Part One
QUICK FACTS ABOUT BELFAST
Belfast is the second largest city on the island of Ireland
Northern Ireland’s capital city
One third of the population of Northern Ireland live in Belfast
National Geographic Cool List 2024: the 30 most exciting destinations to visit in 2024 — Belfast was ranked #2
Trip Advisor ranked Belfast fourth best place to visit in Europe
Location: 1 hour flight to London — 1 hour 30 minutes flight to Paris — 2 hour flight to Barcelona — 2 hour flight to Berlin — 2 hour 30 minutes flight to Rome — 6 hour flight to Boston
The name Belfast originates from the Irish word ‘Beal Feirste’, which means ‘Mouth of the River’
The birthplace of the Titanic, the world’s most famous ship
The world’s largest dry dock
Frederick Douglass escaped slavery to become one of the most important abolitionists and statesmen of the 19th century. While in Ireland in 1845 he visited Belfast many times and in 2023 the city became the first in Europe to honour him with a statue.
Where Led Zeppelin first played Stairway To Heaven live
Van Morrison — the singer/songwriter is a native of Belfast, many of his songs are about growing up there and the imagery of his lyrics describe Belfast during the 1950s to present day
C.S Lewis — the writer was born in Belfast and the surrounding countryside was what inspired The Chronicles of Narnia
Nanci Griffith — the singer/songwriter visited Belfast throughout the 30 year conflict known as the ‘Troubles’ and wrote the song ‘It’s a Hard Life Wherever You Go’ inspired by her visits. She continued to visit Belfast until the final years of her life.
Seamus Heaney — the poet lived in the city for many years where he also studied and taught at Queen’s University Belfast