Located on the east coast of Northern Ireland, Belfast is a city of about 340,000 residents that may be most well-known for the sectarian strife that plagued it for much of the 20th century. It’s also Northern Ireland’s capital and the 12th largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom. For much of the recent past, …
A beautiful city with a tumultuous history, even Derry’s name is a bone of contention. The official name is Londonderry, but for obvious reasons Derry was always preferred by the city’s Republican communities, and is used more often today. One flashpoint in Derry’s past was the Siege of 1689 by the Jacobites against the Williamites, …
To get the most from Northern Ireland’s world famous seascapes and historic cities you’ll need to be organised because there’s so much to get through. On the road you can follow itineraries like the Causeway Coastal Route, which will get you to volcanic landmarks like the UNESCO Giant’s Causeway, but also epic beaches, glens, cliffs …
Resting in a hollow on its namesake river, the city of Newry is divided between Counties Armagh and Down near the border with Ireland. There’s breathtaking nature wherever you go, starting with the waters of the Carlingford Lough, which has the sensational Cranfield Beach at its mouth. To the west are the rounded peaks of …
This city a few miles out of Belfast was the birthplace of the Irish linen industry, founded in 1698 by the French Huguenot Louis Crommelin. Until the 20th century Lisburn and its countryside was taken over by flax fields, riverside mills and weaving and spinning factories. The industry is mostly consigned to the past, but …
There was a time when Belfast was in the news for all the wrong reasons. And while the worst of the Troubles are in the distant past, there are still large portions of the city divided along religious and political lines. In some ways this gives Belfast a certain cachet and you can check out …