St. Anne Catherdal – flickr.com – Stuart/cc-by-sa-2.0
The Cathedral Quarter (Irish: Ceathrú na hArdeaglaise) in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a developing area of the city, roughly situated between Royal Avenue near where the Belfast Central Library building is, and the Dunbar Link in the city centre. From one of its corners, the junction of Royal Avenue, Donegall Street and York Street, the Cathedral Quarter lies south and east. Part of the area, centred on Talbot Street behind the cathedral, was formerly called the Half Bap. The “Little Italy” area was on the opposite side of Great Patrick Street centred on Little Patrick Street and Nelson Street. The Cathedral Quarter extends out to the edge of what can be referred as the old merchant quarter of the city. Past where the merchant area meets the Cathedral Quarter is still mostly merchant trade and services orientated and undeveloped for visitor services. The Cathedral Quarter is so called because St Anne’s Cathedral, a Church of Ireland cathedral, lies at its heart. read more…
Shankill Road Northern Ireland and Gibraltar are among the last remnants of the British colonial empire in Europe. Although membership of the EU has brought Northern Ireland modest prosperity, the Brexit vote narrowly ended in favor of “Leave”, meaning that Northern Ireland is set to once again become the poorhouse of Western Europe. Since then, violent conflicts between Unionists and Republicans have increased again, as was to be expected and thus jeopardize the successes achieved in resolving the conflict after the Good Friday Agreement. read more…
Drive over the Lagan Bridge or along the historic Queen’s Road in the heart of the former shipyard and you will see a stunning piece of architecture coming to life. The new Titanic visitor attraction is creating excitement amongst the tourist trade and the public. Its creators describe Titanic Belfast® as a “must see” visit in any tour of Belfast and Northern Ireland. Already, tour operators are programming it in to their 2012 schedules. read more…
Omagh (Irish: an Ómaigh, meaning “the virgin plain”) is the county town of County Tyrone. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. The district, which is the largest in the county, has a population of 51,000. Omagh also contains the headquarters of Omagh District Council and the Western Education and Library Board. Omagh is the main retail centre for Tyrone, as well as the West of Ulster (behind Derry and Letterkenny), due to its central location. read more…
Holywood is a town and civil parish in County Down. It lies on the shore of Belfast Lough, between Belfast and Bangor. Holywood Exchange and Belfast City Airport are nearby. The town hosts an annual jazz and blues festival. The railway line from Belfast to Holywood opened in 1848, and this led to rapid development. The population of Holywood was approximately 3,500 in 1900 and had grown to 12,000 by 2001. This growth, coupled with that of other towns and villages along the coastal strip to Bangor, necessitated the construction of the Holywood Bypass in the early 1970s. Holywood today is a popular residential area and is well known for its fashionable shops, boutiques, arts and crafts. read more…
Ballycastle (from Irish: Baile an Chaistil, meaning “town of the castle”) is a small town in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It has a population of 5,000 people. It is the seat and main settlement of Moyle District Council. Overlooking the harbour there is a monument to Guglielmo Marconi whose employees made the world’s first commercial wireless telegraph transmission between Ballycastle and the East Lighthouse on Rathlin Island. Carey, Glenshesk & Tow Rivers flow down from the glens then eventually join together into one river. This is known as the Margy River which flows into the Moyle Sea at the start of The Strand. The Strand (Ballycastle Beach) has a European Blue Flag. read more…
Ulster (Irish: Cúige Uladh) is one of the provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths (Irish: cúige) ruled by a rí ruirech, or “king of over-kings”. Northern Ireland is often referred to as ‘Ulster’, despite including only six of Ulster’s nine counties. This usage is most common amongst people in Northern Ireland who are unionist, although it is also used by the media throughout the United Kingdom. read more…
Derry or Londonderry is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Daire or Doire meaning “oak grove”. In 1613, the city was granted a Royal Charter by King James I and the “London” prefix was added, changing the name of the city to Londonderry. While the city is more usually known as Derry, Londonderry is also used and remains the legal name. read more…
