Day-time in Belfast
Historic Belfast
Start at the waterfront. A few yards from the Lagan Lookout, you will see the source of the River Feirste. Its Gaelic name is ‘Beal Feirste’ or crossing of the sand bank. It's where it all began. A port since the 12th Century, Belfast's waterside is not only a vital part of the city's personality, it has also been an engine of the wealth that created its extraordinary architectural heritage.
Many other strands of Belfast history are within touching distance. At the restored Victorian St George’s Market near the waterfront, you can experience the cries and sharp wit of the vendors. City Hall is a fine example of Classical Renaissance style, and tours of this Edwardian masterpiece (dating from 1906) are available free of charge. St Anne’s Cathedral, designed in ‘Hiberno-Romanesque’ style, took 77 years to complete. Hopefully you will agree it was worth the wait!
Whatever its scale - history in Belfast still has the power to touch. The great exhibitions at the Ulster Museum reveal the bigger picture of the city’s heritage and at Culturlann, the Irish arts centre on the Falls Road, and Fernhill House in the Shankill, you’ll even get the people's stories. While you are in the area, why not join the crowds of tourists queuing to be photographed at those world-famous political murals? One thing’s for sure - in Belfast, history is all around you.