My Belfast Trip 2003

Updated: Sep 21, 2023

Belfast is one of those cities that you do not know a lot, as it is not a big European country, but when living in United Kingdom you learn a lot about the history of every country that UK comprises.

Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland which is one of the countries belonging to United Kingdom. Northern Ireland is located on the island of Ireland and was created after the partition of Ireland of 1921. In early 19th century, Belfast was a major port playing a very important role during the Industrial Revolution and becoming for brief period the biggest linen-producer in the world, which lasted just after World War II. Belfast is part of UK, therefore, UK citizen does not require a visa.

Belfast is located on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast of the island of Ireland. The county borough of Belfast was granted by Queen Victoria in 1888. The site of Belfast has been occupied since the Bronze Age (3,300-1,200BC) and remained a small settlement until 1613 when it was established as a town by Sir Arthur Chichester.

As part of my research, I check out all the most seen places of the city and its surroundings. This particular trip was designed as an extended trip from a job interview. The currency for Belfast is the British Pound (mint by The Bank of Ireland) and it is recommended to exchange at the airport just after landing, as who has time to search for it.

My adventure started on Thursday 21st October 2004, however, this was a very complicated trip as I was living in Carterton, Oxfordshire.

On Day 1, after a nice breakfast I started my trip by walking from my house to the bus stop for around 30 minutes with my suitcase, then I took a local bus from Carterton to Oxford which took around 2 hours; then at this bus stop I changed to the airport shuttle which took around 90 minutes. I reached two hours before the flight and then the flight took around 75 minutes. I arrived to the hotel room at 10pm and after a long trip of 6 ½ hours, I was very tired so I ordered room-service. After a light dinner, I slept early as the following day I had my job interview.

On Day 3, and after a successful interview day this was when the adventure started. After a nice breakfast at the hotel around 9am, I decided that since my hotel was near the city centre, this would be a walking tour. After leaving the hotel around midday, my first photograph was taken at 12.22 at The Crown Bar located at 46 Great Victoria Street.

The Crown Liquor Saloon also known as Crown Bar, this is an outstanding example of Victorian gin palace and one of Belfast best-known pubs. The pub was renamed and renovated in 1885 from the Railway Tavern. The pub has a tiling in an Italian craftmanship style with stained glass and woodwork. Currently, the pub is owned by the National Trust and has been renovated to its original Victorian State and has been given a status of Grade A Listed Building by the Environment and Heritage Service.

After taking great photographs of the interior and exterior of the Crown Bar, the next amazing building was the Grand Opera House located at 2-4 Great Victoria St.

The Grand Opera House was designed by Frank Matcham, opened on 23rd December 1895 and is considered the best surviving example in UK of the oriental style applied to theatre architecture. The Opera House underwent an extensive restoration and renovation in 2020/2021 with the generous support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

After this short photographic session, my next stop was the Presbyterian Historical Centre located at 2-10 Fisherwick Place.

The Assembly Buildings is considered the most iconic venue in UK and definitely in Belfast as it can accommodate a huge variety of events due to their wide range of rooms with a hybrid option. The building was opened in 1905 with a Scottish Baronial Castle style.

After an exterior photo session, my next stop was the Solidarity Wall which is located at 111 Albert Street. The murals are a reflection of the segregation that the city suffers between Catholic republican side and the Protestant loyalist side. The areas around the Falls Road, Ardoyne and New Lodge are considered Catholic nationalist (90% West); and the Shankill Road is considered Protestant loyalist (East).

The Solidarity Wall, also known as International Wall, depicts international issues at any wall’s history. The murals are constantly being updated and therefore most of the photos that I took in 2004, they have been replaced. This wall marks the entry point into the republican west Belfast and is considered as the Gateway to West Belfast.

After an extensive photo session, as they were many nice mural topics, I continued with my murals tour and my next stop was Shankill Road.

The Shankill Road has a length of 2.4km (1.5mi) running through the working-class area predominantly loyalist. This road has been the centre of the loyalist activity and the modern Ulster Volunteer Force since 1966. This area has suffered a number of bombings and shotting by Irish republican paramilitary forces.

Shankill Road has the biggest collection on murals therefore, I started turning left and took photographs of every mural until I reached the Shankill Somme Association which was set up in 2000 to remember the brave men and women of the 36th Ulster Division who fought and died during World War I (1914-1918), which is located at 415 Shankill Road next to the Old Shankill Graveyard.

After this, I decided that the Shankill Road required further exploration and returned within the road and then went East. I enjoyed my extensive photographic session until I reached Shankill Parade as this street leads to the Shankill Road Mural. The Shankill Road Murals are located in Hopewell Cres and are also visible from Shankill Road, so there are many murals and therefore, I recommend to explore this area thoroughly including Shankill Parade.

After exploring most of the mural around the area of Shankill Road, I decided to continue my walking tour towards the central cathedral. On the way, I made a quick stop to have a light lunch around 3.00pm.

Then I continued walking on Shankill Road which changes name after crossing Westlink (A12) to North Street. On Royal Avenue, I turned left and walked until I reached the cathedral Gardens of St Anne’s Cathedral.

St Anne’s Cathedral, also known as Belfast Cathedral, is located in Donegall Street and is a Church of Ireland Cathedral. The building was designed by architect Sir Thomas Drew and WH Lynn (provided the plans), the first part completed in 1904 and has a Romanesque style (semi-circular arches). Some of the interest things to see for the visitors include the tomb of Lord Carson, and the Titanic Pall (dedication to the 1,517 lives lost in the tragic sinking of the Titanic).

While I was taking some amazing photographs of the exterior, I realised that there were many elegant-dressed people outside and this only means a wedding. Therefore, I decided that since I was about to finish my walking tour, to stay and see the entire wedding ceremony. The wedding started at 4pm and lasted around an hour.

After the wedding, I decided that it was still a beautiful day and I stopped in a coffee shop to review my walking tour and see what was missing. The next and final item of list was City Hall, so I made my way towards it and arrived around 6pm.

Belfast City Hall was designed by architect Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas, built in Portland Stone, completed in 1906, and in a Baroque Revival. Currently the building is listed as Grade A and is located on Donegall Square. The building features four towers in each corner with green copper dome in the centre.

After an amazing walking tour of what I considered were the best places in Belfast, well the best one-day walking tour. I decided that I should have a proper sitting dinner around 7pm.

After an amazing dinner, I decided that it was time to return to the hotel and prepared to my next day trip, as it was going to be a very tiering returned trip to Carterton. Therefore, I decided to sleep early and making all the arranged for the return trip.

On Day 4, and after an early breakfast. I decided to have a morning trip in order to avoid reaching my house before midnight. Therefore, I made my way to London via plane, to Oxford via airport shuttle, and to Carterton via local bus. I was able to arrive home around 10pm.

Belfast was a surprise trip as I was able to extend a job interview trip in order to have an extra day to explore most of the things that Belfast had to offer.

Although, I heard of the Northern Ireland Troubles and their famous murals, I was unaware of the impact 30 years of conflict has on the city.

Belfast architecture was eclectic as there is a variety of styles from Romanesque to Classical and even oriental. However, the biggest impact for me were the murals as they have a powerful message, amazing graphics and a unique style. Belfast is a city that has survive wars, bombings and lots of discrimination but the way the artist have chosen to represent this conflict has a big impact on everyone that sees them. I highly recommend this city as my artistic side enjoys the murals, however, it is important that before you arrive to learn the basic knowledge about the root of the conflicts in order to understand what the murals want to say, as the only way to fully understand the message is to know the concepts.