nobody ever recovered. When Cuchulain went into battle, he would go into a frenzy. His cry alone would kill a hundred warriors from fright. His physical appearance—namely, that of a handsome man—changed completely. Cuchulain’s hair stood on end, one of his eyes bulged out while the other disappeared in his head, his legs and feet turned to face backward, his muscles swelled, and a column of blood spurted up from his head. His body became so hot that it could melt snow.

When swept away in a war frenzy, Cuchulain could not distinguish between friends and enemies. On one occasion, he was so full of the lust for battle that he needed to be stopped. A group of Ulster women marched out naked carrying vats of cold water to bring him to his senses. When Cuchulain stopped his chariot in embarrassment, he was grabbed by warriors who threw him into three vats of cold water to calm him down. The first vat burst apart, the second boiled over, but the third merely got hot.

The Tuatha Dé Dananns were a race of deities as well as race of heroes. They were skilled in art and science, poetry and magic.

They were said to come from four mythical cities: Falias, Gorias, Finias and Murias. When they came to live in Ireland, the Dananns received four magic treasures or talismans, one from each city. Before the Tuatha Dé Danann migrated to Ireland, they had learned all their skills from for four wizards/bards (druids) from these four cities. Morfesa from Falias, Esras from Gorias, Semias from Murias and Uiscias from Findias. (See the Druids of Danu)

After the Milesians defeated the Dananns, the Dananns either retreated to Tir na n-Og (“Land of Youth”) or they continued to lived on the land with the Milesians, but their homes (subterranean palaces) were hidden by magic from the eyes of mortals. Their homes were commonly called Sidhe (síd or sídh) or the Otherworld. Another name for the Tuatha Dé Danann was the áes sídhe or the “People of the Sídhe”.

In the Otherworld, the Danann remained young and seemingly immortal. Immortal in the sense, they can live a very long life and remain young, but they can be kill and destroy, just like any mortal.

There were frequent visits of the Dananns with the mortals. Sometimes they aided mortals, while other times they seek their destruction. Sometimes they sought marriage with mortals. Most of the times, the Dananns would come to the surface and meet their lovers, other times the mortals were allowed to live with them.

In the Ulster Cycle, the Tuatha Dé Danann was still seen as Celtic deities. However, in the Fenian Cycle, the Dananns had degenerated into nothing more then fey people; in another words, the Dananns became the “Fairy People”. The Tuatha Dé Danann became frequently associated with fairies. Because of the Christian influences in the myths, some of them died in old age when they leave the Otherworld; that they were baptised before their death.

(It should be noted that the fairies in Celtic myths (especially Irish, Welsh and Arthurian myths) had nothing to do with tiny pixie with wings that are found in folklore and children fairy tales, like Tinklebell in Peter Pan or the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. The fairies found here were human with supernatural power. Modern interpretations of fairies tend to prettify them, particularly during the Victorian period (19th century) in Britain.

In early Irish and Welsh literature, they could be tall or short, beautiful or ugly. They can be benevolent beings, but at other times they can be frighteningly cruel or malign.

If you are interested in the mythical history of people who settled in Ireland, read the Book of Invasions.

The first is that she is the ghost of a young woman who was brutally killed and died so horribly that her spirit is left to wander the world watching her family and loved ones warning them when a violent death is imminent.

This particular type of Banshee appears as an old woman in rags with dirty grey hair, long fingernails and sharp pointed rotten teeth. Her eyes are blood red and filled with so much hatred and sorrow that to look into them will cause instant death. The Banshees mouth is permanently open as she emits a long and painful scream to torture the souls of the living.

According to legend there are a few Banshees that relish in taking a life and will stalk their victim wailing and screaming at them to the point that the victim goes insane or die. It has been told that the Banshee has ripped many a brave man to death with her bare hands. This is the type of Banshee portrayed in Hollywood ‘horror’ films.

Here in Ireland we have a much less gory view of the Banshee. She does attach herself to families usually with an O or a Mc in the surname such as O’Brien or McNeill etc, and she does indeed foretell a death in the family.

The Banshee does not ‘bring’ death but warns that death is near and this gives the family a chance to prepare and it is not necessarily a violent death it may be of a family member that has lived to 106 years of age! She is there as an escort to ensure that the loved one passes safely to the other side.

Stories have been passed down through generations of families of ‘O’s and ‘Mc’s of their personal experiences with their own Banshee and my family are no different.

I remember being told of an uncle who was walking home one cold blustery night (probably three sheets to the wind after partaking of a snifter to keep the cold out!) and on arriving home told my grand-mother that he had tried to comfort an old woman, dressed in black with a veil over her face, who was crying and wailing outside the house but every time he went over to her she moved away and kept pointing at the house.

My grand-mother knew straight away what this old lady represented and sent my uncle to bed telling him she would have a look. Needless to say she didn’t dare look herself. Three days later my grand-mothers brother died peacefully in his sleep. As children we used to plague my uncle to recount the story of the night he tried to invite the Banshee in for tea!

The Banshee may sometimes only be heard keening (an Irish word used to describe the wailing that women used to do over the body of a deceased person to ward off evil spirits) but when the Banshee decides to appear she may take the form of the following:

An old woman dressed in black with long grey hair and covering her face with a veil.
An old woman with long white hair, red eyes and dressed in a green dress.
A deathly pale woman with long red hair dressed in a white dress sometimes a shroud.
A beautiful woman wearing a shroud.
A beautiful woman with silver-white hair wearing a long shimmering silver dress.
A headless woman naked from the waist up and carrying a bowl of blood.

Of course no-one wishes a visit from a Banshee no matter how alluring she is but she does serve a purpose to the family by letting them know that they should start making preparations for a traditional funeral.

Finn McCool

Another variation is that Oonagh painted a rock shaped like a steak and gave it to Benandonner, whilst giving the baby (Fionn) a normal steak. When Benandonner saw that the baby was able to eat it so easily, he ran away, tearing up the causeway.
Another version of the legend was that Fionn had spent many days and nights trying to create a bridge to Scotland because he was challenged by another giant. A fellow boatsman told him that the opponent was much larger than he. Fionn told his wife and she came up with an ingenious plan to dress Fionn like a baby. They spent many nights creating a costume and bed. When the opponent came to Fionn’s house; Fionn’s wife told him that Fionn was out woodcutting and the opponent would have to wait for him to return. Then Fionn’s wife showed him her baby and when the opponent saw him he was terrified at the thought of how huge Fionn would be. He ran back to Scotland and threw random stones from the causeway into the waters below.

The “causeway” legend corresponds with geological history in as much as there are similar basalt formations (a part of the same ancient lava flow) at the site of Fingal’s Cave on the isle of Staffa in Scotland.

There are many heroic legends surrounding Finn MacCool, comparisons have been drawn between him and the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Finn was reputed as being the leader of the Fianna, the guardians of the King of Ireland. Formed the Fianna from a rough bunch of warriors into an elite group of men who transformed under his command into the manifestation of justice and honour, they were the people’s heroes. Finn’s famous son whose mother was the goddess Sadb, is said to be buried in Glenaan. It is worth noting that many of the great legends of Ireland are based or linked to the north coast of Ulster, There must be some correlation between this and the fact that Whitepark Bay was where man first settled in Ireland. However in this section we will concentrate on his role in building the Giants Causeway. The story goes thus:-

Finn a renown warrior was going about his daily duties on the north coast when one of his adversaries, a Scottish giant called Benandonner started shouting and ridiculing Finn’s fighting prowess. This angered Finn who lifted a lump of earth and pelted it to Scotland as a challenge to this giant. The Scottish giant retaliated with a rock back to Finn shouting that if he could get his hand on him, he would make sure that Finn would never fight again adding that unfortunately he could not swim the short distance across the Channel, so Finn would be spared that fate. Finn got enraged by this and tore large pieces of rock from the cliffs, he worked for over a week pushing the rocks into the ocean bed and eventually made a causeway to Scotland, when he had finished he shouted ‘Now you’ll had no excuse’ to come over and do your best. Fearing to lose his own reputation and pride the Scottish giant had no alternative but come over the causeway. Finn was tired, having not slept for the week he worked on the causeway and did not feel ready for fighting. He thought about how he could buy some time and regain his energy to fight the Scottish giant and came up with a great idea. Quickly he made a large cot out of stones and seaweed and disguised himself as a baby and waited. The Scottish giant arrived at Finn’s house shouting, ‘Where is that coward MacCool’, Finn’s wife said, he’s away but sure sit down and have a cup of tea, he’ll not be too long. Finns Wife made the tea and give it to Benandonner along with a cake which she had placed inside some stones. Benandonner took a bite and broke one of his teeth, and thought to himself, this guy Finn must be tough to eat cakes like this. However not to be outdone, he finished off the cake and tea, breaking two more teeth in the process. He noticed the baby cot and the baby inside it and his eyes widened in fear, he thought to himself, if this is the size of the baby? What size is his Father? He reached his hand in to touch the sleeping baby, and “crunch”, Finn bit the tip of his finger off. Benandonner jumped, screaming at the site of his severed finger. After he calmed down he thought to himself, if this is what that baby is capable of, what must his father be capable of and what could he do to him! This thought terrified him, the fear got the better of him and took to his heels and ran like he took to his heels, back across the causeway to Scotland tearing it up it as he ran. Wether or not you believe this version of the story, there are others to choose from, including one of love and romance.

Come face to face with dinosaurs, meet an Egyptian Mummy and see modern masterpieces with a visit to the Ulster Museum. As Northern Ireland’s treasure house of the past and present, the museum is home to a rich collection of art, history and natural sciences and free to all visitors. 
From Ireland to the South Pacific, ancient relics to hands on activities, the museum offers something for everyone from the simply curious to the enthusiast. 

Museum opening times

At Pets corner you will find a collection of farm animals from their Highland Bull to baby rabbits. Find out about cuddle and feeding time so you can get really involved. The cows are milked every day at 5am and 4pm at the Parlour. You can watch it all from the new viewing gallery. Learning with animals is always fun, but Streamvale have other places too. Toy tractors, puzzles, touch boxes and quiz sheets keep you busy, no matter the weather. Streamvale have set aside 10 acres of land for nature to take charge! Have a walk along the Streamvale path and see what each season has to offer.
The sheep races will be back this summer at Streamvale Farm and are well worth watching. These specially trained lambs have been hand reared and are now undergoing the intensive training required to meet the high standards needed to be part of the Streamvale Sheep Racing Team.

Streamvale Open Farm has limited opening during low season so please telephone or visit the website to check opening times and prices.

Children stay free throughout July and August- special childrens menu also available.

Rooms:
1 x Double Ensuite with Shower (sleeps 2)

SS Nomadic is the last remaining White Star Line vessel and on the Core Collection of the National Register of Historic Vessels.  Built alongside Titanic at Harland & Wolff’s Belfast shipyard in 1911, this tender ship carried the 1st and 2nd class passengers out to the ill-fated liner and her sister ships when they called into the French port of Cherbourg.  The vessel is undergoing renovation work and will reopen as a key maritime attraction in spring 2012. 

For more details visit www.nomadicbelfast.com.

The station consists of a station building (housing a shop open on their Summer Steam days), a platform, a short running line for public demonstrations and to allow the shunting of their stock. Beyond the station are the sheds housing the engineering equipment and stores necessary to maintain Irelands mainline steam train fleet. The RPSI maintains a museum at Whitehead and operates steam-hauled excursions over the present day Irish railway network for families and enthusiasts. On “Summer Steam” open days, they steam a locomotive and the public and enthusiasts are welcome to come along and have a short ride by steam train within their site for a nominal charge.

Their 1951-built dining car is on hand for teas and refreshments, and a Souvenir Shop is open. The full site is usually open and guided tours run throughout the afternoon. The Society is a not-for-profit charity managed by volunteers. All funds from ticket sales, shop sales, membership fees or donations go directly to keeping Ireland’s steam railway heritage operating for future generations.

Specialists in Cast Iron Radiators Baths & Stoves
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www.nifishing.com
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Northern Ireland was created in 1922 when all 32 Irish counties seceded from the United Kingdom to create the Irish Free State. Two days after its creation, six of the nine counties of Ulster (one of the four ancient Irish provinces) rejoined the Union, with the remaining three (Monaghan, Cavan and Donegal) staying in what is now the modern day Republic of Ireland. For this reason Ulster is a popular colloquial alternative name for Northern Ireland, even if it is not in the strictest sense geographically accurate.
County Antrim
Belfast is situated in County Antrim, as is the stunning North Coast and Giant’s Causeway.
County Armagh
Formerly the most militarised territory in Western Europe and home of the Navan Fort.
County Londonderry
The city of Londonderry is located here.
County Down
The beautiful coastal resort of Bangor is found here. Also the Mourne Mountains – an area of outstanding natural beauty.
County Fermanagh
Largely rural county adjacent to the Irish border, famed for its numerous lakes.
County Tyrone
A rural county, home to the Sperrin Mountains.

Northern Ireland is home to numerous cities and towns. Below is a list of nine of the most notable. Other urban areas are listed on their specific county article.

Belfast (“mouth of the river bank”) — the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. It is also the second largest city on the island of Ireland (after Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland), and the fifteenth largest in the United Kingdom. Shattered by more than three decades of paramilitary conflict, Belfast has undergone a renaissance in recent years and is now a vibrant, modern city. It has been voted the fourth best city in the UK for a city break in the Guardian/Observer travel awards.

Armagh — ecclesiastical capital of Ireland; containing the headquarters of both the (Anglican) Church of Ireland, and the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland.

Bangor — a beautiful coastal resort in North Down with Ireland’s largest marina and good shopping.

Coleraine — situated on the River Bann in County Derry, 5 km from the sea and with an impressive history dating back to Ireland’s earliest known settlers, Coleraine today is a major gateway to the popular Causeway Coast area. Coleraine is an excellent shopping town and also has a major performance theatre located at the University of Ulster in the town.

Derry, or Londonderry (“the Maiden City”) — the second city of Northern Ireland and fourth city of Ireland is worth a visit for its famous stone city walls (which date from the 16th century and are the only complete city walls in Ireland).

Enniskillen — picturesque main town of County Fermanagh, perfect for exploring the lakes around Lough Erne.

Lisburn — became a city as part of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations in 2002.

Newry — became a city as part of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations in 2002.

Omagh — the Ulster American Folk Park is located here. This is an outdoor museum which tells the story of emigration from Ulster to America in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Other Destinations
Giant’s Causeway

Marble Arch Caves — Global Geopark in Co. Fermanagh

The Mourne Mountains — the Mourne Mountains are a walker’s paradise where old mountain tracks take you past lakes, rivers, woodland and up to the many fine peaks and the famous Mourne Wall. The Mournes also offer fine rock climbing opportunities. Slieve Donnard standing at 852 m (2,796 ft) is the highest mountain in the Mournes range and also the highest mountain in Northern Ireland. It offers spectacular views from the summit towards England, and Scotland.

North Coast (Causeway Coast) — the north coast of Northern Ireland has some of the best scenery in Europe and has to be seen to be believed. This coastline is of outstanding natural beauty where breathtaking and rugged coastline merge into the romantic landscape of deep silent glens and lush forest parks. There are also spectacular waterfalls, dramatic castles and mysterious ruins. The world famous Giant’s Causeway (Northern Irelands only UNESCO World Heritage site) with its array of hexagonal basalt columns and tales of ancient Irish giants, and ‘Old Bushmills’, the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery, are just two attractions, which are a must for every visit to Northern Ireland. There are fantastic golf courses located at Portstewart, Castlerock and most notably at Portrush (Royal Portrush). Beautiful, unspoilt sandy beaches also extend along the coast.

Rathlin Island — Northern Ireland’s only inhabited off-shore island, connected to the mainland by a regular ferry service.

Weather.
The weather in Northern Ireland is notoriously unpredictable, and it is not uncommon to experience a full range of meteorological conditions in a single hour. As with the rest of the island of Ireland and Great Britain, the province is particularly susceptible to rain. Similarly to England, the weather is a common topic of conversation.

History

The population of Northern Ireland is largely made up of two groups. Although there had always been population movements between the west of Scotland and the north-east of Ireland, during the 16th and 17th centuries there was an organised settlement of people from Scotland known as the Ulster Plantation. Most came to work on new plantations which had been established in the area. The indigenous Irish population was predominantly Roman Catholic (at a time when this was the only Western Christian religion), whilst Scottish settlers after the Reformation were predominantly Protestant.

The religious difference turned into a political split: most Protestants are Unionists or (more extreme) Loyalists, supporting continued union with Great Britain, while most Catholics are Nationalists or (more extreme) Republicans. Nationalists and Republicans both want a united Ireland, but Nationalists (politically affiliated with SDLP political party) use peaceful political means; whereas the Republican movement (politically affiliated with Sinn Fein political party) sought violence as a means to a united Ireland up until 2004. Although segregation always existed, the situation reached boiling point in 1969 when the campaign for Civil Rights turned violent when protesters were attacked by Loyalist supporters. That was the start of the period known euphamistically as “The Troubles.” In 1972, British Forces fired live rounds rather than plastic bullets at unarmed peaceful civilian protesters. 14 were laid to rest, on a day that has become known worldwide as “Bloody Sunday”. The British Government gave reparations to the families of the victims. This was a major turning point in the support for the Republican movement as the civilian population felt they had nowhere left to turn. This also effectively re-polarised segregation along religious lines. Previously inactive paramilitary groups became re-established in the province, which sat precariously on the brink of civil war for many years.

In 1998, after years of sporadic negotiations between the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and the paramilitary groups and local political parties, The Agreement was signed, signalling the end of violence in the province. This is often referred to as the Belfast Agreement or the Good Friday Agreement after the place or day on which it was signed. Although there was an almost immediate drop in the level of terrorist acts and rioting, it took several years for stability to settle on the region and for agreement to be reached concerning the devolved government.
[edit] People

Most people visiting have heard of the varying allegiances of its people. However, to a traveller the people of Northern Ireland are friendly and warm towards visitors. You get the feeling that the people know the allegiances of each other, but to a traveller it can be hard to ascertain (at least until after the second pint of Guinness).

Citizens can self-identify as Irish or British solely or Northern Irish. Similar divides exist in referring to places, for example, to Nationalists, Londonderry is Derry, while to Unionists it is Londonderry.
[edit] Talk

The official languages for Northern Ireland are English, Irish and Ulster Scots. While used in various government and public organisations, Irish and Ulster Scots are rarely seen written and even less spoken. Nearly all education in the country is in English therefore there is no need to learn Irish, partly due to the fact that most non-Catholic schools do not teach it. Many Northern Irish people have little knowledge of Irish or Ulster Scots.

Although Northern Ireland is a small country, accents and dialects differ considerably throughout the country and even foreigners fluent in English may find it hard to understand people with certain accents. However most Northern Irish people will slow down and speak more clearly if they think you are having a hard time understanding them.

In schools English is taught as both a literature subject and a language subject. In most Catholic schools and some grammar schools it is normal for students to be taught Irish (although not widely used) and therefore certain schools have bilingual signs etc. French, Spanish and German (sometimes Latin) are taught in most schools or at least a few of these languages will be taught mainly at secondary school level. Unfortunately for native English speakers there is often no desire for them to learn other languages therefore a lot of Northern Irish people won’t be able to speak to you in your native language but will try and make their English more understandable for a foreigner.
[edit] Get in
[edit] Immigration and visa requirements

Northern Ireland has the same immigration and visa requirements as the rest of the UK.

Citizens of the European Union do not require a visa, and have permanent residency and working rights in the UK.

Citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland also have permanent residency rights, but may require a work permit in some circumstances.

Citizens of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, the United States and Uruguay do not require a visa for visits of less than 6 months.

Most other countries will require a visa, which can be obtained from the nearest British Embassy, High Commission or Consulate.

While there is no passport control on the land border between Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, visitors must still carry the required documents that permit them entry to the UK (passport, visa, identity card or documentation, depending on nationality).

The UK also operates a Working Holidaymaker Scheme for citizens of the Commonwealth of Nations, and British dependent territories. This allows residency in the UK for up to 2 years, with limited working rights.

For more information of UK Immigration and visa requirements, see the UK’s Home Office website [1].
[edit] By air

Northern Ireland has three commercial airports, with the Belfast being the main gateway. A third airport in operates in Derry.

George Best Belfast City Airport [2] (airport code BHD): just 2 miles from Belfast city center, with magnificent views of the city of Belfast or Belfast Lough offered to passengers on approach and departure. The airport principally serves routes to domestic UK and Ireland, however bmi offers interline connections to its flights and those of the Star Alliance through Heathrow. These flights are code-shared with British Airways, therefore offering interline connections to its flights and those of the One World Alliance. Airlines using the airport include:

Aer Arann [3] to Cork

bmi [4] to London (Heathrow)

British Northwest Airlines [5] to Blackpool and the Isle of Man (Ronaldsway)

flybe [6] to Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Doncaster Sheffield (Robin Hood), Edinburgh, Exeter, Galway, Glasgow, Guernsey, Jersey, Leeds/Bradford, Liverpool (John Lennon), London (Gatwick), Newcastle, Paris (Charles-de-Gaulle), Southampton, Manchester, Newquay and Rennes.

The terminal is served every twenty to thirty minutes from 06.00 – 22.00 by the 600 Airport bus [7] (£1.30 single, £2.20 return). Depending on traffic, the journey to Belfast’s Laganside and Europa Buscentres should take no more than fifteen minutes. Ask at the airport information desk for a free shuttle ride to the near-by Sydenham railway station for trains towards Bangor, Belfast and Portadown. Considering the airport’s proximity to the city, taxis cost less than £10 to most parts of the city and are an economical choice for small groups.

The Airporter is an hourly shuttle from Belfast’s two airports to Londonderry/Derry. The journey to Belfast City Airport takes roughly a two hours.

Belfast International Airport [8] (airport code BFS) Locally known as Aldergrove (after the Royal Air Force base that has been there up until recently since before the commercial airport was constructed), the International Airport is further away from Belfast than the City Airport (but is close to the town of Antrim) and offers significantly more international destinations.

Aer Lingus [9] to Amsterdam, Arrecife, Barcelona, Budapest, Geneva, Faro, London-Heathrow, Malaga, Milan, Munich, Nice, Paris (Charles-de-Gaulle) and Rome (Fiumincino)

Air Transat [10] to Toronto (Hamilton)

bmibaby [11] to Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester and Nottingham (East Midlands)

Continental Airlines [12] to New York (Newark)

Easyjet [13] to Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin Schoenefeld, Bristol, Edinburgh, Faro, Gdansk, Geneva, Glasgow, Ibiza, Krakow, Liverpool (John Lennon), London (Gatwick), London (Luton), London (Stansted), Malaga,Malta, Manchester, Newcastle, Nice, Palma-de-Mallorca, Paris (Charles-de-Gaulle), Prague, Rome (Ciampino) and Venice

Jet2 [14] to Barcelona, Blackpool, Chambery, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Leeds (Bradford), Malaga, Milan (Bergamo), Murcia, Palma-de-Mallorca, Pisa, Prague, Tenerife (South) and Toulouse

Manx2 [15] to the Isle of Man (Ronaldsway)

Wizz Air [16] to Warsaw and Katowice

The terminal is served up to thirty minutes from 05.35 – 23.20 by the 300 Airport bus [17] (£6 single, £9 return) to Belfast Laganside and Europa Buscentres. Depending on traffic, the journey to Belfast’s Laganside and Europa Buscentres takes about forty-five minutes. Taxis should cost no more than £25-£30 to Belfast City Centre.

You can also do it a much cheaper way By Taking the 109A (hourly service Monday to Saturday) ULSTERBUS service to Antrim from the stand outside airport ,(Bus/Train Station which costs £2.60 one wayby bus ) then once you get off the bus in Antrim Go up the steps into the ajoining Train station and buy a Ticket to Belfast Great Victoria street station the train stops in Mossley west /Belfast Central/ Botanic /City Hospital then Great Victoria street which is combined with europa Bus centre Great Victoria street is on the same name street in Belfast and is much more “Central” than Central station and is around the corner from city hall which is 10 mins away by foot. Check www.translink.co.uk for timetables for both Bus and rail Journeys by typing in 109A into search or click on Timetables for Ulsterbus and NI railways you will need the Londonderry-Coleraine -Ballymena-Antrim-Belfast Time table trains are usually every other Hour to Belfast so you might have to wait awhile at the station

The Airporter is an hourly shuttle from Belfast’s two airports to Londonderry/Derry. The journey to Belfast International takes ninety minutes.

City of Derry Airport [18] (airport code LDY) an airport serving Derry, Tyrone, and Donegal in the Republic of Ireland.

Aer Arann [19] to Cork (via Dublin) and Dublin.

Ryanair [20] to Alicante, Birmingham, Faro, Glasgow (Prestwick), Liverpool, London (Stansted) and Tenerife (South).

Ulsterbus operates various scheduled services to and from the airport to the main Foyle Street bus depot in the City. Services also operate to and from Limavady. For details of Ulsterbus bus services visit www.translink.co.uk. The typical fare to the city centre is £2.70 and the journey takes approximately 20-30 minutes.

Taxis are available from the airport, with the typical fares to the city centre around £12, with the journey taking roughly 15 minutes.
[edit] By train

Despite decades of underinvestment and service cutbacks, Northern Ireland Railways [21] (a division of Translink, Northern Ireland’s public transport operator) manages to maintain a small but increasingly reliable passenger rail network around the province, with four ‘domestic’ lines radiating out from Belfast.

Belfast – Bangor
Belfast – Portadown
Belfast – Larne
Belfast – Coleraine – Londonderry/Derry or Portrush

Service is most frequent and reliable on the Portadown – Belfast – Bangor corridor, on which new trains offer frequent and fast suburban service. The line to Londonderry/Derry is exceptionally beautiful as it passes along the north coast after Coleraine, however travellers should note that the railway line is slower (two hours or more) than the equivalent Ulsterbus Goldline express coach (one hour and forty minutes). Contact NIR for information on tourist passes for exploring Northern Ireland by bus and train: with integrated bus and train stations in most major towns, the North is easily explored without a car.

The cross-border service to Dublin (with connections to other destinations in the Republic of Ireland) is offered by the Enterprise, a modern, comfortable and relatively fast train jointly operated by Northern Ireland Railways and Iarnród Éireann (who operate trains in the Republic of Ireland). The journey to Dublin takes around two hours, and there are eight trains a day, offering two classes of service.
[edit] By car

Roads link Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland. However, pay particular attention to road signs when driving in border areas. In some places the border, being based on county boundaries, runs along the middle of the road while in others it’s possible to cross into the South and then back into the North again within several hundred yards. Fortunately both jurisdictions drive on the left though road signs and speed limits in the Republic are now metric (kilometres) while road signs in the North are all imperial (miles).

There are currently no border checks and there is complete freedom of movement between the North and Republic without a passport. Despite this however, non-UK, Irish or EU citizens must have a proper travel documents if they intend to continue further south of the border and vice versa.
[edit] By boat

Ferries cross the Irish Sea from Great Britain to Larne or Belfast in Northern Ireland. All the operators listed below offer special promotions throughout the year, and some also offer through ticketing with rail and bus services at each end.

Stena Line offer two types of service from the Port of Belfast to Stranraer in Scotland, with up to six sailings a day. The HSS Stena Voyager is a high speed catamaran (it used to be the fastest ferry between Northern Ireland and Britain but is now subject to speed restrictions) and the Stena Caledonia is a more traditional and slower ferry. Stena offer ‘rail and sail’ tickets with Scotrail train connections to destinations in Scotland from Stranraer: the railway station is directly adjacent to the ferry terminal in Stranraer. You should note, however, that (for reasons that are unclear) Stena only offer 2 HSS sailings per day, and have not coordinated their sailing times with ScotRail, so whatever sailing you get you are likely to face a long wait at Stranraer for a train onwards.

Stena Line also offer up to three sailings a day from Larne (accessible from Belfast by train or bus) to Fleetwood, near Liverpool.

Norfolk Line offer daytime and nightime crossings to Birkenhead, near Liverpool. Cabins and meals are available.

P&O sails ferries into Larne, from Troon and Cairnryan in Scotland. P&O have the fastest crossings to mainland UK from Larne to Cairnryan in just 1 hour on the P&O Express and 1hr 45mins on the traditional ferry. The Larne – Troon route takes 2 hours.

Seat61.com offers informed and independent advice on how to book combined train and ferry tickets from any railway station in Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

It is also possible to get ferries to Dublin and drive to the north.
[edit] Get around
[edit] By car

If you are able to rent a car then driving around Northern Ireland is a very pleasant experience. Most drivers follow the rules of the road (except for speeding) and are quite polite towards other drivers. In some areas it is a pleasant gesture to wave at a passing car even if you do not know the person. Many of the roads on the North Coast are quite twisty but offer some beautiful scenery and there are many places to stop along the way and take in the natural beauty.

Northern Ireland’s motorway system connects Belfast to Dungannon, Ballymena and Newtownabbey. All large towns and cities are well connected by road. The speed limits are:

Motorways and Dual Carriageways – 70 miles per hour (c. 112 km/h)

Other roads (outside urban areas) – 60 miles per hour (c. 96 km/h)

Urban areas (towns and cities) – 30 miles per hour (c. 48 km/h) and occasionally 40mph if signposted.

It is worth noting that many drivers constantly speed, usually 10 to 20 miles per hour above the speed limit. It is common for someone to be driving at 60 or 70 miles per hour and be overtaken by many other cars. It is no surprise then that speed traps and cameras are often quite sparse (except for in Belfast and near the border) and many drivers take this to their advantage. There have been many advertising campaigns over the years to combat the problem of speeding and drink driving ran by the Department of Environment which often include graphical adverts of the consequences of speeding and drink driving. A notorious accident blackspot in Northern Ireland is the circuit of main roads around Coleraine, Portstewart and Portrush which host the annual NorthWest 200 motorcycle road race – and as a result aggressive motorcycle riding is commonplace and the roads are heavily patrolled at most times of the year as a result.

Most main A roads are of a very good standard with many having overtaking lanes at certain points to allow you to pass slower traffic. B roads are often small country roads that are very narrow and have little (if any) road markings. Drivers must be careful on B roads when passing other traffic and may have to slow down and pull in when meeting larger traffic.

There is a comparatively high incidence of road accidents in Northern Ireland, and the province employs slightly different driving laws to the rest of the UK. One notable difference is that newly qualified drivers can be identified by ‘R’ plates which are displayed on the car for the first twelve months after their licence is issued. These plates are mandatory. Drivers displaying these plates are limited to 45 miles per hour (c. 72 kilometres per hour) on ALL roads, including dual carriageways and motorways. As with ‘L’ plates in the rest of the UK, drivers displaying ‘R’ plates are often the target of road rage and are not awarded a great deal of patience. Many Northern Irish people feel that R drivers are a hazard on the road when travelling at 45mph as it means other drivers are more likely to overtake in risky situations.
[edit] Car rental

Northern Ireland is not as well served by car rental companies as is the Republic. Some Irish car rental companies offer a drop off option in Belfast while others have locations in Belfast City. Check with your car rental company if you are covered to go south of the border – it isn’t always included automatically.
[edit] By bus and train

See also Rail travel in Ireland

Translink operate the Northern Ireland public transport system.
[edit] Talk

English is spoken everywhere, although the distinctive Ulster accent can be more difficult to understand than other Irish dialects. Ulster Scots and Irish are used in some small communities. Do be aware though that the Northern Irish tend to speak quite rapidly compared to most English speakers, and have a huge arsenal of local words that are frequently dropped into conversation by speakers of all ages and groups. Expect to become acquainted with words such as ‘aye’ (yes), ‘wee’ (little), ‘cowp’ (turn over, capsize, fall, pass out, fall asleep), ‘thole’ (be patient, wait, tolerate) ‘wean’ (literally ‘wee one’, meaning child), and ‘crack’ (spelled in Irish Gaelic as “craic”, meaning a good time/fun/a laugh, with no connotations of any controlled substances whatsoever).
[edit][add listing] See

Giant’s Causeway- World Heritage Site and National Nature Reserve. The Giants Causeway is essentially an area of coastline and cliffs with very unusual and distinctive volcanic stone formations. The name comes from the local Legend of Fionn McCool, as it was said that the rocks were once part of a bridge (or causeway) which ended in similar rocks directly across the sea, in Scotland, but the connecting rocks were torn down by Benandonner when Fionn’s wife tricked him into believing that Fionn was huge. It is an interesting site to see but come prepared for a long and intense walk. (Best to wear waterproof clothing and strong sneakers). Giant’s Causeway is split up into six sections in walking order : 1. The Camel 2. The Granny 3. The Wishing Chair 4. The Chimney Tops 5. The Giant’s Boot and 6. The Organ. All six parts of Giant’s Causeway are different in shape and form and truly are a sight to be seen.
Carrick-A-Rede- The name literally means the rock in the road. Carrick-A-Rede
View of Carrick-A-Rede from above, November 2010
View of Carrick-A-Rede from above, November 2010
is a rope bridge connecting the mainland to a sort of island that salmon fishers first put up years ago for the really good salmon fishing, it became a tourist attraction because it was a rope bridge in a really windy area, and on some days it could be quite dangerous. It’s really safe now, and staff monitor it, so before it gets really windy(/fun) they close it, for safety… You can run across the bridge if you wish, but it’s recommended that you wait until no one else is on it, you aren’t allowed to shake the bridge, but people have been known to (this author could name a few!) After crossing the bridge, there are beautiful greens and it is a spot for great pictures. The bridge closes soon before sun-down, so no matter how romantic it might seem to watch the sun set on a beautiful island, it gets closed too soon! On a good day, the coast of Scotland is clearly visible, so there’s advantages to going during premium light hours. Additionally, the bridge is only open in the summer months, they take it down each winter, and before it’s put up (in March(?)) they check it for safety.

Ulster American Folk Park- Northern Ireland Visitor Attraction in County Tyrone open air museum explaining story of emigration from Ulster to North America in 18th and 19th centuries. There is an Old World and New World in site. Sites include the Weaver’s Cottage, A Blacksmith’s forge, Crop Fields, log cabins, smoke houses, and herb gardens. Museum restaurant available, open daily for snacks and full meals.
[edit][add listing] Buy
[edit] Currency

The official currency of Northern Ireland is the pound sterling. Bank of England notes are used but the four Northern Irish banks print their own versions, which tend to be used more often (Bank of Ireland, Northern Bank, Ulster Bank, and First Trust). Northern Irish notes are valid in the rest of the UK (although many mainland shopkeepers might look askance at them), but must be exchanged for Euro when departing to the Republic of Ireland.

Northern Ireland does a large amount of trade with the Republic of Ireland (where the Euro is used) and therefore many outlets in border areas and urban centres accept euro.

Virtually all shops and pubs in Derry and Newry will accept the Euro as payment. In addition, many major pubs and shopping outlets in Belfast city centre now accept euro. In particular, the pub company Botanic Inns Ltd and the shopping centre Castle Court can be cited as accepting payments for goods in euro. Many phone kiosks in Northern Ireland also accept euro, but by no means all outside Belfast itself.
[edit][add listing] Eat

A popular dish is the an assortment of fried food, called the “Ulster Fry”. It consists of eggs, bacon, tomatoes, sausages, potato bread and soda bread. Some versions include mushrooms or baked beans. Fry’s are generally prepared as the name suggests, everything is fried in a pan. Traditionally lard was used, but recently due to health concerns, it has been replaced with oils such as canola and olive. Historically, it was popular with the working class.

Some shops on the north coast close to Ballycastle, sell a local delicacy called dulse. This is a certain type of seaweed, usually collected, washed and Sun-dried from the middle of Summer through to the middle of Autumn. Additionally, in August, the lamas fair is held in Ballycastle, and a traditional sweet, called “yellow man” is sold in huge quantities. As you can tell from the name, it’s yellow in colour, it’s also very sweet, and can get quite sticky. If you can, try to sample some yellow man, just make sure you have use of a toothbrush shortly after eating it… it’ll rot your teeth!

The cuisine in Northern Ireland is similar to that in the United Kingdom as a whole, with dishes such as Fish and Chips a popular fast food choice. Local dishes such as various types of stew and potato-based foods are also very popular.

It should be noted that, with the advent of the peace process and (until recently) the improvements in economic conditions for many people in Northern Ireland, there has been a great increase in the number of very good restaurants, especially in the larger towns such as Belfast and Lisburn. Indeed it would be difficult for a visitor to either of those cities not to find a fine-dining establishment to suit their tastes (and wallet).

Tesco NI hold a free event, ‘Taste NI Food and Drink Festival’, every year. The event celebrates the best of Northern Irish produce and invites the public to to take a culinary tour of the region, browsing food and drink stalls, meeting the people behind the local brands, sampling delicious produce and watching live cookery demonstrations from Northern Ireland’s top chefs.

This year’s event is to be held in Belfast’s Custom House Square on the 10th and 11th September, 2011.
[edit][add listing] Drink

The legal drinking age in Northern Ireland is 18. People at and above the age of 16 will be served beer and wine with meals as long as there is a consenting adult present. In general, restaurateurs are strict about this rule, while the operators of small local pubs and bars tend to be more relaxed.

Depending on their license, most bars stop serving alcohol at either 11PM or 1AM. Some clubs serve until later, and some bars have (illegal, but widely overlooked) “lock-ins” where the doors are locked at closing time, but people can stay and drink for longer. This only takes place at the discretion of the bar owner, and such events operate on an invitation-only basis.

Bushmills whiskey is made in the town of the same name on the north coast, and distillery tours are interesting and enjoyable. Belfast produces its own range of ales.

[edit] Stay safe

Despite a reputation as unsafe, Northern Ireland has one of the lowest crime rates among industrialized countries. According to statistics from the U.N. International Crime Victimization Survey (ICVS 2004), Northern Ireland has one of the lowest crime rates in Europe (lower than the United States and the rest of the United Kingdom), and even during the Troubles, the murder rate was still lower than in most large American cities. In fact, the results of the latest ICVS show that Japan is the only industrialized place safer than Northern Ireland. Almost all visitors experience a trouble-free stay.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland [22] (formerly the Royal Ulster Constabulary or RUC) is the police force in Northern Ireland. Unlike the Garda Síochána in the Republic, the PSNI are routinely armed. The police still often use heavily-armoured Land Rover vehicles; do not be concerned by this, as it doesn’t mean that trouble is about to break out. There is a visible police presence in Belfast and Derry, and the police are approachable and helpful. Almost all police stations in Northern Ireland are reinforced with fencing or high, blast-proof walls. It is important to remember that there was, at one time, a necessity for this type of protection and that is merely a visible reminder of the province’s past.

It is important to note that visitors are highly unlikely to be involved in any matters related to the past conflict in Northern Ireland. Since the 1998 Belfast Agreement, all of the major paramilitary groups have either declared an end to their armed campaigns, or have declared permanent ceasefires. However, there still remains a minor threat from smaller extremist groups such as the Real IRA (RIRA) who oppose the peace process and have carried out attacks since the signing of the Agreement (such as the 1998 bombing of Omagh). According to the Police Service of Northern Ireland, there were six recorded incidents where explosives posed a threat to life in 2006/2007.

As with most places, avoid being alone at night in urban areas. In addition, avoid wearing clothes that could identify you (correctly or not) as being from one community or the other (for example Celtic or Rangers football kits). Do not express a political viewpoint (pro-Nationalist or pro-Unionist) unless you are absolutely sure you are in company that will not become hostile towards you for doing so. Even then, you should be sure that you know what you’re talking about. It would even be better if you acted that either you don’t know about the conflict or don’t care. Avoid political gatherings where possible. Many pubs have a largely cultural and political atmosphere (such as on the Falls Road, the mostly Nationalist main road in West Belfast, and the Newtownards Roads in predominantly Unionist East Belfast), but expressing an opinion among good company, especially if you share the same view, will usually not lead to any negative consequences.

Traffic through many towns and cities in Northern Ireland tends to become difficult at times for at least a few days surrounding the 12th July due to the Orange Parades and some shops may close for the day or for a few hours. The parades have been known to get a bit rowdy but have vastly improved in recent years. Additionnaly, the last Saturday in August is known as “Black Saturday” which is the end of the marching season. There can be trouble at this time too, just stay away from anywhere that appears to be obviously sectarian towards either community, the trouble now usually happens between locals who know each other and are starting.

Pickpockets and violent crime are less common but not non-existent so you can generally walk around the main streets of Belfast or any other city or town without fear during the day.
[edit] Contact

If you are dialling from one telephone in Northern Ireland to another, you do not need to add any area code. If dialling from the rest of the UK use the code (028). If dialling from elsewhere you can dial a Northern Ireland number by using the UK country code 44, followed by the Northern Ireland area code 28. If dialling from the Republic of Ireland, you can use the code (048), or you can dial internationally using the UK country code.

International phone cards are widely available in large towns and cities within Northern Ireland, and phone boxes accept payment in GBP£ and Euro. Buying a cheap pay as you go phone is also an option which can be purchased from any of the five main phone networks, O2-UK, Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile and Three. O2 will have the best nationwide coverage and is the most popular network choice for many people. It’s worth noting that any phone that is bought in Northern Ireland uses the United Kingdoms cell network and therefore when entering the Republic of Ireland you will be subjected to the usual EU roaming charges. It’s quite common for phones in Northern Ireland to switch over to Irish networks when near border areas such as in the North West near Donegal etc. This is also true the other way around, as you can travel some distance into the Republic of Ireland while still maintaining a UK phone signal. The networks available in the Republic of Ireland are O2-IE, Meteor,Three and Vodafone IE so ensure not to get confused between the UK and Irish versions of O2,Three and Vodafone.

Free WiFi is available at various hotels and restaurants across the country. WiFi may also be available in various locations from unsecured networks from local businesses or pubs/clubs etc. Internet cafe’s are less common in Northern Ireland but there are computers for use at the libraries which you may use after registering with the library service. Broadband speeds in Northern Ireland vary from fast to non existent. In towns and cities expect the Internet to be quite speedy but the further you get out from the towns the slower the Internet may become.
[edit] Respect

Generally speaking, people from NI are welcoming, friendly and well-humored people, however that does not mean that, on occasion, there are no taboos. It is sometimes apparent in some of the more geographically ‘politicised’ areas of the Northern Ireland, that an insistence on a politicised conversation, especially concerning religious affiliation, may cause offence. Further on that issue, avoid bringing up issues like the IRA, UVF, UDA, INLA etc., or political parties, as it will fare similarly as the above taboo. Other than that, there are no real dangers to causing tension among the Northern Irish people. As with virtually all cultures, don’t do anything you wouldn’t do at home. Also, Northern Irish people have a habit of gently refusing gifts or gestures you may offer them, do not be offended, because they really mean that they like the gesture, also you are expected to do the same, so as not to appear slightly greedy, it is a confusing system but is not likely to get you in trouble.

Tours of Belfast often include a visit to the Peace Lines, the steel barriers that separate housing estates along sectarian lines. These are particularly visible in West Belfast. It is common for private or taxi tours to stop here and some tourists take the opportunity to write messages on the wall. It is important to remember that there is a real reason why these barriers have not been removed, and that they provide security for those living on either side of them. Messages questioning the need for these security measures, or those encouraging the residents to ‘embrace peace’ etc, are not appreciated by members of the community who live with the barriers on a day-to-day basis and such behaviour is generally regarded as arrogant and patronising as it is commonly perceived that visitors from outside the UK and Ireland have a limited knowledge of the political situation.

The terms which refer to the two communities in Northern Ireland have changed. During the Troubles, the terms ‘Republican’ and ‘Loyalist’ were commonplace. These are seen as slightly ‘extreme’, probably due to the fact that they were terms used by the paramilitaries. It is more common to use the terms ‘Nationalist’ and ‘Unionist’ today.
[edit] Social Issues

The people in Northern Ireland are generally warm and open – always ready with good conversation. Of course, being such a small, isolated Province has also led to a decidedly noticeable lack in social diversity.

Gay and lesbian travellers should be aware that some citizens of Northern Ireland are not the most accepting when it comes to homosexuality. This is not necessarily due to the people being averse to it, but rather the fact that there are virtually no examples of any Gay and Lesbian communities outside Belfast. It should be noted, however, that parts of the capital (for example the University Quarter) are perfectly safe and accepting of Gay and Lesbian people, with both of Belfast’s universities incorporating active LGBT societies.

It is also worth noting that the majority of people you will encounter will be white. It isn’t unusual to go a few days without encountering any multiculturalism, apart from other visitors. Racism is not generally an issue. However, due to the openness and rather frank humour in Northern Ireland, small, sarcastic comments may be made about the issue, in jest, if a local encounters someone outside of his or her own nationality. It is best not to react to this, as it is most likely just a joke, and should be treated as such.

However, there have been issues of more severe racism in parts of the province in recent years. Belfast is the most ethnically diverse area, but even so the city is over 99% white. Typically, incidents of overt or violent racism have been confined to South Belfast, which has a higher mix of non-white ethnicities due to its location near Queen’s University. The local rumour is that a recent spate of violence directed at people with a Chinese or South-East Asian appearance was the result of a Chinese Restaurant’s refusal to pay protection money to the UDA (Ulster Defence Association) paramilitary group. Whether this is true or not, the fact is that non-white travellers should exercise a greater degree of caution in certain parts of Belfast. Visitors should remember that there are places to avoid in all cities and as Belfast is smaller than most, those areas may come to view more than in others.

A series of milestones have already been achieved; BT has been secured as the premier Corporate Sponsor in a 5 year multi million pound partnership and the planning process for the Cultural Programme during 2013 is also well underway. The Culture Company has been established and has attracted a number of showcase events including a series of Cultural Olympiad events in 2012, WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) international festival 2013 and the prestigious Turner prize 2013. The cultural programme for 2013 will cost approximately £20 million to implement and funding will be sourced from various government agencies, the private sector (advertisers and sponsors), trusts, foundations and ticket sales.

This title is now the catalyst for the transformation and regeneration of Derry, with plans to invest more than £200 million in its infrastructure. A number of projects have recently been completed with many more currently under construction.

The regeneration of the Parade Ground at the Ebrington Military site has begun and aims to create a ‘destination space’ for a range of cultural, leisure and business tourism activities with a standing capacity of up to 15,000 people. The space is similar in size to Trafalgar Square in London and Donegall Square in Belfast and is a major first step in the regeneration of the Ebrington site.

Following a year of great media interest, the city’s iconic Peace Bridge will officially open on 25th June and will be celebrated by an action packed weekend of cultural festivals and events. The new £13m foot and cycle bridge will link Derry’s city centre with the Ebrington Site adding a whole new dimension to the city’s product offering.

There is no doubt the city is in the midst of a transformation and the positive effects are already extremely evident, notably from the Business Tourism industry. The City of Culture accolade has given Derry~Londonderry a unique recognition and has led to an influx of conference enquiries, particularly from the GB market. The city has recently secured a series of high profile conferences and events including the Political Studies of Ireland Association annual conference 2012, the North Atlantic Fiddler’s Convention July 2012 and the Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Association annual conference 2013.

The Derry Visitor & Convention Bureau (DVCB) continues to drive Business Tourism to the city and have increased their marketing activities within the GB and INTL markets. DVCB recently launched the new Derry~Donegal Conference Guide which showcases the North West as a prime conference destination and highlights the wealth of resources readily available for hosting successful meetings and conferences in the region – please click on the link below to download your copy.

http://www.ecomags.co.uk/DVCB_Conference_Guide/index.html

DVCB is the lead organisation in promoting the City of Derry and it’s hinterland as a conference destination and a one stop shop offering FREE, impartial advice to assist with all aspects of planning your conference or event including:

• Sourcing venue availability and collating quotations
• Co-ordinating site visits
• Co-ordinating social programmes and entertainment
• Arranging Civic Receptions
• Negotiating accommodation rates
• Providing promotional literature for delegates
• Liasing with local service providers
• Providing transport and access information

For further information please contact Aoife Thomas on Tel: +44 2871 377 577 or email aoife.thomas@derryvisitor.com

In a report for BBC NI’s Politics Show, it has emerged that the government agencies responsible for promoting tourism have had their budgets slashed.

In 2008, just over 2m visitors from the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and overseas came to NI.

Last year, that figure fell to around 1.7m, a drop of over 14%.

This is short of the target set by the Executive’s Programme for Government of 2.5m tourists by 2011.

The loss of out-of-state visitors means a drop in revenue from almost £400m in 2008, to less than £340m last year – almost £200m below the target set by the Executive.

Tourism Ireland, a cross-border body, is responsible for attracting visitors from Britain and abroad.

At a recent meeting of the North South Ministerial Council, it was confirmed that its budget would be cut this year. The Stormont Executive will reduce its contribution by £1m.

The Northern Ireland Tourist Board is also facing budget cuts, but said it was confident that next year’s Titanic launch celebrations and the 2013 Derry City of Culture events would help to boost visitor numbers and double revenue from tourism over the next decade.

In response to the BBC’s report, Tourism Minister Arlene Foster said the global economic crisis had resulted in “some of the toughest years for global tourism in recent memory with business and lesiure travel declining sharply”.

“However, statistics for January-March 2011 are very positive and show that despite the continuing difficult economic climate, an estimated 205,000 overseas visitors stayed at least one night in Northern Ireland, an increase of 7% from the same period in 2010,” she said.

“In addition, the estimated expenditure of the overseas visitors during the period in 2011 was £48m, an increase of 14% from the same period in 2010.”

The minister said the years 2012-13 would be important for tourism in Northern Ireland.

“With impressive projects such as Titanic Belfast and the UK City of Culture in Londonderry, to name but a few, anticipated to attract large numbers of tourists,” she said.

Source: BBC News, Northern Ireland

The simplest way to reach Northern Ireland is to transit through Dublin or London or ferry from England or Scotland. Northern Ireland has three airports – Belfast International, Belfast City and City of Derry – yet finding a direct flight is no simple matter. Continental Airlines offers the only direct flight from the United States. Low cost carriers, including EasyJet, BMI Baby, Ryanair and Flybe, connect Northern Ireland with several destinations in the UK but only a few select cities in continental Europe. Ferries depart the Northern Ireland ports of Belfast and Larne and cross the Irish Sea to Liverpool, Scotland and the Isle of Man. Belfast, Northern Ireland’s largest city and capital, is just 100 miles (160 km) north of Dublin, its better served southern cousin
Getting Around

Northern Ireland is just 5,450 square miles in size and boast miles of divided highways and good country roads. Its extensive bus network makes bus travel a good budget option. Northern Ireland has five railway lines yet the rail system is limited. Northern Ireland has walking trails for casual walkers and serious ramblers. While only a small portion of the country’s cycling routes are traffic-free, much are on low traffic roads. Family Travel Tip: Driving is on the left; cars are right hand drive. Distance and drive times don’t naturally follow. Northern Ireland is largely rural and many roads are single carriageway. What’s more, North Coast roads follow the twists and turns of the seaboard
Documents Required

A valid national identity card is required for citizens of EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Switzerland and Norway. A passport, valid for the length of stay, is required for all other travelers. A visa is not required for tourist stays of up to 90 days. The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland share an open border.
When to Travel

The climate of Northern Ireland is temperate marine and the one certainty about the weather is variability. The average annual temperature range is 16° C or 28° F. It rains, on average, more than 200 days a year. It’s possible to experience a multitude of seasons in single day. The warmest months are June through August with an average high temperature of 18° C or 64 ° F. The coldest months are January and February with an average low of 2° C or 36° F. The driest months are April and May, the wettest December and January. Pack for all seasons in summer and plan to dress in layers whether traveling in June or January
Travel Health & Child Safety

The political situation in Northern Ireland has improved significantly since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 yet sporadic violence continues to happen. Check government sources for updated travel advisories before booking a trip. There no specific health risks or vaccinations required for a family holiday in Northern. Children should be up-to-date on routine childhood immunizations prior to traveling abroad.
Money Matters

The currency of Northern Ireland is the British Pound, also called the pound sterling. The currency sign or pound sign is the £ and the currency code is the GBP
Things to Keep in Mind

You need to know more than distance to estimate drive times in Northern Ireland.

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