Northern Ireland family holiday

Northern Irish eyes are smiling again...

Northern Ireland has put its Troubles behind it and emerged as a must see destination. Carson Black returned to his homeland to explore.

Let me declare an interest. I was born and raised in Northern Ireland, leaving when I was 24 years old. Young and naiive then, I wasn’t too aware or appreciative of the surroundings I grew up in.

But when I recently brought my English partner back to my home town of Carrickfergus I was astonished when she raved about the magnificence and beauty of Carrickfergus Castle – probably the best preserved Norman Castle in the world – and the verdancy of the place in general.

A friend since school days had urged me to come back before the place is swamped with tourists. You can still find mile-long stretches of sandy beaches with no one on them. You can still walk the Glens of Antrim, The Mourne Mountains, or Strangford Lough without seeing too many tourists. And Belfast, the capital, is buzzing. Come quick, he urged, before the place is found out.

I did and I was able to look at the place of my birth as I would if I were on a visit to Texas, or Peru or Croatia, places fairly unfamiliar to me before I travelled to them.

My memories of Ireland are from childhood – from intrigued, happy boy exploring the wide-open spaces and seashore-scapes to disillusioned teen and student who couldn’t wait to leave the Troubles and mindless bigotry behind.

It was the Troubles that did it for tourism in Northern Ireland. Images of bombs going off and murder reports on TV screens around the world over 30 years created a sense of a dangerous country in turmoil. But no more. Peace prevails and an uneasy truce has settled . A new generation is building a country that seems vibrant, prosperous and welcoming. There is no more exciting time to live in or visit Northern Ireland, its tourist board promised me.

No more so than in the capital, Belfast, a city that I remember only in sound – mainly sirens, of ambulances, fire engines, police cars, bombs and gunshot, a constant cacophony of emergencies.

Well no more. Belfast resonates a different sound today, the sound of excitement, vibrancy, creativity.

I firmly believe that Belfast is now one of the great cities in the world. It has transformed itself, is transforming itself. When I was at university there, the Queen’s University Arts Festival was a fairly big deal, but basically the only place to view a spectrum of differing arts. Brave were the artists who agreed to come and perform. Today it is the second biggest arts festival in Europe (to Edinburgh) attracting the biggest names in the world.

But the arts are not confined to the university quarter. Public art, sculpture, theatre, outdoor performance, and a massive quandrant of the old Harland and Wolff shipyard has been taken over by arts venues. Hollywood movies are made in the old Titanic paint shop, now converted into a sound stage. Modern and historic sculptures have been commissioned and boldly placed - fantastic foresight and bravery by the province’s burghers. Even the grounds of the hotel I stayed in, the plush Culloden in nearby Cultra, is a sculpture park. And, of course, across Belfast you can view the unique gable-end political art that illustrates and reminds of the polarity of political opinion.

This year saw the opening of the world’s biggest Titanic exhibition to mark the centenary of the vessel’s sinking. The iconic building housing the hi-tech exhibition, which explores the ship’s construction and its discovery miles beneath the treacherous Atlantic ocean, nestles in Belfast harbor, appropriately next to the twin edifices of Goliath and Samson, the landmark shipyard cranes that helped make the city a world centre of excellence for ship building, and which dominate the skyscape.

The giant Titanic exhibition centre is perched at the top of the actual ramp that launched the vessel on its fateful journey in 1912, next to the Harland and Wolff drawing offices in which it was designed. The building consists of four triangular sides, each the size of the actual vessel, from keel to deck, giving visitors an immediate sense of scale of the story to be told inside.

This is the biggest Titanic exhibition in the world – able to house 3,547 visitors at any one time – the same capacity as the ship. Inside, over four floors are nine interactive galleries and exhibitions telling the full story of the ship’s birth, life, death and discovery, the story a metaphor of the province’s own eventful and tragic story.

As a student, my memories of eating out in Belfast consist of burger bars, chip shops and a few Chinese restaurants. Today the place is awash with trendy eateries, Michelin-starred restaurants and fancy brasseries. Places like Nick’s Warehouse and Made in Belfast serve local fresh modern food in a lively atmosphere. Of course, it goes without saying, the city’s pubs are cracking too. Don’t pass up a Friday night of music and drink in the John Hewitt or a pint of Guinness and Irish Stew at the world-famous Crown, opposite the most bombed hotel in the world, the Europa (29 times a victim of bombings).

At the magnificent Culloden Hotel - part of the local Hastings Group – staff proudly thrust a booklet at me which describes the provenance of the food they serve. Local beef farmers and bakeries are profiled, pork and poultry producers lauded. Our organic salmon is fished off the coast, at Glenarm, it tells me. Most everything served is sourced locally. All great fare - good enough, indeed, for Manchester United who made a flying visit for lunch prior to a charity match during my stay. And Van Morrison, who, I’m told, dines there regularly.

But the province is much more than just Belfast. Beyond the city lies a landscape that can rank amongst the most spectacular in the British Isles. From Belfast, head south through Bangor along the Ards Pennisula to Donaghadee, Millisle and Ballywalter, savouring the coastal route as you go. I was on a quest to revisit the Silent Valley deep in the Mourne Mountains. But first I took in the delights of Mount Stewart House and Gardens, a treasure in the National Trust’s portfolio and former home of Lord & Lady Londonderry, dating back to the 18th century.

Crossing Strangford Lough, a world heritage site, with its plethora of flora and fauna above and below the water, along the coast to Newcastle where the Mountains of Mourne really do sweep down to the sea, and inland to the Silent Valley perched high in the mountains. As a child we would go here - a 20th century reservoir which feeds Belfast with fresh water - on school trips and in turn shout into the void, listening as our voices echoed back, the only sound in the silence of the huge glacial valley. On this occasion my shouts were lost in the gale force wind that was blowing between the hills and carrying my voice into silent oblivion.

A few miles further inland is the town of Downpatrick, the resting pace of Ireland’s patron saint, Patrick. This is a must visit if you are interested in saints, scholars and Irish Christian heritage. Within a mile of the town is Saul, the site of the first church in Ireland and the first holy wells at Struel.

I drove north along the Antrim coast road. Writer Rene Cutforth once wrote that this was the best drive in the world – the whole world. I remember all those years ago reading this and thinking what is he on? But now having travelled the world and able to look with a fresh eye …it is difficult to argue against this, even today.

I stop en route at Glenariff, one of the nine Glens of Antrim, and see how giant glaciers carved a landscape that is now an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. You can walk here for miles, undisturbed and, mostly, alone. It was here – trekking across the Antrim plateau - I did my grueling Duke of Edinburgh Silver award hike as a 15 year old. How big and wild the Antrim plateau seemed in those days. Today little has changed.

Further north on the wind swept coast, there are vacant sandy beaches which stretch for mile after mile, Portstewart Strand, Magilligan Strand, and the only people you see are a few diehard surfers, an occasional pensioner walking their dog and horse riders exercising on the edge of the surf. There is also the magnificence of the Giant’s Causeway, of course, this year celebrating the opening of a new and, long overdue, visitor centre.

Also up here is one of the world’s great golf courses, Royal Portrush. For years – since the Troubles receded - there have been calls for it to host the prestigious British Open. It has always missed out to courses on the mainland. It’s not the course that’s the problem, goes the argument – it’s what you do with all the people who are attracted by the event. Tens of thousands of visitors need accommodation and food. And here, I discovered, lies the only negative to a visit to Northern Ireland.
The people are fantastic – friendly, open, welcoming, more so than anywhere I’ve ever encountered across the globe – but, outside Belfast, there is little tourist infrastructure. Hardly any cafes, hotels, B&Bs. Certainly not enough to cater for a mass invasion.

Belfast is great – lots of good hotels, some great ones, many many beds. But even ten miles beyond the city, you have trouble finding anywhere.

The tourist board’s answer to this is that things are improving. That’s true enough, but outside the city try finding an open coffee shop – or restaurant serving food – at 3pm any day of the week. There are some, but not enough. It needs sorting and quickly. if the place is to become a tourist mecca, which it deserves to be.

A word on behalf of my home town: Carrickfergus. Go there. It’s 800 year old Norman Castle is worth a visit if you want a précis of what makes Northern Ireland such an interesting place.

Go Belfast

Travel:

By Air: Scheduled air services operate from nearly all major UK airports. There are many direct flights from major European cities. Major airlines operate scheduled services from the US and Canada to Belfast International Airport via UK and Republic of Ireland airports. Additionally, there are charter flights direct from New York and Toronto to Belfast.
Belfast City Airport. Five minute taxi or bus ride from the city centre serves 22 UK and seven European destinations.
Belfast International Airport. Half an hour outside the city in the Antrim countryside serves 12 UK destinations and 29 international including USA & Canada.
British Midland flies from Heathrow to Belfast City.

By Ferry: Coast to Coast from Scotland to Northern Ireland in an hour! 
Northern Ireland has first-class ferry connections with Scotland, England and the Isle of Man. New, high-speed vessels, enhanced on-board amenities, entertainment and shopping.

Places to Stay:

The Culloden Hotel & Spa, Cultra, Holywood. Five star luxury just outside Belfast on the south shore of Belfast Lough in magnificent 12 acre gardens.
Tel: +44 (0) 28 9042 1066
www.hastingshotels.com/culloden-estate-and-spa

Others:
Luxury - The Merchant, Hilton, Jurys Inn & Marriot
Budget - Ibis, plus a host of excellent B&Bs.

Places to visit:

Titanic Exhibition, Belfast
Terrific story of the doomed vessel. Booking essential.
www.nmni.com/titanic

Museums:
Ulster Museum, Belfast
Ulster Folk & Transport Museum, Holywood.
Ulster American Folk Park
www.nmni.com/Home

Mount Stewart House & Gardens
Wonderful 18th Century former home of Lord & Lady Londonderry.
Portaferry Road, Newtownards
Tel: 028 4278 8387

Local Drinks: Guinness, Bushmills Whiskey, Harp lager.

Local Food: Ulster Fry - Full English served with soda bread and farls of potato bread.

More info:
www.gotobelfast.com
www.discovernorthernireland.com

Northern Ireland Tourist Board,
59 North Street
Belfast BT1 1NB
Tel: +44 (0)28 9023 1221 

Email : info@nitb.com