We had booked a walking tour for 11am, but we were both awake quite early, despite going to bed about 1am.

Once we had showered, we wandered up our street and found a cafe called Tribeca, which looked quite good, so we stopped for a coffee and chocolate croissant, tea for Nicola.

After breakfast, we headed towards our meeting point, although we were still really early. We walked through Vëllezërit Frashëri, a park in Tirana celebrating the Frasheri family. The Frashëri brothers were key figures in the National Renaissance, and they played an important role in the efforts for the independence and rights of Albanians. Naim Frashëri was a poet and writer. He died in 1900 and played a key role in the development of Albanian literature.

On the way to our meeting point, we crossed a bridge over the River Lana. There were sculptures on the bridge so we took some photos with them.

There are huge horse chestnut trees along the sides of the main boulevard.

And the traffic lights in Tirana are very patriotic, displaying the Albanian symbol of a two-headed eagle.

We met our tour guide, Brikena, and another couple from England at the Twin Towers. Brikena told us that a new law had been laid in Tirana that electric scooters and mopeds were no longer allowed due to the high numbers of accidents. The law was temporary whilst safety measures were being put in place. The law was only announced the day before and then immediately implemented.

Our first stop was the Prime Ministers office. There were guards standing outside as there was a meeting going on.

We moved on to a small park that contained part of the Berlin Wall and remnant of Spac Labour Camp Mine. Inmates at Spaç labour camp endured harsh conditions, including forced work in the copper mine, minimal free time, and extreme isolation in one of the most remote prisons in the world. Prison Guards at Spaç enforced strict discipline through brutal punishments, including beatings and torture of those expressing political dissent or failing to meet work quotas. Female prisoners were also subjected to abuse, including beatings, sexual assault, and forced abortions. The prison remained open until 1990. It held many political prisoners, including prominent intellectuals, and became one of the most infamous sites of repression in the country.

The Blloku area we were in was one of the most isolated areas in Tirana as it was where the majority of the officers lived, including the ‘leader’ (dictator), Enver Hoxha. Ordinary citizens were not allowed to enter the area as it was an exclusive residential quarter for members of the Albanian elite and their families. On most maps during this period, the area remained deliberately unmarked.

We passed the former house of the dictator. His two sons and his daughter all had their own apartments as part of this house, and all had separate entrances. It was known that Enver’s wife was part of the mastermind behind the communist regime.

A private chef visited the house twice a day. One of Enver’s sons married outside of the Blloku area. Within the Blloku area, they were generally unaware of the level of poverty outside as nobody within the area spoke the truth. The other son worked at the post office so he could look at the letters and keep everyone under surveillance.

During the time of communism the buildings were all very uniform, being 5 storeys tall and square looking. They have since been painted to make them look more attractive.

The bigger buildings were built since the regime ended in 1991. Many of them survived the earthquake in 2009. One of them contains the map of Albania.

There is no official religion in Albania. The population consists of 70% Muslim, 20% catholic, 5% orthodox and the rest unknown or atheist.
Albanians respect all religions. Under communism religion was not allowed, and many of the churches and mosques were shut down or used for other purposes. In 1967, Albania became the first atheist country. Many of the people who were killed by the communists were religious leaders, teachers, and intellectuals.
Albania was ruled by the Ottoman empire for over 500 years before 1945, and the Albanias were forced to convert to Muslim.

We walked past the Greek Orthodox Church, The Resurrection of Christ, which was built in 2012.

And opposite this church is the House of Leaves, which is now a surveillance museum.

The Eye of Tirana is a high-rise multipurpose building standing 135m tall and contains 31 floors. It is still under construction.

One of the buildings reflects the face of Skandenberg but also looks similar to the current prime minister, Edvin Rami. He was formally the mayor of Tirana and bought a lot of the modern architecture and colour to the buildings.

We reached the main square in Tirane, skandenberg square. Skandenberg is a national hero who fought for Albanian independence against the Ottoman empire. His real name was Gjergj Kastrioti and he was taken by the Ottomans to train as a soldier in Turkey when they invaded Albania. He ended up as a commander of the army and learnt everything he could about the empire and the way they fought. During a battle in 1443, Skandenberg deserted the Ottoman army. He went to Albania and set up a military alliance that unified the Albanian leaders at the time. Due to this alliance, Skandenberg was able to amass an army of 10,000 men, and he fought the Ottoman army for 25 years. He freed Albania from Ottoman rule and gained independence for the country. He died from natural causes in 1468. Ironically, it was under the leadership of Enver Hoxha that a statue of Skandenberg was erected in the square.

Underneath the square is a 2 storey underground parking lot.

Skandenberg adopted the two-headed eagle as his family coat of arms, and it was used on his flag – a black eagle against a red flag. The two-headed eagle represents unity between east and west against a backdrop of blood spilt. Also representing unity is the fact that the square itself is made up of the stones from different areas across Albania.

Opposite us was the National Museum of Albania, which has an impressive mosaic on the wall. The mosaic was created in 1981 and shows the history of Albania from the wars with the Ottomans, fighting for independence in the 20th century and the fight towards a socialist future. The mosaic covers 440m².

As we were standing in the square, Brikena spoke to us about some of the realities of living in Albania. Although the communism regime ended in 1991, it has taken a while for the country to recover. Many young people don’t see a future in Albania and are now leaving the country to gain employment abroad as there is a lack of opportunities in Albania itself. During the communist times, 1944 -1991, nobody was allowed to leave Albania, and anyone entering was placed under strict surveillance. Many people were killed trying to escape the country. Enver and his family did travel, but most people didn’t know about it.

The family structure was strong. All jobs were assigned by the government, and this meant many people had to relocate for work. The agricultural business was huge. The motto was ‘produced here, used here’. The government also owned all the buildings, so nobody owned their own property. And there was only one tv channel available to watch.

Enver had connections with Yugoslavia, Russia and China, although those with China were later cut. 

The Albanian language is unique, and I couldn’t really hear any familiar words or sounds. Their alphabet contains 36 letters and is a phonetically language. There are two dialects, one in the north and one in the south where the vowel sounds are pronounced differently. Albanians get 16 bank holidays a year.

On one side of the square is Et’hem Bey Mosque, which is over 250 years old. It was closed during the communist times. And behind the mosque is Tirana City Hall.

From here, we walked on to the old castle ruins, past a couple of administrative government buildings.

The history of the castle dates back before 1300 and is a remnant from the Byzantine-era. The fortress is the place where the main east–west and north–south roads crossed and formed the heart of Tirana. The only part of the castle that has been uncovered is a 6 metre high wall, and behind the wall are eateries and craft stalls.

The Great Mosque was our next stop. This mosque was only finished last year and was entirely funded by the Turkish government.

From here, we visited St Paul’s Cathdral, a Roman Catholic church that was built in 2001. Outside the cathedral is a statue of Mother Theresa. She was Albanian and is the only Albanian to have won a Nobel Prize.

To cross the river, we walked over the ‘Vodafone’ bridge.

And soon we were at the Tirana Pyramid. This pyramid opened in 1988 and was built as a museum to honour Enver Hoxha. When it was built, the pyramid was said to be the most expensive individual structure ever constructed in Albania. Following the fall of communism the pyramid became a conference centre, and during 1999, as the Kosovo war was taking place, it became a NATO base. In 2018, a new project started that incorporated steps onto the sides of the pyramid and more glass to allow natural light. It is now used for the youth of Albania with a focus on computer programming, robotics, and start-ups.

There are 114 steps to climb to get to the top of the pyramid. There were some great views from the top, including the twin towers of Tirana. These two skyscrapers are identical in architecture and stand 15 stories tall.

And that was the end of our walking tour.

We were both a bit peckish, so we decided to search out some lunch. On the way, we passed a mushroom structure. This is a contemporary art installation that was erected in 2015. It is called ‘The Giant Mushroom with Three Parts’ and creates the idea of knowledge that humanity has created and continues to develop. Also, the many bunkers in Albania are often referred to as mushrooms. There are also mushroom installations along the side of the main street.

We stopped at Opa for lunch, which is well known for its Greek street food. I had a massive and delicious Greek salad and tried an Albanian beer, which was also very tasty. Nicola had a filled pitta.

My journey over was a bit of a nightmare. After Chris dropped me off at the airport, check-in went smoothly, and I then had some dinner at the airport. I noticed that the flight was delayed by around 30 minutes, which wasn’t surprising as it had been foggy all day. After a bit, Ryanair called us to the gate. Our plane hadn’t even landed at Manchester at this point, so we were just waiting around. Once it did land, there was a very quick turnaround and we were soon boarding the plane. It was still really foggy, even though it was around 530pm.

Once on the plane, there was someone sitting in my seat. We checked boarding passes, and the guy went to move. Once I sat down, I spoke to the guy next to me, and he said he had bumped into his friend who he hadn’t seen for 10 years, and that was the person sitting in my seat. I offered to swap seats so they could catch up and ended up moving a couple of rows back, unfortunately still in a middle seat.

Once seated, we then waited over an hour and a half before we took off – which was really frustrating, especially as they asked us all to stay seated. Apparently, there was a huge queue of planes waiting to take off as everything had been delayed because of the fog.

Once we took off, I slept for an hour or so. The girl next to me woke me up at some point as the man by the window needed the toilet. I then got chatting to the man next to me. He was from Corfu originally but was working in Harrogate.

Once we landed, 2 hours late, getting through passport control was quick and easy and the luggage didn’t take long to arrive either.

I went to the taxi rank and agreed a price before getting into the taxi to take me to the apartment. I had bought an eSim, but for some reason, it wasn’t connecting or working.

The taxi driver wasn’t sure exactly where the road was, but he dropped me off and helped me look for a couple of minutes, but then he had to leave. So I was kind of stranded with no internet at around midnight. I walked up the road, looking for the apartment which I had a photo off, but couldn’t find it. I asked another taxi driver, and he told me I was on the wrong street and showed me where I had to go. So I walked down to the correct street and went up and down it looking for the apartment – and I still couldn’t see it. I saw a guy going into one of the buildings, so I asked him if he knew where the apartment was – he wasn’t sure, but he gave me his hotspot so I could connect to the Internet. I called Nicola, who had arrived earlier in the day, and she sent me a pin to the apartment on Google maps – it was down the other end of the street to where I was.

Nicola came out onto the street so I wouldn’t miss it. And then we had a little prosecco before bed.

Luckily, Faye was feeling a lot better when we woke up, so after packing and storing our luggage, we headed out for breakfast. We did try the Linen cafe in the Linen Hall, but the kitchen was being renovated, so they weren’t serving any hot food. So we went back to Maggie Mays. I had a delicious 3 egg bacon and mushroom omlette and coffee.

After breakfast, we walked down to the docks and over to the Titanic Quarter. Throughout this area, there are a number of stained glass windows depicting themes from the GoT. It was a major filming location for the show.

The Titanic Quarter is a major waterfront regeneration project. It is around 185 acres in size and used to be part of the Harland and Wolff shipyard. Originally the island was known as Dragan’s Island, prior to the Titanic being built. It was created in 1840 when a deep channel was cut through the mudflats of the River Lagan, and the discarded material was used to create the island. It was later renamed Queens Island after Queen Victoria’s visit to Belfast in 1849.  The island’s first use was as a people’s park, with a zoo, a crystal palace, gardens, and a bathing pond.

In 1861, Edward Harland and Gustav Wolff established the Harland and Wolff shipyard. By 1875, they employed over 1000 workers, and in 1909, they started to build the Titanic.

The largest development is the £97 million Titanic Belfast visitor attraction, which holds the record for the island’s largest ever single concrete pour (4,300 cubic metres) for its foundations. The vistor centre captures the spirit of the shipyards, ships, water crystals and ice.

On the way to the visitor centre, we passed the Nomadic SS. This boat was built alongside the Titanic in 1911 and is exactly one-quarter of the size of the Titanic. Nomadic was used to transport first – and second-class passengers from the shallow dockside in Cherbourg out to Titanic, which was moored in deeper water just off shore. The boat has had active service in both world wars, over fifty years experience of carrying thousands of passengers to the world’s largest transatlantic liners and nearly thirty years as a restaurant and party venue moored beside the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It is the last remaining White Star vessel (the company that built Titanic).

Next to the Nomadic was what looked like a very rusty ship.  It is a caisson, a movable lock gate that was once used for the Hamilton Dry Dock. It’s a historic but non-seagoing vessel that was left in the dock after it was no longer needed. Caissons like this were used to seal off a dock, with water being pumped in to sink it and seal the entrance, and the caisson then floated and was pumped dry to open it.

We had pre-booked our Titanic experience tickets, so we didn’t have to wait in a queue and could go straight in. There was huge amounts of information to absorb, and it took us nearly 3 hours to go round it all.

I found the fact that flaxseeds were ground and made into flax and then rope, which was used on the ships, really interesting. The long fibres were spun into threads and twisted together to create strong rope for a wide range of uses, such as for the sails of ships.

There was another old time clock, too, which was used by the Islandmen to clock in and out of work. At the time Titanic was built, about 14,000 men worked at the shipyard. They worked a 49-hour week, with only half an hour for lunch and received about £2 a week. They had 1 weeks holiday in the summer and 2 days at both Christmas and Easter.

There was a very gentle ride that you could go on, which took you around the various elements of construction of the Titanic.

At one point, we looked down at the Olympic slipway. This is where RMS Olympic was built beside her sister ship, Titanic. Olympic was built in 1910 and was the first of a trio of Olympic-class vessels for the White Star line built by Harland and Wolff. Titanic was the second ship, and the third one was originally called Gigantic, but this was changed to Britannic.

Everyone knows the story of the Titanic. TheTitanic was built over a period of three years. The ship was launched in May 1911, and then the fit and finish were completed post launch. The Titanic left Belfast on 2 April 1912 bound for Southampton. After leaving Southampton, the Titanic stopped at Cherbourg, then Queenstown, to pick up passengers who ranged from immigrants to wealthy figures in London and New York high society. Only a few days after setting sail, on 15 April 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank.

Of the 2,224 passengers on board, only 710 survived. The ship only had enough lifeboats for half the passengers, but some of the lifeboats were launched before they were full. Also, the radio system was mainly being used to send messages for the passengers rather than receive weather reports, so some of the weather warnings were not picked up. And the binoculars that were stowed in the crows nest were locked away, and the crew member who had the key was not on board the ship. The percentage of survivors who were first class passengers was around 62% , compared to 43% from second class, and 26% from third class. More women and children survived as they took priority when the lifeboats were loaded.

Harland and Wolff continued to be a global shipbuilder after the Titanic. During WWII, the shipyard built 6 aircraft carriers, two cruisersand 131 other naval ships. The last liner the company launched was in 1961. The shipyard then started to build oil tankers. The last ship built here was in 2003, although they do still carry out ship repairs. From 2025, the yard will be constructing three new solid stores replenishment vessels for the Royal Auxillary.

After leaving the Titanic experience, we went to see Samson and Goliath – the two yellow cranes. Goliath was built in 1969 and Samson in 1974. They are still used today in ship repairs.

As we left the Titanic Quarter, we passed the three bouys. These were originally installed in the cathedral gardens in 1983 and were a gift from the Commissioners of Irish Lights and are estimated to be around 80 years old.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped for coffee and cake at Trait Cafe again.

And then, as we still had some time to kill before heading to the airport, we stopped at Maddens Bar, which is a very traditional Irish pub.

You had to ring a doorbell to be allowed inside, and whilst we were there, a guy came in with fireworks and made a joke about setting off explosives in a pub. 

The pub was established in the 1870s by the Madden family and becoming a landmark for traditional music. It survived 3 car bomb attacks as well as drive-by shootings during the Troubles, with its owners showing defiance in the face of paramilitary attacks on Catholic-owned pubs.

And then it was time to head to the airport. Our flight was delayed by around half an hour, which wasn’t too bad.

As we took off, you could see the giant cranes again.

And the sun was setting too.

We arrived safely back at Heathrow and got the train back to Fayes.

Some photos below of the street art around Belfast.

We were up at 7am and got ready for our trip to the Giants Causeway. Where we were meeting the coach was around half an hours walk away. On the way, we stopped at a small Tesco to grab a sandwich and some snacks. We also passed a statue known as the Unknown Women. It is a bronze sculpture of 2 working-class women adorned with symbols of unpaid domestic work and low paid employment. It pays tribute to the contribution of women to the economy and to society. It was originally suggested that the sculpture should be one that would pay tribute to the history of Belfast’s red light district, but the artist thought that was too provocative and designed what we see today.

Just up from here is the South Kirk Presbyterian Church. Presbyterians in Ireland were divided between ‘Old Light’ and ‘New Light’ parties in the 18th and early 19th century and by debates, schisms and splits. The 19th century was a period of expansion for Presbyterianism in Ireland. The Presbyterian population in Belfast quadrupled between 1850 and 1900, and the number of congregations rose from 15 to 47. A lot of the Presbyterian churches were classical in design, moving away from a gothic structure. This church opened in 1861 and could seat 800 people.

There was also a lovely building opposite, but I don’t know what it was.

We got to the meeting point a little bit early, so we managed to get an earlier coach and we set off on our travels. As we drove out of the city were passed the RISE sculpture which symbolises the rising sun and hope for Belfast’s future. It is 37.5 m tall and is often referred to as Balls of the Falls”, “the Testes on the Westes” and “the Westicles”

Our driver was calked Patrick, and he was very chatty and quite humorous. He was an Irish Catholic (you can tell by the name). Whilst the tour was mainly to take us to the Giants Causeway, it also had a lot of Game of Thrones references throughout. I have never watched this, so I didn’t recognise any of them.

Our first stop was Carrickfergus Castle. This is an Anglo-Norman castle, built in 1177. It is one of Irelands best preserved medieval structures and was a significant military site until 1928. Apparently, it was the backdrop for Castle Black in GoT.

The castle has been rebuilt three times, and it retains 6 of the original 22 cannons.

There is a statue of King William III at the entrance to the castle, otherwise known as William of Orange. This is where he first set foot in Ireland in 1690 and gathered his forces before moving south to battle with King James at the Battle of Boyne. James was defeated, and William became king of the UK. The battle is commemorated on 12 July and is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland. This is a controversial event due to its sectarian connotations. The commemoration features large Orange Order parades, marching bands, community gatherings, and bonfires. William of Orange was a defender of the protestant faith , whereas James was catholic.

The castle was surrendered to the French in 1760. They looted the castle and town and fled, but shortly after, they were caught by the Royal Navy. I think this is the Comte de Roucy from the French invasion.

Patrick also told us about the Jackson family who lived in Carrickfergus in the 1700s. They emigrated to America, and their son, Andrew Jackson, became the 7th president of the United States. He was heavily linked to the slave trade and had 105 slaves when he died in 1845.

As we continued on our journey down the North Atrium coast road, we could see the channel of water separating Northern Ireland from Scotland. We also passed through some of the glens of Atrium. There are 9 valleys /glens in total, and they are a legacy from the ice age. At the start of the entrance to the glens is the ‘Black Arch’.

The coast road was built in the 19th century to link the many small communities within the glens with the main towns in the area. Many cubic tonnes of rock were blasted away to create the road. The road was started in 1832 and finished in 1842, and it’s remarkable when you think it was done without any mechanical equipment. It was all manual labour.

Our next stop was Carnlough Harbour, which again featured in the GoT.  One of the main characters emerges from the sea up the stony staircase.

Carnlough Harbour is at the foothills of Glencoy, one of the 9 glens. It is mainly now used by pleasure boats and small fishing boats but was originally built to fulfil a need to export limestone. It was built by the owners of the limestone quarries, which were west of the village.

On the harbour wall, there is a plaque to ‘Paddy the Pigeon.’ Paddy was one of 30 pigeons used by the Royal Air Force during World War 2 to deliver coded messages across the Channel during the Normandy landings of 1944, setting the record for the fastest crossing of just under five hours. His owner came from Carnlough and Paddy the pigeon was given the PDSA Dickin Medal for bravery – commonly known as the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross. Paddy lived for 11 years and is still the only Irish recipient of the medal.

We continued on our journey through the glens. The glens are mainly formed from lava flows over older sedimentary rocks such as sandstone and shale. You can quite often see the contrasting rocks of red sandstone, black basalt, and white limestone.

After a little while, we came into Glenarrif – Queen of the glens, which, as the name suggests, is the largest of the glens.

After a short while, we passed under the red arch, which is a sandstone arch on the coast road. The Red Arch was cut through this sandstone headland by a landlord in 1817.  The landlord lived near Carnlough, and he built the arch so that he could regularly visit the village of Cushendall, which he owned. At the time, there was no coast road as such, and this meant that his journey was hazardous as he had to negotiate the steep and narrow track up to the higher ground to the west. To avoid doing this, he tunnelled through the headland between Waterfoot and Cushendall, forming the arch that stands today. The arch forms a perfect parabola.

Just up from here is the island of Carrick and the famous  Carrick-a-Rede rope bride. This bridge was first built by salmon fishermen in 1755 so that they could fish for salmon amongst the rocks without using boats. While hundreds of salmon were caught daily in the 19th and 20th centuries, their numbers declined significantly, with the last catch recorded in 2002. Spanning a 20m chasm, it is suspended 30m above the rocks below. It connects the island of Carrick to the mainland. You can still walk across the bridge but not as part of an organised tour.

From here, you can see Rathlin Island, which is the only inhabited off shore island in Northern Ireland. The island is also an important seabird sanctury and is home to many breeding puffins who arrive in May and leave in August.

We stopped in Ballintoy for lunch. I had some Caesar salad and guiness and Faye had some fish chowder. Faye was feeling a little bit unwell.

The door to the pub where we had lunch, the Fullerton Arms, is featured in GoT. In total, there are 10 doors carved from some of the trees that fell over at Dark Hedges during the storm of 2016. This is door number 6.

And then we were at the Giants Causeway. There is a legend as to how the Giants Causeway got its name. It centers on the Irish giant Finn McCool, who ruled all of Ireland, and his Scottish rival, Benandonner. Legend has it that Finn built the hexagonal basalt columns of the causeway to cross the sea, as he couldn’t swim and challenge Benandonner as he wanted to extend his kingdom. But when he sees Benadonner and realises his rival is far larger than expected, he flees back home. Knowing that Benandonner would come after him, Finn’s wife, Una, dresses Fin  up like a baby, tells him to sit in the cradle and not speak. Benandonner does pursue Finn, but when he sees the size of the baby, he is frightened, thinking the farther will be much bigger. Benandonner returns to Scotland, tearing up the causeway as he goes, creating the formation we see today.

Realistically, the causeway was formed 50-60 million years ago by the cooling of lava when Ireland was still attached to North America. Much later, erosion then caused rivers to form in the basalt. Then more lava came, which flowed through the river valleys. In this river valley, the Giant’s Causeway we think of today was formed. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, designated in 1986.

From the visitor centre, there are 5 ways to get to the causeway, and we decided to take the slightly longer coastal path, the red path. There were some lovely views along the way.

From a distance, the causeway doesn’t look that impressive.

It is made up of around 40,000 hexagonal columns, formed when the lava cooled. It was only discovered in 1692. Some of the columns are really tall, and you are allowed to climb all over them.

We spent a bit of time walking over the causeway and taking in the views.

After walking around, we stopped off at the Nook, which was the former original Causeway School serving the area up until 1913. And not long after we arrived, it started to rain, so it was great timing.

We got back on the coach and headed to Dunluce castle. This is a ruined medieval castle and has extremely steep drops on all sides. The castle was originally built in the 13th century and was owned by the McQuillans from 1513 until the MacDonnells took ownership in the middle to late 16th century. The MacDonnells supported King James in the Battle of the Boyne, and when he lost, they couldn’t afford to keep the castle. It was also used in GoT.

Just up from here is Bushmills distillery. This is the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world, with the license being granted in 1608. It is the only place where this whiskey is made, and despite the Crown imposed tax on barley in the 1850s, it continues to be made from malted barley.

We went to the bar, and I tried some of the 14 year old reserve, which was very nice. Unfortunately, they don’t make any peaty whiskeys.

It has been in operation for over 400 years, producing triple-distilled single malt whiskey. Their 12 year old whiskey is not exported and is only sold directly at the distillery.

The last stop on the trip before heading to the city was ‘Dark Hedges’. This is an avenue of beech trees that was planted by the Stuart family in the 1750s and was intended as a compelling landscape feature to impress visitors. The avenue of trees leads up to the Georgian estate known as Gracehill House, named after James’s wife Grace Lynd. Faye was feeling quite poorly at this point, so stayed on the coach.

James Stuart wanted a specific species of three – the serpentine beech tree. He planted 150 trees, which have grown larger over time and created a tunnel. There are now just under 80 left as the roots are very short, so the trees are not that robust. This avenue also featured in the GoT.

And then we headed back to the city centre, where there was a lovely pink sky.

Faye went straight to bed when we got back to the hotel. I got changed and headed out for some food.

I decided to go to the Morning Star, which was down Pottingers Entry, named after a local family who supplied the city with gold sovereign. The most noted of the family was Sir Henry Pottinger, who, as the first governor of Hong Kong, successfully negotiated the British lease of Hong Kong after the Chinese 0pium Wars.

The Morning Star was established in 1810 and is where Mary Ann McCracken attempted to revive her brother after bribing the hangman. It was once a sailors pub at the start of the Dublin Coach route. The pub has been owned and run by the McAlister family since 1989.

I had seabass and champ (mashed potato with scallion, butter and milk). And a pint of Maggie Leap, a delicious Irish beer.

After dinner, I went for a little walk. I walked down Sugarhouse entry, which is one of the oldest entries in Belfast. A sugar refining industry was established here in 1666.

I also passed the cathedral on the way home.

When I got back to the hotel, Faye was starting to feel a little bit better, but still very tired. We both had a cup of tea before going to sleep.

After the Black Taxi Tour, we stopped off at the most famous pub in Belfast – the Crown Liquor Saloon. It dates back to 1895 and used to be the Ulster Raileay Hotel. In 1978 it was bought by the National Trust. It is a beautiful 3-storey building, and the ground floor is a very lavish pub with much of the tiling, glasswork, and woodwork created by Italian craftsmen who were bought to Belfast in the 1800s to work on catholic churches. The traditional gas lighting remains to this day. In Victorian times, the pub was a gin palace.

Initially, we stood at the bar and had a drink, but then a booth became available, so we quickly took it. The booths have bronze match strickers and a bell that waves a flag to summon service.

After a short while, a group of men asked if they could join us. They were from Yorkshire, and they were great entertainment for a while.

We hadn’t yet had dinner, so we excused ourselves and headed to the Whites Tavern for some food. This was established in 1630 and is the oldest tavern in Belfast and holds the city’s first tavern license. It is in an old trading alleyway where the Mercury Newspaper was founded in the 1850s.

We both ordered Irish Stew, which was delicious, and I tried some Irish ale.

After dinner, we went back to the hotel for a quick freshen up before making our way to the Cathedral quarter, which is where we were told there was good nightlife.

On the way, we stopped at the Northern Whig. This building dates back to 1819 and has previously housed hotel and a newspaper office. The Northern Whig and Belfast post was a daily regional newspaper first published in 1824 and ladted until 1963. It is now a soviet themed pub.

After a drink here, we headed to the Duke of York in Exchange Place.

The history of the Duke of York can be traced to the early 19th century, but there is evidence for a maltings and an inn on the site from the 18th century.   Former Sinn Fein leader, Gerry Adam, was once a barman here.

I tried some Jawbox gin, which is distilled just outside of Belfadt. It was really nice.

We were both feeling a bit tired and had an early start the next morning, so we decided to head towards home.

Kelly’s Cellar is right next to our hotel, so we stopped for a nightcap – Irish rockshore lager.

And then it was definitely time for bed.

Up until 1542, the whole of Ireland was an English lordship, it was controlled by the King of England as ‘Lord of Ireland’. In 1542, King Henry VIII established the Kingom of Ireland.

MIn the early 17th century, the conquest of Ireland was complete. Land was confiscated from native Irish Catholics and it was colonised by Protestant settlers from Britain. Most catholics did not recognise Protestant monarchs and continued to support the Jacobite government-in-exile from 1688 onwards.

During most of the history of the Kingdom, catholics got a raw deal. Catholicism was suppressed, they were barred from government, parliament, the military, and most public offices. In the 1780s, the parliament gained some independence from Britain, and some anti-catholic laws were lifted.  In 1801, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Parliament of the United Kingdom were created. This meant the abolishment of the Irish parliament and giving Ireland representation in the British parliament.

In the 1840s, there was the Great Famine, where potato blight led to mass starvation and a significant decline in population. Following this, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a campaign for Home Rule gained momentum. The campaign was for Irish Independence but it faced strong opposition from unionists, especially in Ulster (one of the 4 traditional provicines of Ireland and comprised of 9, or 6, counties depending on who you talk to). The Fenian Botherhood was set up in the 1850s and was active in Ireland, USA and Britian, with the goal of achieving Irish Independence from British rule. They organised a major rebellion in Ireland in 1867, but it was ultimately unsuccessful. They legally disbanded in 1880. The term ‘Fenian’ evolved to become a derogatory term for Irish Catholics in a sectarian context.

In 1916, the Easter Rising was launched by the Irish republicans against British Rule and was the first armed conflict of the Irish Revolutionary period. Sixteen of the Rising’s leaders were executed, leading to an increase in support for Irish Independence. This was demonstrated when Sinn Fein won 73 of the 105 Irish seats in the 1918 general election.

Northern and Southern Ireland split in 1921, established by the Government of Ireland Act 1920 and formalised by the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921. This partition created Northern Ireland, which remains part of the UK and the Irish Free State, the Republic of Ireland. This meant Northern Ireland remained part of the UK, with its own devolved government in Belfast.

From the 1960s to 1998, there was a period of political and sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland referred to as The Troubles. It began in the late 1960s as a civil rights movement by Catholics against the Protestant dominated government’s suppression of peaceful protest, such as the 1968 Derry /Londonderry protest. It triggered escalating clashes between loyalists (who were mainly protestants) and those seeking independence (who were mainly catholic) as well as the police. By the summer of 1969, widespread rioting erupted, leading to the deployment of British troops and the start of the very long conflict. The primary driver was the systematic discrimination against the Catholic minority by the Protestant dominated NI government.

And so at 3pm we met up with our taxi driver, Stevie, who was going to take us on a history tour of Belfast. Stevie had quite a strong accent, so you had to really listen to what he said.

Just outside of the city are Falls Road and Shankill road, which are where a lot of the fighting happened during the Troubles. They still have huge barricades up between the protestant and catholic areas. These barricades have gates that close at 8:30pm on weekdays and 6:30m on weekends. The barricades stop the two sides mixing, but both sides can still get into the city of Belfast and back. Within Belfast, there are around 60 Peace walls, community dividing barriers. Many were built during the Troubles, but some have been added since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Up until the late 1960s, catholics were unable to vote as the voting system was based on how many properties you owned and whether you paid tax.  This meant that voting was heavily weighted in favour of the protestant community as they owned the properties. This resulted in many towns and cities with a catholic majority still being unionist-controlled.

Even today, over 90% of children attend segregated schools.

There are 5 walls between the Shankill and Falls Road areas. Most of the gates are closed manually every evening, but one is closed remotely. All are monitored 24/7.

Although the Troubles finished 27 years ago, the protestants and catholics want the walls to remain as they make them feel safe.  Some of the walls go right through people’s back gardens, and some of the houses also have a protective layer.

The bottom part of the barricades were built in 1970s and are bomb proof. The next section was built in the 1980s to add more protection, and the final top section in the 1990s to stop bottles and other items being thrown over.

Even before the British Army arrived in 1969, people had already started to build the barricades between the two sides. Children were told to never cross the barricades and became afraid to do so.

In the catholic areas, the road signs display the name of the road in both English and Irish. In the protestant areas, only the English name is displayed. As you drive down Shankill Road and the protestant area, it almost feels more patriotic than England itself, with banners and red, white and blue kerbs.

The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) was formed in 1971 to defend the unionist communities during the Troubles. Initially, they were unarmed. Over time, they became a criminal and sectarian gang responsible for many deaths. They used the cover name Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) to claim responsibilities for the violence and avoid political issues. The UDA was banned (declared illegal by the British government) in 1992 and the UFF in 1973. The UDA does still exist, but they have agreed to a ceasefire.

We saw a large mural in the protestant area dedicated to Stevie McKeag, declared Top Gun. This is because he had killed the most catholics. The eyes of the snipers on the mural followed you wherever you went. This mural is illegal and should be removed by the local council, but the members of the council are supportive of the unionists.

Poppies are also painted on this mural. Red poppies are not worn by the catholics.

Throughout the Troubles, women’s voices were not listened to. Just down the road from the Stevie McKeag mural is one that is a lot more positive, providing a message of change and unity, bought together by the Lower Shankill Women’s Group.

The unionists (protestants) believe that the province of Ulster has 6 counties, whereas the republicans (catholics) believe it has 9. This is because 6 of the counties are in Northern Ireland, and 3 are in the Republic of Ireland.

During the troubles, there was always a lot of noise, and people got used to it. Since the ceasefire, people have had to adapt and get used to the quiet.

We then went to the International Wall, which is a specific 48m section of one of the Peace Walls in Belfast. This part of the wall serves mainly as a large public gallery for murals on social justice and international solidarity. It has become a symbol of hope.

We then went to another section of a Peace Wall, which we were able to add pur signature to. The oeace walls stretch over 34 km (21 miles), and some are around 8m tall. They can be made from a combination of brick, iron and steel. Over 3 500 people died during the Troubles, with almost 70% of deaths happening within 50m of one of these walls.

We then went to the Catholic area of Falls Road. The first place we visited was the Clonard Martyrs Memorial Garden. You could tell we were in a Catholic area as the Flag of Ulster was on display – a red cross on a yellow field with a red hand of Ulster).

This memorial on Bombay street is to remember those individuals from the community who were killed in the conflict. In 1969, loyalists attacked the street and burnt down most of the homes and it is this even that is often cited as the start of the Troubles. Within 2 weeks of the Troubles starting, 50,000 people were displaced from their homes.  The homes in this area were rebuilt in the 1970s.

Our driver told us the story of Nora McCabe. Nora was killed by a plastic bullet on the Falls Road in July 1981. She was only 33 years old, a mother of three, and was killed by a police officer from the Royal Ulster Constabulary, which existed in Northern Ireland between 1922 and 2001. The police originally stated that serious rioting was taking place at the time, which was they fired, but this was later disproven. A French Canadian journalist happened to film the incident where Nora was shot in the head with a plastic bullet. She died in hospital 36 hours later. Despite this evidence, nobody was ever prosecuted for her death. The police were only supposed to shoot these bullets below the knee, and they have only ever been used in Northern Ireland and South Africa. 17 people were killed by plastic bullets in Northern Ireland.

I always thought plastic bullets were the same size as a normal bullet, but they are huge – Faye is holding a plastic bullet and rubber bullet in the photo below.

In 1971, the British government introduced interment without trial. This meant that suspected members of paramilitary groups, such as the IRA, could be retained without a trial. Many innocent people were detained in this way, causing more unrest and more support for the IRA. The policy remained in force until 1975.

Convicted paramilitary prisoners were treated as ordinary criminals until 1972, when a Special Category Status was introduced. This meant prisoners were treated like prisoners of war, they didn’t have to wear prison uniforms or undertake prison work. In 1976, the British government stopped the Special Category Status for paramilitary prisoners in Northern Ireland. The IRA viewed this as a threat to their authority and responded with violence, including the assassination of prison officers.

The prisoners refused to wear the prison uniform, so they used to go out and exercise just covered in a blanket. This became known as the Blanket Protest. Because the prisoners refused to wear a uniform, they also couldn’t receive visitors.

The protest escalated to a point where prisoners were smashing the furniture in their cells, so all furniture was removed, and they were left with blankets and a mattress. Prisoners refused to leave their cells so they were unable to be cleaned, and this became the ‘dirty protest,’ where prisoners smeared their excrement on the walls. In 1980, seven prisoners went on hunger strike, asking for 5 demands; the right not to wear a prison uniform, the right not to do prison work,the right of free association with other prisoners, and to organise educational and recreational pursuits, the right to one visit, one letter and one parcel per week and full restoration of remission lost through the protest. This hunger strike lasted 53 days, but the promises were not fulfilled by the British government.

In March 1981, a further hunger strike began with Bobby Sands and resulted in the death of 10 prisoners. This hunger strike ended in October 1981 and resulted in a change in prison policy.

Bobby was a member of the IRA and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. He was only 27 when he died. Sands started the hunger strike, and other prisoners joined at staggered intervals to maximise publicity, with prisoners steadily deteriorating over several months. Shortly after the start of the hunger strike, a sudden vacancy became available for a seat with a nationalist majority. Sands stood for the seat and won it on 9 April 1981 whilst in prison. He became the youngest MP at the time. He died less than a month later without ever having taken his seat in the Commons.  Bobby Sands survived 66 days on hunger strike.

We then came across a Sinn Fein office. Sinn Fein means ‘we ourselves’ and was regarded as the political wing of the IRA, although they are now seen as separate organisations. The party was led by Gerry Adam’s from 1983 to 2018. Sinn Fein began back in 1902 but was of little importance until the Eater Uprising in 1916. In 1918, they won 73 of the 105 Irish seats in the British parliament.

In 1969, the party split into two over whether to use violence to protect the Catholics in Northern Ireland. They became known as the ‘workers’ party’ who were against violence and the provisional party. Sinn Fein was banned in the UK until 1974 as many of its leaders were thought to be members of the IRA. Up until 1981, members of Sinn Fein, who had acquired council seats, didn’t attend meetings as a form of protest against British rule. Sinn Fein, under the leadership of Gerry Adam’s and Martin McGuiness, agreed the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

Sinn Fein continues its policy of abstentionism at Westminster, where it has 7 of Northern Irelands seats.

This was the end of a very interesting black taxi tour. Many innocent people were killed on both sides of the Troubles, and it will be a while before the two will be able to live without the  peace walls separating them.

As they say, oppression breeds resistance.

We didn’t get up too early, so it was about 10am when we left the hotel. Our hotel didn’t serve breakfast, so we went to a little cafe round the corner called Maggie Mays. This is a family fun cafe and has been a fixture in Belfast for 30 years.

My head was a little bit fuzzy from the night before, and I was craving carbs, so I had an Irish breakfast with soda bread, potato bread and pancakes. It was just what I needed.

After breakfast, we made our way to St  George’s market. The market house seen today originates from 1890 but there has been a market on this site every friday from 1604. There used to be many such markets along May Street, but this is the only one left. It is the oldest covered market in Ireland and is made from brick, iron and stone. During WWII, the market was used as a mortuary for around 250 people

The market only opens on Fridays and at the weekend  and has a complete mixture of stalls selling crafts, meat, fish, other foods and plants, as well as live music. Within the market is the Old Belfast Fish Market Clock. This clock was originally built in 1821 and had been lost for years. It was discovered in the basement of City Hall in the 1980s and restored using an unused bell from the Smithfield market nearby. There’s a special mechanism in the clock that ensures the regular strikes won’t interrupt concerts and events.

We wandered around for a little while – it’s a huge market with over 200 stalls.

Opposite the market area are two imposing buildings. One is the old town hall of Belfast, which  was restored as Belfasts County Courts but is now vacant. The hall was built in 1870 to house the council and its meetings, but a new City Hall was built when Belfast was declared a city by Queen Victoria. In 1912, it became the headquarters of the Ulster Unionist Council, and it was where the Ulster Covenant was signed in protest against Home Rule. After WWII, it went back to being a courthouse until 2020.

The other building is the Royal Courts of Justice. Until 2920, the most senior courts in Ireland were in Dublin. This building was built between 1928 and 1933. It was heavily targeted during the Troubles and suffered from bomb damage in 1989 and 1997.

We weren’t far from the docks, so we decided to take a wander down there. On the way, we passed the Statue in Thanksgiving Square. This statue represents hope and aspiration, peace and reconciliation. Her position on the globe represents a unified approach to all life on earth.

The next sculpture we came upon was the Big Fish, also known as the Salmon of Knowledge. The sculpture is 10m long and was created in 1999. The tiles feature texts, images and newspaper clippings reflecting moments in Belfast’s history. The ‘Salmon of Knowledge’ comes from an Irish legend about Finn MacCumhaill, a mythical warrior who gained all the world’s wisdom by tasting a magical salmon.

Opposite where we were is Customs House. This was designed in 1847, and the building was completed 19 years later in 1857. It has been used by various governmental departments over the years.

On the way back into the city, we passed the Albert Memorial Clock. The clock was built in 1869 as a memorial to Queen Victoria’s late husband, who passed away in 1861. The cost of the clock was funded by public subscription and the Lord Mayor at the time donating his salary for 2 years. The design was the result of a competition and unfortunately, the designer, William Barrer, died of TB before the memorial was completed. It stands 35m high and is constructed mainly of sandstone. It is built on wooden piles on reclaimed marshy land, and over the years, subsidence has caused a lean of 1.25m from vertical. The clock tower houses a 2 tonne bell. In the 1950s there was a caretaker of Belfast Council’s public clocks, Tom Carragher. In February 1977, the clock suddenly stopped ticking, Tom had passed away an hour before.

We stopped off at Trait Cafe for a quick caffeine boost before heading back to our hotel.

Faye arrived around 1:30pm. After a very quick unpack, we went to a restaurant right next door to our hotel, Mourne Seafood Bar. It’s one of the best places in Belfast for seafood and fish. I’d only just had brunch, so I wasn’t very hungry, but I did try one of the oysters Faye ordered, and it was delicious.

We also shared a bottle of wine between us.

We then decided to take a little wander, which took us past the City Hall.

We also passed the current building housing the Ulster Bank, whose parent company is the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. The original Ulster Bank was housed in the  building, which is now the Merchant Hotel. In 2002, three Ulster Bank employees were arrested on charges of theft and money laundering. The three were responsible for the destruction of old banknotes at the bank’s former Waring Street cash centre. Between November 2001 and February 2002, they were accused of stealing approximately £900,000 of used banknotes designated for disposal. The money was then placed in various bank and building society accounts. On 23 January 2004, the men were jailed for two and a half years for the theft of £770,000.

We walked down Ann Street, popping into several shops on the way. We stopped for a quick photo of Pottinger’s Entry. This is one of the many narrow alleyways that form the nucleus of the city. The entries used to be the location of the towns bustling business area and the residence of many merchants. In 1689, Thomas Pottinger became the first Presbyterian sovereign (mayor), and this entry was named after him.

We eventually ended up at Bittles Bar.

This bar is in a building known as the Flat Iron building and was originally built in 1868. The bar has long been a gathering place for writers, artists, and intellectuals, contributing to its reputation as a cultural hub. It was originally called the Shakespeare, reflecting its theatrical clientele. It has some interesting political artwork on the walls.

From here, we walked back to the hotel to get showered and ready for our night out.

We had booked a reservation in the Great Room at the Merchant Hotel. The Great Room houses Ireland’s largest chandelier.

We arrived a little bit early, so we each had a cocktail at the bar.

The setting was very opulent, and the food was amazing. We both had duck for main.

And for dessert, we both had a pina colada.

After a fantastic dinner, we came across The National, and they had a 90s night going on. So we went inside and had a drink and dance. Initially, we didn’t realise just how big the place was, but we did some exploring and discovered it covered quote appears huge area.

Around 1:30 in the morning, we headed home and had a lovely cup of Redbush tea before heading to bed.

I woke up around 8 am, and after a quick shower, I left the hotel to do some more exploring. Initially, Faye was supposed to travel with me yesterday, but her little dog needed some care, so she decided to fly out a day later and was due to arrive early afternoon. As Faye is not the biggest fan of churches, I planned to get a few ticked off the list.

My first stop was at the First Presbyterian Church in Belfast. Its congregation was established in 1644 and the current building opened in 1783. It is the oldest surviving place of worship in Belfast. It is a non- subscribing church, which means it does not subscribe to the Westminster confession of faith. The church survived four bombings in the 1970s. It looks a little bit like a boat on the inside.

Not far from this church is a statue of Frederick Douglas. It is on the site where Frederick often addressed crowds when he came to Belfast. Frederick was an escaped slave and was the most important leader of the movement for African-American civil rights in the 19th century. He was warmly welcomed in Belfast by the antislavery societies, and he gave over 50 speeches in Ireland, recognising the shared struggles against oppression under British rule.

I then made my way to Donegall Street  where St Anne’s Cathedral is. I was a little bit early as the cathedral was still shut.

I continued walking down the street and passed the Reedemer Church – the Congregational Church. A congregational church is one where the congregation makes the decisions. There is no central authority or hierarchy, but there is a unity in belief that the bible is the word of God. The initial church was founded back in 1804, but the current building dates from 1934. The church was damaged during the Belfast Blitz and a rose window installed during repairs.

On the other side of the street, I passed the designated  Gay area. The statue is of Vladimir Lenin, located above the entrance of the Kremlin, one of the gay nightclubs in the area.

A bit further along was St Patrick’s Church – the Catholic church – which has a beautiful red sandstone exterior. The first church was built here in 1815, but the current church was built between 1874 and 1877. The new church was built around the old one, which was then demolished. There is a 2.1m tall statue of St Patrick above the entrance and a 2 ton bronze bell in the tower.  The inside has a gothic feel to it.

Towards the end of Donegall Road is Clifton House.  It opened in 1774 and was the original poor house until the 1880s. It then became a hospital and nursing home. Until the mid 1700s, there was no formal system of legislative or public funding to support the poor in Ireland. A combination of harvest failure, seed shortages, and bad weather led to severe famine in Ulster in 1741, and around 300,000 people died, similar to the Great Famine a century later. Today, the house still provides some residential and sheltered housing for older people.

Almost opposite Clifton house is the Orange Hall, which opened in January 1885. This hall was built as a result of the growing prominence of the Orange Order in late-Victorian Belfast, which saw a surge in membership in response to Home Rule anxieties. It is the largest purpose built Orange hall in the world and now houses a museum with artefacts related to the Orange Order.

Right next to the Orange Hall is the Indian Community Centre, which houses a Hindu Temple. It was originally built in 1889 and was the former Sunday school of Carlisle Memorial Church.

And on the other side of this is the Carlisle Memorial Methodist Church. The church was completed in 1875 and was home to one of the largest Methodist congregations in Belfast. It stopped being used as a place of worship in 1982 as a consequence of the declining congregation and its location at a major interface between Catholic and Protestant populations. It doesn’t look like it is currently being used for anything.

And then I made my way back to St Anne’s Cathedral, which was now open. Construction began in 1898, and it involved 8 architects over a period of 80 years. After Queen Victoria declared Belfast a city in 1888, it was felt a more prestigious place of worship was needed. The current cathedral was built around the old church of St Anne’s before it was demolished. This previous church was a gift to the town of Belfast by its landlord, Lord Donegall, whose wife also happened to be called Anne. Services continued to be held in the old church until 1903. Athough it is mainly built from Portland Stone, it includes a stone from each county in Ireland. This is the Church of Ireland Cathedral, and the Celtic Cross on the outside is the largest one in Ireland.

I decided to pay the £5 entrance fee to take a look around the inside. The nave of the cathedral is made up of 10 pillars, each with a different theme.

The first pillar on the right side is the pillar of science, and the one on the left is the pillar of womanhood.

The baptistery ceiling is made from 150,000 pieces of glass, representing the basic elements of creation; earth, air, fire and water, and each one was placed by hand. It was completed in 1924. The font takes 12 buckets of water to fill it, so it is rarely used. Instead, a Baptisimal bowl or wooden font in one of the chapels is used.

I then came across Carson’s tomb. He is the only person to be buried inside the cathedral. Lord Carson was an Irish Unionist politician, barrister and judge,  and was the Attorney General and Solicitor General for England, Wales and Ireland as well as the First Lord of the Admiralty for the Royal Navy. He became a minister without portfolio as part of the British War Cabinet in 1917 and was a life peer in the House of Lords. He is widely regarded as one of the founding figures of Northern Ireland.  On his death, he had a British state funeral, one of the only non-monarchs to receive such an honour.

The Titanic Pall was commissioned to mark the 2012 centenary of the sinking of the Titanic. A pall is a cloth that is placed over a casket or coffin at a funeral. There are 1517 hand embroidered gold crosses, stars of David and crescents, which represent each of the people who died.

The choir at St Anne’s has two Bishop’s thrones, which is very unusual. But this is due to the fact that the Cathedral actually covers two dioceses.

To the right of the choir is the pipe organ, which is the second largest such organ in Northern Ireland.

Originally, a bell tower was planned for the cathedral, but the ground the cathedral was built in could not support the weight. Below quite a bit of Belfast city centre are deposits of wet clay known locally as ‘sleech’. Because it has never been subjected to pressure, it has not consolidated and gives very little support to the building.

So a competition was opened for a design for a spire. The Spire of Hope is very lightweight in design. The stainless steel spire is 53m in height and extends 10m into the cathedral.

The three windows above the altar at the top, in the Sanctuary represent creation, the Trinity and the Eucharist. The ‘Good Samaritan’ windows at the bottom in the middle comes from the original St Anne’s church.

The cathedral has a Chapel of Unity, which embraces the theme of ecumenism – being similar but different. The stained glass windows contain the emblems for the scout association, girl guides and the girls brigade.

It also has a Regimental Chapel, and this is the spiritual home of the Royal Irish Regiment. The stained glass window in this chapel is the largest in the cathedral.

Towards the exit is the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. The altar in this chapel is a replica of an early Christian altar often found in the Roman catacombs where the first christians worshipped to avoid persecution. Above the entrance to the chapel is a painting of St. Patrick introducing Christianity to Ireland.

I was now quite hungry, so I stopped off at the Neighbourhood Cafe for brunch – delicious roasted mushrooms on toasted sourdough with a leek and cheese sauce.

Feeling refreshed, I found the oldest building in Belfast, which is now the Dirty Onion Pub. It was first built in 1608 and was originally used by fish merchants. It then became a greengrocers before becoming a warehouse and traded everything from fish and tea to tinned soup, linen, whiskey and much more.

Continuing walking, I came across Exchange Place, which looked like it would be a good place to go in the evening.

A bit further up on Waring Street is a 3 storey cubic building on the site of an original 17th century pot-house, it’s history is reflected in the use of stone, wood, glass and cobblestones to construct the new building. It was the original site of William Waring’s home, a tanner after whom the street was named.

Opposite this is the Cloth Ear, now a restaurant,which was built in 1869 and is one of the Ulster Buildings.

And right next to this is the Merchant Hotel, the 1860s former Ulster Bank. It is a Grade A listed building and is now a luxury hotel and restaurant. We had booked the restaurant for later that evening.

My next stop was the Parish Church of St George. Opening in 1816, it is the oldest Church of Ireland in Belfast. The church stands on what had been a fording place where the River Lagan and River Farset met. The earliest mention of a place of worship existing on this site is in the papal taxation rolls of 1306. The Chapel of the Ford was a chapel of ease of the main parish church at Shankill, and was constructed here for those waiting to cross the mud flats which covered most of the area that has since become central Belfast. It was seriously damaged on a number of occasions by IRA bombs.

Just up from here is the Jaffe Fountain Memorial in honour of Belfasts only Jewish Mayor. It is a gilded, cast iron drinking fountain (now dry) and was first erected in 1874 by Sir Otto Jaffe in memory of his father, the German-born merchant Daniel Joseph Jaffe. Daniel Jaffe came to Belfast to open a linen warehouse but settled there in 1850. He is seen as the founder of Belfast’s Jewish community and built the city’s first synagogue in 1871.

Right opposite this memorial is the biggest shopping centre in Belfast, Victoria Square. It has a 360⁰ glass dome above it.

A short distance away is the Spirit of Belfast sculpture, unveiled in 2009. It is reflective of Belfast’s linen and shipbuilding industries. Locally, it is referred to as the ‘Onion Rings’.

The building behind used to house a grand restaurant and cafe and was originally built in 1889. It now houses a variety of shops. 

I had a couple more churches to see before Faye’s arrival. The first was May Street Church, a Georgian church which opened in 1829. The first minister of this church was Henry Cooke, the famous reformer of the Presbyterian Curch in Ireland. The basement of the church was originally used as a cemetery and had vaults in it containing interments. It was later converted into school rooms.

Just down from here is St Malachys Church. The foundation stone was laid on 3 November 1841 on the feast of St Malachy and it opened in 1844.

The inside of the church is stunning. It has a fan-vaulted ceiling, which looks a bit like a wedding cake turned inside out. It is seen as the city’s Roman Catholic Cathedral.

The original high altar, pulpit and altar rails were made of Irish oak but were replaced with marble when the church was renovated in 1926. At the foot of the altar is a pelican, a Christian symbol of sacrifice.

The original bell of the church cracked in 1845, soon after it opened. It was replaced in 1868 and is the largest bell in Belfast.  The bell was silenced for a while, and then later, it was coated in felt to muffle it slightly.  The legend is that it was too loud, and its peal sent shock waves which interfered with the distilling of whiskey in the Dunville Distillery, located near the church but now long gone. 

On the way back to the hotel, I passed Ulster Hall, which is a theatre. It was built in 1862 as a multipurpose venue for the city. During WWII, it was used as a dance hall to entertain American troops based in Ireland. From the late 19th century, it became the traditional venue for high-profile unionist rallies.

I also walked past the Presbyterian Assembly Building again – it’s a very grand building.

On the street next to our hotel is St Mary’s Church. It opened in 1748 and was the first Catholic church in Belfast. Protestants contributed significantly to the cost of the building. The original building has been extended to accommodate an increasing size of congregation. The church holds two masses a day from Sunday – Monday, and three a day on Friday and Saturday. The 6pm Mass on both Friday and Saturday is celebrated in the Irish language.

In 1954, a Grotto to Our Lady of Lourdes was built in the gardens surrounding the church.

And then it was time to go back to the hotel and meet up with Faye.

I was in London for work, so I just got the Elizabeth line to Heathrow airport, grabbed some brunch, and got on the plane.

The first thing you see on arrival at Belfast City Airport (George Best Airport) are the Samson and Goliath cranes in the Harland and Wolff shipyard.

It was very straightforward getting out of the airport, and then I waited a short while at the taxi rank for a taxi.  The journey to where we were staying was only around 20 minutes, and I had a lovely, chatty taxi driver who gave me lots of advice on what to see and where to go.

The accommodation was in a great location, but it wasn’t the nicest place I have stayed in.

After a very quick unpacking of my suitcase I decided to go exploring.

Right outside the hotel was a bee installation. The bees were installed in July 2024 as part of an urban greening initiative. These sculptures, funded by Belfast City Council, are a symbol of the city’s commitment to creating a more vibrant and sustainable environment.

There were also some really nice murals there.

On the way into the centre of the city, I walked past the Fountain Centre and the Alice Clock.  This clock is Irelands only automation clock and has a curious procession of characters from Alice in Wonderland and the Nativity. I wasn’t there at the right time to see the figures come out.

Shortly after, I came across a beautiful building, which is the Scottish Provident Institition. The architecture is amazing, and it was built in sections between 1897 and 1902. It was originally designed as offices but now also houses shops and cafes.

Just close by is Belfast City Hall, another grand building that looks a bit like St Paul’s Cathedral. A 53m copper dome rises up from the centre.

The city hall was built in response to Queen Victoria awarding Belfast city status in 1888. Building started in 1898 and took about 8 years to complete. At the front of the hall, there is a statue of Queen Victoria with her back to the entrance.

There are also two other statues to each side of the hall. The first is Winifred Carney, who was a suffragette and trade unionist. In 1913, she co-wrote the Irish Textile Workers Union manifesto called “To the Linen Slaves of Belfast.” It was a time when many women and children were working long hours in the linen mills in poor conditions, often working barefoot and going hungry.

The other statue is Mary Ann McCracken, who is remembered as an abolitionist, educator, social reformer, and businesswoman in the muslin trade. She was an equal rights campaigner, petitioning for education, child welfare, and prison reform as well as an end to the slave trade. She campaigned against slavery at Belfadt docks until she was almost 90 years old.

On 3 December 2012, the City Council voted to limit the days that the union flag flies from City Hall to no more than 18 designated days. Since 1906, the flag had been flown every day of the year.

Within the grounds of City Hall is a Titanic memorial garden, remembering all those who died when the Titanic sunk. The Titanic was built in Belfast.

To the back of the city hall is the Belfast Cenotaph. It became a grade A listed building in 1984. The monument symbolises both victory and honour.

There is also a memorial to Fredrick Temple, the Marquess of Dufferin. He had a number of diplomatic roles and travelled to India, Canada, Russia, Turkey, Rome, and Paris. He served as Governor-General of Canada and Viceroy of India in his time.

Just opposite the city hall is the Linen Hall Library, which is the last public subscription library left in Ireland. It was originally designed as a linen warehouse. It is the oldest library in Belfast, dating back to 1788.

The next stop was Ten Square Hotel. This used to be known as Yorkshire House and was built in 1862 as a 3 storey linen warehouse.

I walked past another building called the Linen Hall but couldn’t find any information about it.

Just up from here was the Thomas Thompson Memorial Fountain. Thompson was a naval surgeon during the Napoleonic Wars and gained enough knowledge to help him combat outbreaks of cholera, smallpox, dysentery, and typhus in Belfast. He also was the founder of the city’s Home for the Incurable. In 1850, the average age of death in Belfast was just 9 years, following the Great Famine and outbreaks of cholera.

The Grand Opera house is a lovely baroque style building. It opened in 1895, and Van Morrison, who is from Belfast, recorded an album here.

Just next door is the Europa Hotel. It is notorious for being the most bombed hotel, suffering from 33 IRA attacks during the Troubles. This was because the British reporters all stayed here.

Just down from here is the Crown Liqour Saloon, which is Belfast’s most famous pub.

I went in the pub opposite, Brennans Bar.

Being in Belfast, I thought I would try a Guiness. It was really nice and creamy. I dont drink Guiness that much, but it did seem like it was creamier than the pints back in England.

Part way through my pint, there was live music as entertainment. The majority of pubs in Belfast seem to have live music, which is great.

I walked a little further out to the Presbyterian Assembly Rooms, a building housing the headquarters for the Presbyterian Church. The contest for its design in 1899 caused a scandel as the winner was the church’s architect who actually devised the competition. The tower houses Belfasts only peal of 12 bells and is modelled on St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. The turret clock was the first in the British Isles to use electricity to drive its cogs and ring its bells.

The doorway arch and oriel window above are carved with biblical burning bushes and 14 angels.

As I started to walk home, I passed the statue of the ‘Black Man’. This statue, built in 1876, is of Reverend Dr. Henry Cooke, who opposed political liberalism. The statue was originally black, but as it is made of copper, it has oxidised and turned green. The statue has his back to the Academy whose notions on equality and religious tolerance he desperately opposed.

On the way back to mine, I stopped to have some pasta for dinner and another quick half of Guiness at the Orisha pub.

As night fell, some of the buildings were lit up and looked really nice.

Right next door to our hotel is Kelly’s Cellars, a pub that opened in 1720. They also had live music, so I sat down and drank a pint of Kilkenny. I got chatting to a couple from Chicago who were about to run the Causeway half marathon on the Saturday.

And then it was a very short walk back to the hotel and bed.