Belfast Local Information: 10 top things to know... more

  • 1. History of Belfast

    The name Belfast comes from the Gaelic 'Beal Feirste', meaning 'mouth of the sandy ford'. In the 17th century Belfast was a busy port for wool, grain and food. Linen was exported from the city in the early 19th century and White Linen Hall was built in 1788 – Belfast City Hall now stands on this site. The boom in this industry led to a boom in the shipbuilding industry. Most ...Read morefamously, the Titanic was built in Belfast in 1912. During the air raids of the Second World War, Belfast was bombed three times and a total of 955 people were killed and more than 3,200 houses destroyed. During the 1960s and 1970s the Troubles in Northern Ireland led to economic and social problems for the city. Read less

  • 2. Now in Belfast

    The Good Friday Agreement in 1998 brought new investment into the city and helped to reinvent it as a modern, vibrant hub. Belfast is still growing and developing and now has a population of more than 268,000. It has become a popular tourist destination. The modern buildings of Belfast Waterfront Hall and Odyssey Arena sit alongside the historic Victorian buildings like the Gra...Read morend Opera House and Ulster Hall. Read less

  • 3. Events in Belfast

    The Gaslight Sessions is a free music event that takes place on the first Wednesday of every month in the Spaniard Bar in Skipper Street. Different acts appear at this event. The Annual Decadence Vintage Bridal Fair takes place in the city every year and attracts brides and vintage lovers from all over Ireland. The Belfast Book Festival is an annual week-long event to celebrate...Read more the book, the reader and the writer. Other events to take place every year include the International Conference On Thinking, The Belfast Carnival, Music in the Parks, Féile an Earraigh music festival, the Belfast Maritime Festival and the St Patrick’s Day Carnival and Concert. Read less

  • 4. Attractions in Belfast

    The Ulster Museum has dinosaurs, an Egyptian Mummy and modern masterpieces among its exhibits, the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum shows life as it was 100 years ago through recreated cottages, farms, schools and shops. Belfast Zoo has around 1,200 animals and 140 species including elephants, bears, birds, giraffes and lions. W5 is a science and discovery centre which aims to ...Read moreanswer the questions of who, what, when, where and why. The Pirates Adventure Golf centre is 36 holes of fun golf in a Florida-style setting. Aunt Sandra’s Candy Factory allows visitors to see chocolates, fudge and candies being made by hand. The shop has been decorated to look like it was in 1953. Read less

  • 5. Things To Do in Belfast

    Titanic Walking Tours and Titanic Boat Tours are some of the ways you can find out about this famous ship. Traditional Irish music is played every night in many of the city’s pubs and venues. Greyhound racing takes place at the Drumbo Park Stadium on a regular basis. The Late Night Art Bus Tour gives visitors a chance to check out some late night art at a range of galleries i...Read moren the city. This takes place on the first Thursday of every month. The Belfast Music Tour is a bus journey that tells the city’s rock and roll history, from Van Morrison to Snow Patrol and more. The tour starts 2pm every Saturday at Katy Daly's Bar, Ormeau Avenue. Chronicles of Narnia author CS Lewis was born and grew up in Belfast. The CS Lewis tour takes fans around sites that were significant in his life, including his birthplace and the house from where Narnia grew. Read less

  • 6. Business in Belfast

    Markets are a big part of life in Ireland and among the list of markets of offer in Belfast is The Black Market, a craft market that takes place on the first Sunday of every month in Hill Street, in the Cathedral Quarter. This attracts people from all over the world. The Fashion Souk is a fair-fashion market held every month in the Europa Hotel. Over 60 stalls appear at the eve...Read morent selling items that promote the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle ethos. There is also St George’s Market, Smithfield Market and Continental Market, among others. The wide variety of shops on offer in Belfast are all within walking distance of each other and include everything from boutiques to shopping centres. Read less

  • 7. Transport in Belfast

    There are two airports serving the city, Belfast International Airport and George Best Belfast City Airport. Ferry services run to Belfast Port and Larne Harbour from Stranraer, Troon and Cairnryan in Scotland, Fleetwood and Birkenhead (Liverpool) in England and Douglas in The Isle of Man. Belfast Central Station and Great Victoria Street Bus and Train Station are the city’s ...Read moremain train stations. There are plenty of main roads linking Belfast to the rest of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Read less

  • 8. Entertainment in Belfast

    The main venues for music, theatre and comedy in Belfast are the Grand Opera House, the Waterfront Hall Conference and Concert Centre, the Old Museum and Arts Centre, Kings Hall, Odyssey Arena and Ulster Hall.Other venues for live music include the Empire Music Hall, Laverys Bar, The Black Box and Spring and Airbrake.

  • 9. Famous Landmarks in Belfast

    Belfast City Hall, in Donegall Square, is a huge Victorian building with a giant dome and carved stone statues.Belfast Castle was built in the 1860s and is a popular tourist attraction and wedding venue.

  • 10. Interesting Facts about Belfast

    Belfast City Council spends £60,000 a year removing chewing gum from the streets. This means an average piece of chewing gum in the city costs three pence to buy but ten pence to clear up.

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Belfast Events

  • 17 March 2012

    St Patrick’s Day Celebrations

    St Patrick’s Day, on March
    17, is of course celebrated
    in style in Belfast. A
    colourful carnival takes
    place in the city centre and
    is an event for all the
    family to enjoy. It is led by
    the Lord Mayor of Belfast and
    sets off through the streets
    ...more

  • 31 March 2012 - 31 May 2012

    Titanic 100 Festival

    The city of Belfast
    celebrates the Titanic every
    year with this festival to
    celebrate the building of the
    ship and the lives of the
    people who sailed on
    her. The festival was
    extended to last for two
    months to mark the
    anniversary of many key ...more

  • Festival of Colours

    March 2012 Revellers are
    advised not to wear their
    best clothes for this
    festival, as its highlight
    involves everyone throwing
    coloured powder or water over
    each other. The Festival of
    Colours has been held in
    Belfast every year since 2008
    and i ...more

  • Belfast Maritime Festival

    June 2012 The Belfast
    Maritime Festival is a
    weekend of fun activities to
    celebrate the city’s rich
    maritime history. The
    event takes place in June in
    the Queen’s Quay and
    Abercorn Basin area, where
    magnificent ships sail into
    the city fr ...more

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  • Jack and Sophie take the title for top baby names

    The two most popular names in Northern Ireland have remained Jack and Sophie, for the second year in a row. 260 girls were named Sophie and 300 boys registered as Jack in 2011 in results discovered by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). Jack has been the most popular name for boys in Northern Ireland since 2003 and Sophie has been the leading choice for girls since 2010. James and Grace came in second place, while Katie was …

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  • Top surfer finds ‘biggest swell’

    Al Mennie, one of the world’s top big wave surfers has found two spots off Ireland where he believes there could be waves up to 120ft high. The thrill seeker has surfed in some of the world’s most extreme conditions, but he is still looking for perfect conditions where he can take on the largest swell on the planet. “This is my mission. The good days are few and far between – 90% of the swells are unrideable and we’d …

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  • University in Chinese initiative

    The University of Ulster is working to promote the teaching of Mandarin in Northern Ireland schools in partnership with their Chinese counterpart. The university has signed three initiatives with academics in Eastern China after Chinese authorities decided to set up a Confucius Institute at the University of Ulster. The new institute aims to build cultural and business links between China and Northern Ireland. Dean of the Faculty of the Arts, Professor Pol O Dochartaigh, said: “The university has signed three …

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  • All for charity… hundreds face the freezing cold for dip in sea

    Brave swimmers made a splash this New Year’s Day when they took a dip in the chilly winter waters at Ballycastle Beach and Portrush to raise money for the children’s charity CLIC Sargent. It was all a good cause but the courageous participants didn’t spend long in the water, even though the temperatures were much higher than last New Year. One exhibitionist taking part in the event wore a Borat-style lime green mankini, but luckily he covered his modesty with …

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