| Northern Ireland - a place which to many | | | | revellers and people looking for somewhere to |
| people, conjures up images of warfare and | | | | spend an active weekend, in the trendy clubs |
| civil unrest. Thirty years of bloodshed has | | | | and bars which inhabit the city. |
| indeed tarnished the image of Northern | | | | |
| Ireland throughout the world. The good news | | | | Belfast is not alone in seeing its popularity |
| is that this beautiful little country is now | | | | rise - the whole of Northern Ireland is |
| climbing slowly but surely out of the misery | | | | seeing a dramatic increase in visiting |
| of its bitter past. In place of bombed out | | | | tourists from a ll over the world. A drive |
| buildings, now stand wonderful examples of | | | | along the wonderful Antrim coastline, with |
| new architecture in the capital city of | | | | its marvelous views over the Irish sea, never |
| Belfast. A whole new skyline has developed | | | | ceases to impress. The intriguing and |
| over the past 3 or 4 years, turning Belfast | | | | mysterious Giants Causeway is also a must-see |
| into a fine example of a modern city. | | | | if visiting Northern Ireland. |
| Exciting new restaurants and bars seem to | | | | |
| spring up every month in this new and vibrant | | | | Northern Ireland is a land of surprisingly |
| city. Fantastic new venues have been built | | | | few people. There are only approximately 1.5 |
| along the river Lagan in Belfast, such as the | | | | million people in this small country. Flying |
| Waterfront Hall and the Odyssey Centre - a | | | | into Northern Ireland on a clear day, you |
| multifunction entertainment and educational | | | | can look down on a vast patchwork of green |
| centre which is a landmark for this | | | | fields - you would be forgiven for thinking |
| developing city. | | | | that no-one lives here at all. But any |
| | | | visitors can be sure of a friendly welcome. |
| To many, a visit to Belfast was a thought | | | | The hospitality of the Irish and of course |
| which provoked a degree of trepidation and | | | | the Northern Irish, is legendary. Very few |
| the fear of being hurt in one of the many | | | | people come away from their first visit to |
| explosions which rocked this city throughout | | | | Northern Ireland without being bowled over by |
| the 70s, and 80's. Nowadays the only loud | | | | just how friendly and helpful the locals are. |
| bangs are the mechanical diggers and | | | | |
| construction machinery being used to | | | | So make no mistake, if you're looking for a |
| transform Belfast into one of the most | | | | new destination to visit or a fun-filled |
| dynamic cities in the UK. | | | | weekend, then look no further than Northern |
| | | | Ireland, a location which has successfully |
| Belfast was always a poor relation to Dublin | | | | turned itself around from a place to avoid, |
| when it came to nightlife and a place for | | | | to a place which leaves a wonderful lasting |
| tourists to visit. However it is | | | | impression on its visitors! |
| progressively catching up as a location for | | | | |