The first settlers arrived in the area around 7000 BC, around the same time when the melting of the icecaps at the end of the Ice Age, separated Ireland from the British mainland. From about 1800 BC Iron Age Celts controlled Ireland and established the province of Ulster. One of their legacies is the Irish language. In 795 BC the Vikings arrived and the region was ruled by various tribes and rulers, until the English entered the area in 1169.
Opposition against the English was based in Ulster, but in the 17th century, when the English started their so-called Plantation program, the province became isolated. The English redistributed the land and the new (English) landowners did not intermarry, like most previous intruders did. They kept their Protestant cultures intact, which angered the poor Irish (Gaelic and Catholic) tenants.
In 1641 this culminated in the murder of a number of Protestants (estimates vary between 2000 and 12,000). Cromwell, as the event is known nowadays, still holds a psychological and symbolic importance. In the 1680's Protestant William of Orange dethroned Catholic James II and this event was the start of a long struggle for power between the Catholics and the Protestants. William finally beat James II's armies at the Battle of the Boyne on 12 July 1690. The 'Glorious Twelfth' is still celebrated each year by Ulster's Orangemen.
After the battle Ulster became more and more isolated from the rest of Ireland, as a result of its geography, religion and because of the Industrial Revolution. Ireland's population was decimated by starvation and massive emigration, but Belfast's largely Protestant population soared from about 20,000 in 1800 to 350,000 a hundred years later. Belfast was the only Irish city to experience the Industrial Revolution and it was home to numerous shipyards and linen factories. Nowadays there are still numerous 19th century buildings in the city center. Because of the industrialization Belfast became closely tied to the British economy and its ties with cities such as Glasgow and Liverpool were much stronger than with Dublin for example. Queen Victoria visited Belfast in 1849 and as a result it was granted city status in 1888. There are still countless streets and monuments named after Queen Victoria.
In 1885 Ulster's Unionist Party was formed by Edward Carson, whose fierce opposition to Irish independence led directly to the country's partition. In 1913 Carson's Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) was formed, further alienating the Catholic minority. The Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 granted independence to 26 counties and offered the 6 mainly Protestant Ulster counties the option to choose. Ultimately this resulted in the independence of Ireland in 1949. The links with Northern Ireland were completely cut off.
From 1921 the Northern Ireland Parliament made the important decisions in the region, but in 1972 the British government imposed direct rule. Catholics, who only made up about 30% of the population, were systematically discriminated against, but calls for more equality were met by harsh Protestant opposition from extremists such as Reverend Ian Paisley. In October 1968, a civil rights marsh in Derry was violently broken up by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). This started a long period of tit-for-tat bombings and murders and Belfast became synonym with urban civil war.
In 1994 a cease fire only held for a few months. New efforts were undertaken in 1997 with a cease-fire and in 1998 with the Good Friday Agreement, but paramilitary splinter groups, disarmament difficulties and outbreaks of violence cause severe difficulties in establishing a lasting peace.
Despite all the problems, Belfast is a thriving city. Its central area sits on the west bank of the River Lagan and is compact and easily explored on foot. The River Farset also runs through Belfast, but its water is led though pipes, which run under the city, so you cannot see it. In Gaelic the city is called Beál Feirste, which refers to this River Farset. Belfast is surrounded by hills that are excellent for hiking.
Belfast's city hall is a good central landmark. The huge neo-Renaissance building dominates Donegall Square and its surroundings. The building includes numerous Portland stone pillars, pediments and parapets and its façade is perfectly symmetrical. Inside it is quite somber, with Italian marble and oak panels. On the City Hall premises are statues in memory of Queen Victoria, the victims of the Titanic and Sir Edward Harland, who founded the Harland & Wolff shipyard, where the steamer was built.
Around Donegall Square are numerous beautiful buildings, including the Scottish Provident Building, which is littered with statues of industrial icons, sphinxes, dolphins and lions' heads. Nearby is the Linen Hall Library, which was established in 1788. Its Irish and local-studies collection contains copies of everything that was written about Northern Ireland politics since 1966.
From Donegall Square walk north along Royal Avenue if you are looking for good shops and northeast to reach the Cathedral Quarter and the Entries.
The Entries consist of a collection of narrow alleyways (known as 'entries'). Most of them run off High and Ann Streets and the area is the oldest remaining part of Belfast. The rest of the old city was destroyed by bombardment during WWII. The alleyways used to house laborers and small businesses, but nowadays only the glorious old pubs remain. The White's Tavern was founded in 1630 and is Belfast's oldest pub.
The nearby Cathedral Quarter is a trendy area with numerous restaurants and bars. The district is named for St Anne's Cathedral, where Edward Carson, the architect of Ireland's partition is buried. Also in the area is the Ulster Bank, which was built in 1860 and boasts cast-iron lamps, columns, sculptures and iron railings bearing the provincial symbol, the Red Hand of Ulster. Parts of the old building of the Belfast Bank date from 1769, making it the oldest public building in the city.
Going north from the Cathedral Quarter will bring you to the Albert Memorial Clock Tower with the Harland & Wolff shipyard on the east bank of the Lagan River in the background.
The Grand Opera House is another one of Belfast's major landmarks. It is a Victorian building with an extravagantly decorated façade. The opera opened in 1895 and was restored in 1980 by McKinstry.
He also restored the Victorian pub of the Crown Liquor Saloon on Great Victoria Street. That building boasts cut-glass windows, marble, mosaic and mahogany details galore, gas lighting, brocade-lined walls and multi-patterned, tiled floors.
The Botanic Gardens are south down Dublin Road and just south of Queen's University. The gardens include the Tropical Ravine, an imaginatively designed jungle of tropical plants inhabited by tiny terrapins, as well as a cast-iron and glass Palm House. Just south of the Palm House is the excellent Ulster Museum, where you can see displays on Irish history, Irish linen and glass, industrial machines, Irish paintings and the gold jewelry discovered in the wreck of a Spanish Armada vessel, which sank in 1588. The 1849 Queen's College is also situated in the Botanical Gardens and so is the nearby Union Theological College, where the Northern Ireland Parliament held its sessions until 1932, after which is was moved to the purpose-built Stormont Castle, 8 km (5 miles) away. Adjacent to the theological collage is University Square with its nice terraces and hidden student cafés.
Follow Chichester Street for the Waterfront Hall and Hilton Hotel from there.
The Troubles' frontline and the barbed wire of West Belfast are separated from the rest of the city by the Westlink motorway. Most buildings in West Belfast date from the heydays of the linen industry and nowadays Catholics mostly inhabit them. One of the main reasons people come to this part of town is to see the Catholic/Republican murals around Falls Road. They first appeared in 1981 in support of the people who where then on hunger strike. Other murals have the Potato Famine, Celtic and religious imagery, the Good Friday Agreement and the cease-fires as themes. Most of the loyalist murals are harder, more militaristic and concentrated on Shankill Road. The oldest loyalist mural dated from 1908 and it depicted King Billy on his white horse. Nowadays' paintings tell about the members of the Ulster Defense Organization and the Derry apprentice boys, who defended Belfast against the Catholics in 1688.
The Lagan Weir launched Belfast's Laganside Development Project, which aims to transform mudflats into a clean, deep river. The revitalized river once again boasts salmon, eels and sea trout. Boat- and fishing trips are available at Lagan Weir. The Lagan Weir area includes a lookout and visitor center, as well as the Waterfront Hall and Odyssey entertainment complexes, riverside apartments and restored warehouse accommodation, all linked by a network of parks, public spaces, pathways and footbridges.
355 m (1165 feet) high Cave Hill is the highest hill in the vicinity of Belfast. From the top there are excellent views over the city and on clear days you can even see Scotland in the distance. At the foot of Cave Hill is Belfast Zoo, which has good views over Belfast Lough.
The Country Park sprawls around the Cave Hill and covers an area of 300 hectares (740 acres), which includes numerous remains of ring forts that date from the Iron Age. Wolfe Tone and his United Irishmen met at McArt's Fort in 1795 and swore to continue their struggle for Irish independence. Not far from the castle are 5 artificial Neolithic caves and further down the hill is the 1870 Belfast Castle.
This 1820's mansion is one of the few remaining Georgian buildings in Belfast. It includes the Higgin Gallery and its painting exhibitions, as well as a nice restaurant and beautiful gardens. Paths across its 41-hectare (101-acre) grounds lead all the way down to the Lagan Towpath. The riverside fields of Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park are also worth a visit, just like the City of Belfast International Rose Garden, which includes a garden where the development of the rose is displayed.
The Giant's Ring is about 8 km (5 miles) from the center of Belfast, in the country of Down. The enclosure measures 200 m (655 feet) in diameter and at its center stands a tomb called the Druid's Altar. The tomb was built around 4000 BC. In the 18th century the ring was frequently used as a horseracing track.
Belfast's central area can easily be explored on foot and organized walking tours are available. The walks will take you past the city's main historical sights and pubs. North from Belfast runs a scenic coastal road, which is perfect for cycling. It runs through the foothills of the Antrim Mountains to the Giant's Causeway. Frequently Gaelic football, hurling, soccer and rugby are organized in Balfast.
The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland on Balmoral Avenue and the General Register Office on Chichester Street are two good places to trace your Irish roots if you have them and you want to find out some more.
During the winter there is rarely ice of snow in Belfast, but the weather is not very friendly and the skies are often gray. Average temperatures hover around 4-8°C (40-45°F) during January and February.
In March the Belfast Music Festival is held. It was established in 1911 to give Belfast youths a change to show their talents. A 4-day carnival culminates in St Patrick's Day on 17 March. In March and April average temperatures go up slowly, but the weather is very unreliable and it rains frequently.
In May the Belfast City Summer Fest takes place. During the festival classical and traditional music is performed, as well as community events and the Lord Mayor's Show. Later in May the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival is held. It includes numerous street activities and theatre performances.
During the summer months of June, July and August the days are long and the weather is usually very pleasant with an average temperature of some 15°C (60°F). In August the Belfast Folk Festival is held on selected weekends. Also in August, Ireland's largest community festival, Féile an Phobail is held in the western part of town. The largest cultural event in Belfast is the three-week long Belfast Festival at Queen's.
From September to December the weather gets colder again and the days are shorter. At any time of year it can rain a lot in Belfast. From February to June rainfall averages 60 mm (2.3 inch) per month, while the rest of the year on average some 95 mm (4 inch) falls. Whenever you come to Belfast, bring warm clothing, a raincoat and an umbrella.
Northern Ireland has an extensive bus system, which is operated by Ulsterbus. There is a bus link to Dublin in Ireland as well. You can also get from Belfast to Dublin by train. Other trains run between Belfast and Bangor, Larne and Derry in the North.
There are ferries from Belfast's Donegall Quay to the Isle of Man and Stranraer in Scotland, while it is possible to go to Liverpool from the Victoria terminal, 5 km (3 miles) north of Belfast. If you are staying in Ireland and you want to visit Northern Ireland by rented vehicle, make sure the insurance covers the trip.
Belfast International Airport is Northern Ireland's transportation hub for connections to Europe and North America
