Saturday, September 7, 2019, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Belfast, Northern Ireland

A major port heralded for its shipbuilding heritage, Belfast has undergone a cultural and architectural renaissance unrivaled in the rest of Europe. The influence of Britain is everywhere in this polished capital of Northern Ireland. Some of its most striking buildings exude Victorian flair and cosmopolitan elegance amid the famous Irish charm. Along the Golden Mile, high-end boutiques are reminiscent of those found in Paris, and the opulent Grand Opera House stands as a hub of Belfast culture. In the Cathedral Quarter, St. Anne's Cathedral is a magnificent testament to faith. On the waterfront, the excellent Titanic Belfast museum is the pride of the city with its stunning facade of aluminum.

Belfast, meaning "mouth of the Farset," is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast of Ireland. It is the second-largest city on the island of Ireland, after Dublin. It had a population of 333,871 as of 2015.

By the early 19th century, Belfast became a major port. It played a key role in the Industrial Revolution, becoming the biggest linen-producer in the world, earning it the nickname "Linenopolis." By the time it was granted city status in 1888, it was a major center of Irish linen production, tobacco-processing, and rope-making. Shipbuilding was also a key industry; the Harland and Wolff shipyard, which built the RMS Titanic, was the world's biggest shipyard. Belfast as of 2019 has a major aerospace and missiles industry. Industrialization and inward migration made Belfast Ireland's biggest city and it became the capital of Northern Ireland following the Partition of Ireland in 1922. Its status as a global industrial center ended in the decades after the Second World War of 1939–1945.

Belfast suffered greatly in the Troubles: In the 1970s and 1980s it was reported to be one of the world's most dangerous cities. However, a survey conducted by a finance company and published in 2016 rated the city as one of the safest within the United Kingdom.

Belfast is still a major port, with commercial and industrial docks, including the Harland and Wolff shipyard, dominating the Belfast Lough shoreline. It is served by two airports: George Best Belfast City Airport and Belfast International Airport 15 miles west of the city. The Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) listed Belfast as a Gamma global city in 2018.

The site of Belfast has been occupied since the Bronze Age. The Giant's Ring, a 5,000-year-old henge, is located near the city,^] and the remains of Iron Age hill forts can still be seen in the surrounding hills. Belfast remained a small settlement of little importance during the Middle Ages. John de Courcy built a castle on what is now Castle Street in the city center in the 12th century, but this was on a lesser scale and not as strategically important as Carrickfergus Castle to the north, which was built by de Courcy in 1177. The O'Neill clan had a presence in the area.

In the 14th century, Cloinne Aodha Buidhe, descendants of Aodh Buidhe O'Neill, built Grey Castle at Castlereagh, now in the east of the city. Conn O'Neill of the Clannaboy O'Neills owned vast lands in the area and was the last inhabitant of Grey Castle, one remaining link being the Conn's Water river flowing through east Belfast.

High Street c.1906

Growth: Belfast became a substantial settle-ment in the 17th century after being established as a town by Sir Arthur Chichester. It was initially settled by Protestant English and Scottish migrants at the time of the Plantation of Ulster. (Belfast and County Antrim, however, did not form part of this particular Plantation scheme as they were privately colonised.) In 1791, the Society of United Irishmen was founded in Belfast, after Henry Joy McCracken and other prominent Presbyterians from the city invited Theobald Wolfe Tone and Thomas Rus-sell to a meeting, after having read Tone's "Argument on Behalf of the Catholics of Ireland." Evidence of this period of Belfast's growth can still be seen in the oldest areas of the city, known as the Entries.

Donegall Square in the early 1900s

Belfast blossomed as a commercial and industrial center in the 18th and 19th centuries and became Ireland's pre-eminent industrial city. Industries thrived, including linen, rope-making, tobacco, heavy engineering, and shipbuilding, and at the end of the 19th century, Belfast briefly overtook Dublin as the largest city in Ireland. The Harland and Wolff shipyards became one of the largest shipbuilders in the world, employing up to 35,000 workers. In 1886 the city suffered intense riots over the issue of home rule, which had divided the city.

In 1920–22, Belfast became the capital of the new entity of Northern Ireland as the island of Ireland was partitioned. The accompanying conflict (the Irish War of Independence) cost up to 500 lives in Belfast, the bloodiest sectarian strife in the city until the Troubles of the late 1960s onwards.

Aftermath of the Blitz in May 1941

Belfast was heavily bombed during World War II. Initial raids were a surprise as the city was believed to be outside of the range of German bomber planes. In one raid, in 1941, German bombers killed around one thousand people and left tens of thousands homeless. Apart from London, this was the greatest loss of life in a night raid during the Blitz.

Historic Belfast City Tour: Today we enjoyed a tour of the main sights of Belfast, including its noteworthy monuments and structures. We took in the highlights of Northern Ireland’s capital, including the Grand Opera House, Albert Memorial Clock, Queen’s University and Botanic Gardens. As we passed the impressive Renaissance-style Belfast City Hall, we caught sight of the marble Titanic Memorial, erected to commemorate the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic. We learned about Northern Ireland’s troubled past from our local guide as we passed by Stormont, seat of the Northern Ireland Assembly, before reaching Cave Hill Country Park for a stop at Belfast Castle, one of Belfast’s most outstanding and historically significant buildings. We also had a chance to see the former Crumlin Road Courthouse, Her Majesty’s Prison Belfast—also known as Crumlin Road Gaol (jail)—and the Peace Line. We saw numerous Belfast’s political wall murals—a unique cultural touchstone.

Arrived Belfast Harbor at 7 AM.

Tug pulling ferry backward to dock.

On our way to Belfast Castle through housing area.

Bus arrived on upper level parking lot.

Overlooking lower garden area at side and back of castle.

Garden fountain looking at upper level parking lot.

The first "Belfast Castle" was built by the Normans in the late 12th century. In 1611, Sir Arthur Chichester, Baron of Belfast, built a stone and timber castle on the same site. Thi burned down almost a hundred years later, leaving only street names, such as Castle Place, to mark the location.

The Chichesters (later Donegalls) lived in England as absentee landlords but came to live at Ormeau at the beginning of the 19th century. After re-marrying in 1862, the 3d Marquis off Donegall decided to build a new residence (present Belfast Castle) on the slopes of Cave Hill. The architect drew up plans for a Scottish Baronial style castle.

Belfast Castle was completed in 1870, having far exceeded the initial estimate cost of $12,000. The Donegall fortune had dwindled so drastically that the project was nearly left unfinished. The son-in-law of the Marquis, Lord Ashley, heir to the title, Earl of Shaftesbury, stepped in and paid for its completion.