Belfast

I have visited Belfast twice in the last 5 years. Like many other people I was fearful of visiting this part of Ireland during the worst years of "The Troubles". The daily reports of sectarian violence throughout the 70, 80s and into the 90s  made the prospect of visiting Ulster an unlikely scenario.

As a youngster I tried to ignore the problems in Ulster and was too busy, for the most part, enjoying my childhood in Manchester to be concerned with the political issues of Ireland. However, the explosion which decimated Manchester city centre in 1996 was a watershed moment in my life. How had we reached the point where people from the island of my mother's birth sought to cause serious damage to the city of my birth? I was as devastated as the city itself in the aftermath and as this was so close to home for me I began to study the history of Ireland in more detail than I had previously.

The previous paragraph was relevant to this post as it may provide you, the reader, with an understanding of why I wished to visit Belfast in particular at the earliest, safest opportunity.  In 2007 I decided the time was right and, although my wife sought some re-assurances, I informed her of the massive changes in this part of Ireland in recent years with the positive effects of the peace process (her fascination with the Titanic story also helped swing it!).

I don't wish this post to turn into an advert for the Northern Ireland tourist board so will keep the rest of it as objective as possible.  I realise that many readers of this post may have visited Dublin many times for various reasons but not so Belfast. In brief it has the appearance of a modern European city now with all the rebuilding of the city centre, but parts of it still retain Victorian architecture.  However, where as Dublin city centre can be awash with stag and hen parties; paddywhackery and generic bars and restaurants, Belfast, so far, has maintained it's own individuality.  It has it's Wetherspoons as well now,of course, but authentic, friendly pubs and places to eat serving local produce are plentiful.

Further afield in Ulster, similar to further south, there are miles of beautiful countryside and the Giants Causeway IS all it's cracked up to be. If you can visit it on a dry, sunny day (not the easiest thing to do!) then you will get the whole "other worldly" experience.  Belfast city centre is, in many ways, now a safer place to be than many British or Irish town and city centres (I felt safer there than I do in Manchester on a Friday or Saturday night) but if you do venture out onto the Falls Road or the Shankill Road, then I would advise taking a guided taxi tour or jump on a sightseeing bus for a rounded view of history in this part of the world. Go on, give it a go and visit Belfast!