Nine reasons to visit Northern Ireland
Breathtaking natural beauty and great nightlife make Northern Ireland a fantastic destination. Time Out and easyJet bring you nine top reasons to visit
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| The Giant's Causeway |
1 the Giant’s Causeway
The
only World Heritage site in Northern Ireland, this bewildering array of
some 37,000 hexagonal columns is not only a spectacular place to
explore on foot, but the mass of molten basalt (the result of a series
of ancient underground volcanic eruptions) also hides a few insights
into the homes of rulers past. Check out the sixteenth-century Kinbane
Castle on the eastern side of the causeway and thread your way from
there toward the thirteenth-century Dunluce Castle, with its perilous
bridge access. Trace your way back even further in time to see
Dunseverick Castle. All are wind-lashed places of fable and legend with
Dunseverick particularly evocative as nature slowly reclaims the
remains of what Cromwell’s troops destroyed during their
sixteenth-century invasion.
www.causewaycoastandglens.com
2 Murals of the Falls Road and Shankhill
Politics
and art have rarely been easy bedfellows and the divided neighbourhoods
around these maligned areas are no exception. The huge, garish murals
daubed onto the end walls of these Victorian streets and post-war
estates show an entirely predictable (and understandable) preference
for bombast that stomps over any subtlety. Yet the paintings
commemorating the likes of hunger striker Bobby Sands on Belfast's
Republican Falls Road and the ubiquitous Hand of Ulster in Unionist
Shankhill's streets are passionate and impressive works of devotion
that, perhaps more than any ranting politician of yore, demonstrate the
rancor, hurt and belief that, thankfully, no longer manifest themselves
in these neighborhoods.
www.belfasttaxitours.com
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| Bushmills whiskey distillery |
3 Bushmills whiskey distillery
The
ideal way to round off a bracing day on the Giant’s Causeway,
‘Bushmills’ is as integral a part of Irish life as soda bread and
Seamus Heaney. 2008 sees the distillery, which James I first granted
license for, celebrate its 400th birthday – though sheep farmers in the
area were making whiskey illegally for many years beforehand. The
guided tour is an aromatic feast of yeast, barley and maturing wooden
casks but thankfully the enjoyment isn’t just limited to the olfactory
sense. A tasting session might be just the incentive to shell out on
the new anniversary blend, which, so we’re told, is a smooth malt and
grain whiskey with a hint of vanilla and toffee. Don’t delay though –
the distillery is only making 10,000 bottles of the stuff.
www.bushmills.com
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| The City walls of Derry |
4 City walls of Derry
A
masterpiece display of political bravado by James I, the city walls of
Derry were built by the Honorable Irish Society in the early
seventeenth-century to defend English and Scottish settlers against
local resistance. Amazingly, they have never been breached, though the
gates have been rebuilt, with three new ones added. The view from the
top provides an excellent view of the city’s Renaissance-style layout.
The Chapter House has been turned into a museum detailing the
incredible battles this city has seen, from the Jacobites to the
attacks of the IRA. Also on display are the four original great gate
locks of the city.
www.derryvisitor.com
5 Paul Rankin’s restaurant empire
If
you want soda bread you’re not going to go short in Northern Ireland
but any jokes about eating out in Belfast are vanquished by a visit to
any of the eateries owned by Northern Ireland’s premiere celeb chef
Paul Rankin. The County Down-born star now has a mini-chain of casual
all-day dining establishments called ‘Café Paul Rankin’, but for the
best taste of his work head to stalwart ‘Cayenne’ where you’ll be wowed
with an eclectic menu that includes velvety pan-fried scallops with
curried cauliflower dressing as a knockout highlight. The set lunch (
£15.50 for three courses) is an absolute steal so book ahead.
www.rankingroup.co.uk
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| Mountains of Mourne |
6 Brandy Pad in the Mountains of Mourne
The
ancient smugglers' route of the Brandy Pad winds around the forbidding
heather-strewn peaks and valleys of the Mourne mountains. The
weather-beaten stone graves of ancient Irish chiefs pepper these hills,
while the lack of roads up into the 20-odd peaks, some rising to a
summit of over 2,000 feet, makes for an atmosphere redolent of ancient
feuds, chicanery and secrecy. Take respite from this journey, that even
few locals take, and watch the myriad peregrines and malevolent ravens
circle up from the sandy expanse of Dundrum Bay as they make their own
way up into this strange and beautiful, cloud-diademed landscape.
www.mournelive.com
7 Crown Liquor Saloon
This
is the pub that will make you swear never to visit an Irish-themed bar
in other parts of the world ever again. This Belfast pub, built in
1826, is the real deal. The High Gothic interior, lit in the evening by
old-fashioned gas lamps is utterly irresistible and a recent makeover
has erased years of tobacco residue, repainted with a ruby red tinge to
the walls. Snag one of the wooden-doored booths that line the right
hand side of the bar and gaze in wonder as your quick lunchtime pint of
stout becomes a four-hour session with new friends. And you never know
whom you might be sharing your booth with. James Nesbitt and Brad Pitt
have both supped in here while working in the city’s theatre over the
road.
www.crownbar.com
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| Europa Hotel |
8 Europa Hotel
The
Europa has the dubious distinction of being the most bombed hotel in
Europe and was the preferred HQ of visiting journalists to Belfast in
the '70s and '80s when The Troubles were at their bloody zenith. Now
the its days as a terrorist target are long gone and there’s plenty to
enjoy about the hotel’s ideal location directly opposite the Crown
Liquor Saloon and next to the Grand Opera House. The marble-clad lobby
and the gilt fittings have impressed many a visiting dignitary though
perhaps none more so than a former US President. The management must
have enjoyed having Bill Clinton when he stayed here; they’ve even
named the Bridal Suite after him.
www.hastingshotels.com
9 Bangor
This
is a quintessential Victorian seaside resort, though thankfully shorn
of the worst excesses of ‘kiss me quick’ seediness. You won’t go short
if it’s ice cream and fish and chips that you’re after, though we
suggest taking in the more refined beauty of the coastal path that
takes you from Bangor’s seafront through to some great views of Belfast
Lough. It then heads all the way to Helen’s Bay via the vast sandy
expanse of Crawfordsburn Beach, Scotland being clearly visible on a
clear summer day. If you don’t have the energy for this excursion then
the town’s abbey, dating back to AD558 has a huge graveyard to walk
around with graves including that of the surgeon on board the Titanic.
www.bangor-local.com
Rob Crossan
