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BELFAST |
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BELFAST is the capital of Northern Ireland and its largest city by
some way. More than a third of the province's population live within the
Belfast conurbation and, consequently, there's a pace and bustle about
the place that you'll find almost nowhere else in Northern Ireland. In
appearance it closely resembles Liverpool, Glasgow or any other
industrial port across the water, and, similarly, its largely defunct
docklands - in which, famously, the Titanic was built - are undergoing
massive redevelopment. Though the city centre is still characterized by
numerous elegant Victorian buildings, there's been an enormous
transformation here, too, and the streets leading northwards from the
hub of Belfast life, Donegall Square , are packed with chain stores and
new shopping precincts. Yet it is not simply the city's appearance that
is changing. Nowhere is the optimism engendered by the peace process
more obvious than Belfast at night. Most evenings, the city's bars,
clubs and restaurants, especially around the Golden Mile , are crammed
to overflowing and new venues seem to spring up almost daily. It's
almost as though a generation deprived of nightlife by the Troubles has
decided to stage a permanent party while it has the chance. Belfast is
thriving culturally too: as the tension diminishes, visiting artistes
and performers are returning in large numbers and there's been a
significant resurgence of homegrown talent. Music, theatre and the
visual arts are all flourishing and traditional Irish culture is the
subject of rapid rediscovery.
Belfast is a place for getting out and about, and has plenty to
experience. This need not take more than a couple of days in the city
itself, although Belfast is a good base from which to visit virtually
anywhere else in the North. In the centre, concentrate on the glories
that the industrial revolution brought: grandiose architecture and
magnificent Victorian pubs . To the south are the lively and influential
Queen's University and the extensive collections of the Ulster Museum ,
set in the grounds of the Botanic Gardens . A climb up Cave Hill , to
the north, rewards you with marvellous views of the city spread out
around the curve of the natural harbour, Belfast Lough . Security
measures in the city have been considerably relaxed and many of the
barriers and controls have been removed. However, the iron blockade
known as the Peace Line still bisects the Catholic and Protestant
communities of West Belfast , a grim physical reminder of the city's and
country's sectarian divisions.
The City
The physical core of Belfast is Donegall Square : in the centre of it
stands the City Hall, and buses and taxis depart for every part of the
city from the sides of the square. The main shopping area lies a stone's
throw north and the main areas for entertainment and accommodation are
immediately south. Most of the grand old Victorian buildings which
characterize the city are in the north and east, towards the river.
Further out, North Belfast boasts Cave Hill, with its castle and zoo,
and South Belfast is home to the " Golden Mile ", leading down to the
university, Botanic Gardens and Ulster Museum. The River Lagan flows
from Belfast Lough along the eastern side of the city centre and offers
riverside walks. The riverside is also the focus for the most radical
development in the last few years, the Laganside. In East Belfast ,
across the river beyond the great cranes of the Harland & Wolff
shipyard, lies suburbia and very little of interest apart from Stormont
Castle, the former Northern Irish parliament and home to the new
Assembly. Working-class West Belfast , by contrast, seems almost a
separate city in its own right, divided from the rest by the speeding
traffic of the Westlink motorway.
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