Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland
which is part of the United Kingdom. It
sits on the mouth of the river Lagan, and
is such a distinctive city because it was
the centre of Ireland’s Industrial Age. It
became the world’s biggest producer of
linen, and a major shipbuilding centre
whose most legendary masterpiece was
the ill-starred Titanic, launched from
here at 2.15 pm on May 31, 1911. You
can still see the grand buildings of that
Victorian heyday.
Belfast accelerated the world’s Indus-
trial Age too. Kids will be thrilled to pass
by the home of John Dunlop who
invented the pneumatic tyre in 1890.
And even if they aren’t interested in
tractors, they will love the story about
Harry Ferguson, who assembled the
ϐ‹”•– ‘ˆ –Š‡•‡ ‘–‘”‹œ‡† ’Ž‘—‰Š•
Š‡”‡ ‹ ͳͻ͵͵Ǥ ‡ —•‡† –‘ ϐŽ›
small planes, and, one day,
his exasperated wife said,
“You’ve crashed three,
Harry; now it’s them
planes or me.” So that’s
how Ferguson switched
to working on his revolu-
tionary tractor.
In the mid-20th century,
Belfast also took the brunt
of the sectarian Troubles, but
all that is history after the
historic Good Friday Agreement
of April 10 1998. In fact, thanks to
the huge investments which followed,
the Northern Ireland capital has had a
spectacular revival. This reincarnation
has also made it an engaging place for
the whole family to visit.
Courtesy the iconic Kate Winslet-
‡‘ƒ”†‘ †‹ ƒ’”‹‘ ϐ‹Žǡ …Š‹Ž†”‡ ƒ•
much as adults will be awed by the
recreated Titanic Quarter. All the
buildings have nautical themes. White
Star House (home of the White Star Line
which owned the ship) is now in a sleek
new building built to represent the
Titanic sitting here, and its height is that
‘ˆ –Š‡ ϐŽ‘ƒ–‹‰ ‘•–‡”ǯ• ™ƒ–‡”Ž‹‡Ǥ Š‡
entire new enclave lives up to its
mantra, ‘Imagine, Think and Believe’.
The regenerated dockside is home to
Odyssey, another huge entertainment
hub, with many features guaranteed to
keep children engaged for hours such as
W5 and the IMAX. Kids will also be able
to understand how the past can be
retained and converted to present-day
use when they behold the beautifully
restored Victoria Square, now one of the
UK’s most stunning shopping centres.
Here, top-of-the line retailing is housed
behind the grand facades of what once
™‡”‡ –Š‡ …‘”’‘”ƒ–‡ ‘ˆϐ‹…‡• ‘ˆ ǮŽ‹‡
lords’ and other Industrial-Age barons.
Similarly the once-dilapidated City Centre
has risen like a resplendent Phoenix with
irresistible shopping and rocking gigs in a
myriad bars, pubs and nightclubs here
ƒ† ‹ †›••‡›Ǥ ‡‡ƒ‰‡”• ™‹ŽŽ „‡ œƒ’’‡†
by the hot music, with hugely talented
local and visiting bands and DJ’s.
‘„‹‡† ™‹–Š –Š‡ ”‹•Š ϐŽƒ‹” ˆ‘” Šƒ˜‹‰
fun, this gives Belfast one of the liveliest
of club scenes in the West.
The family can explore the more
traditional food and garden markets of
Belfast which also have stalls of crafts,
antiques and secondhand books. The
kids might discover an early edition of
the ‘Chronicles of Narnia’, because CS
Lewis was from Northern Ireland. He
was inspired by the Mountains of
Mourne which are in this part of the
province, but further south. However,
Ireland’s patented scenic beauty is
never far away from Belfast itself. A
drive of less than an hour or so from
City Centre takes you into sprawling
woods and parks as rich in heritage as
natural wows.
Getting Around
Citybus: www.citybus.co.uk
T: 00 44 28 9024 6485
(General Travel Info)
00 44 28 9045 8484 (Tour Enquiries)
Citybus operates 60 routes in Belfast,
ƒ† ƒ‹–ƒ‹• ƒ ϐŽ‡‡– ‘ˆ ʹͻ „—•‡•Ǥ
Citybus depots include Falls, Newtown-
abbey and Short Strand.
Citybus also does day tours
60
