SnapshotBelfast

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Posts Tagged ‘Society and Culture’

Belfast Facts

March 19th, 2009

: Seamus Heaney (via last.fm)

Although Northern Ireland is a small country, it makes major contributions to the world.

Belfast , Gaelic Béal Feirste, is the capital of Northern Ireland and sits on Belfast Lough, an inlet of the North Channel of the Irish Sea, and at the mouth of the Lagan River. The harbor, 8.5 mi (13.7 km) long, is navigable to the largest ships. The great shipyards of Belfast have built some of the world’s largest ocean liners. The city is also the center of the Irish linen industry; other industries include tobacco and food processing, packaging, and the manufacture of rayon, aircraft, tools and machinery, clothing, carpets, and rope.

Queen’s University (founded 1845) and Victoria College (founded 1859), one of the oldest women’s grammar schools in the British Isles, are among the educational institutions there. The Cathedral of St. Anne, the Waterfront concert hall, and the Odyssey Center, housing a sports arena and a science museum, are notable. The Parliament House of Northern Ireland is at Stormont, a suburb.

Belfast was founded in 1177 when a castle in defense of a ford over the Lagan was built, but the present city is a product of the Industrial Revolution.
French Huguenots , coming there after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685), stimulated the growth of the town’s linen industry.
The ocean liner Titantic was built in Belfast and there are still some people in Northern Ireland who remember seeing the launching of this “unsinkable ship”
In 1900, the large industrial city of Belfast had the biggest shipyard, biggest rope-works and biggest textile factory in the world
Famous Northern Irelanders include Oscar-winning actor Liam Neeson, singer/song-writer Van Morrison, Noble Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney, Formula One Racing driver Eddie Irvine and professional golfer Darren Clark
The city of Belfast has been occupied since the Bronze Age and visitors can still visit the remains of the Iron Age hill forts.
In 2007, more than 6.9 million visitors came to Belfast, 1 million more than in 2004. Tourists injected £313.3 million into the local economy and helped to support over 17,230 full-time jobs. (40% of visitors came to Belfast on business or to attend a conference, 30% of visitors came to Belfast on holiday, 3% of visitors came to visit friends and relatives)
The city is also a popular destination for cruise ships with 31 vessels visiting the city in 2007, carrying over 38,000 passengers and crew.
Agricultural and livestock products are the chief exports.

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Posted in Belfast, Just For Fun

Tags: Belfast Eddie Irvine facts Industrial Revolution Lagan River Northern Ireland Seamus Heaney Society and Culture Van Morrison

Working in Belfast

March 19th, 2009

Northern Ireland has enjoyed a real renaissance since the peace process began to blossom in the mid 1990s. Belfast in particular once synonymous with civil unrest has been tipped a top ten ‘city on the rise’ by the Lonely Plant, and most importantly is buzzing with life, excitement and creativity.

Belfast itself offers a unique balance of urban and rural, modern and ancient. Though Belfast’s very much a capital city, you’re never far from stunning scenery and fine Victorian and Edwardian architecture, and a rich shipbuilding history provides a striking contrast with modern investments including the Victoria Square complex, home to the Norths very Open Apple Store, and the Odyssey Pavilion, home to the Mighty Belfast Giants.

For those who live or travel here, you will find that your social life’s is bright with new hotels, clubs, bars and restaurants springing up all over the city, it’s good to know that the efficient pink and white Metro bus will take you pretty much anywhere you want to go.

For those seeking employment, there is plenty of variety and choice and despite the Credit Crunch, belfast is still attracting investment and creating jobs in some sectors. at the same time, house prices have come down significantly and are not at a level that is right having gone through what was a huge surge in valuations.

Some of the top companies to consider are:

Tesco – 10,000+ employees
Bombardier – 5,000+ employees
Asda – 3,500 employees and growing
BT – 2,600 employees
HBOS – 2,200 employees
UTV Media – 900+ employees

Some of the cool up and coming IT companies include:

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Posted in Belfast, Credit Crunch, Eating Out, Pubs & Clubs, Shopping, Technology

Tags: Asda Belfast Credit Crunch jobs nightlife Northern Ireland Police Service of Northern Ireland Society and Culture UTV Media working

Investment Continues in Belfast

March 16th, 2009

: Image via Wikipedia

It seems as though investors are continuning to see Belfast as a positive and encouraging invesment despite the sad and dispacable attacks. The Belfast Telegraph announced today that as a result of the ongoing visit to the USA by the First and Deputy First Ministers a deal has been secured with a large Pensions Investment Company which will see invesment in the region of £24M.

This is just a another sign of all that is good in Northern Ireland and Belfast. The city is home to many top comanies and top technology and development centres. Continued investment bring back people who travelled away during what was known as the “brain drain” and more inward investment and good job means a better quality of life for all including visitors.

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Posted in Announcement, Belfast

Tags: Belfast Belfast Telegraph Government Northern Ireland Society and Culture United States

What to do in Belfast

March 11th, 2009

: Image via Wikipedia

In this post, we look at some of the activites and things you can do during your visit to Belfast. It is recommended that you give yourself 2-3 days to fit this all in and as you can see from the list, you will enjoy it much better if you have kids, that is of course unless you are a big kid yourself.

Belfast is a great city to explore with your family. Full of history and culture, there are so many great attractions that you won’t want to leave. Our 2-day itinerary takes you and your family around some of the best family friendly attractions the city has to offer.

Belfast Castle

Start your stay in Belfast with a visit to Belfast Castle, situated on the slopes of Cave Hill, some 400ft above sea level. The castle offers fabulous views over Belfast, making it a must-see attraction. Tours around the castle run daily, and there’s also a children’s adventure playground, visitor centre, beautiful landscaped gardens and walking trails. The castle is a short distance from the City centre and very easy to get to by Bus. You can find the buses to the right of the City Hall as you look at it.

Belfast Zoo

The first thing you’ll notice about Belfast Zoo is its stunning location. Set in a picturesque mountain park above the city, the zoo gives great views of Loch Lagan and Belfast itself. There are animals from Africa, Asia and South America in the zoo, including gorillas, red pandas, spectacled bears, rare tamarins and marmosets. You can also get a great underwater view of sea lions and penguins, which your children will love. A natural next stop after visiting the Belfast Castle as you can easily walk to it, although the hill up to the park is very steep, be warned

Aunt Sandra’s Candy Factory

Take your family on a delicious trip back to the 1950s with a visit to Aunt Sandra’s Candy Factory. Enjoy the taste and smells of old time candy making as you watch Aunt Sandra’s famous candy being made with recipes over 100 years old. And of course, you can get the finished product in the shop – the honeycomb Leprechaun’s Gold is delicious. Maybe plan on doing this on day 2 as you will have little energy left after trecking round the Belfast Castle and Zoo.

Pirates Adventure Golf

End your day out in Belfast with a family game of adventure golf at Pirate’s Adventure Golf. There are 2 landscaped courses – Blackbeard’s Adventure and the Captain’s Challenge, each with scary pirate obstacles to overcome. There are waterfalls and fountains on both courses, and even a firing cannon. And if you’re brave enough, why not play a night game? if you have time, then why not try your skills on the ice and do your best Torvil and Dean impersonation in the Dundonald Ice Bowl whcih is on the same site as the crazy golf

W5 Interactive Discovery Centre

W5 is Ireland’s only interactive discovery centre, where children can let their imaginations turn, twist and fly through over 160 amazing interactive exhibits in 4 dynamic exhibition areas. In the ‘SEE’ area, children can make music with lights, create cartoons, boggle their minds with optical illusions and even become the photo editor of a newspaper. And in the ‘DO’ area, they can bring robots to life and play virtual sports.

Lagan Boat Company

Did you know that the Titanic was conceived, designed, built and launched in Belfast? The Lagan Boat Company is the world’s only authentic provider of authentic Titanic boat tours around the shipyard of Harland & Wolff in Belfast. The tour takes you around to the historical sites that helped to design and construct the spectacular liner.

Other things for you to see and do while you are here include: