Delight Your Senses

Northern Ireland hasn’t always been the most obvious holiday destination. The ‘Troubles’, as they are known, used to eclipse this UK province’s natural beauty and intriguing history, but today, tourism is booming. It became part of the UK in 1921 but its Irish heritage seeps through  every pore.

By Georgina Wilson-powell

Published: Fri 26 Feb 2010, 9:20 PM

Last updated: Mon 6 Apr 2015, 3:06 AM

Capital Belfast sits just 20 miles from Scotland. Once a no-go area, Belfast has regenerated into a thriving city, where sleek new buildings like the five-star Fitzwilliam Hotel stand next to the city’s Grand Old Opera House and across from a 500-year-old pub, which despite bombings during World War II and civil city strife during the last 30 years, remains with its 300-year-old stained glass windows intact. Another must- see in the city is The Merchant Hotel which has turned the old Ulster Bank into a quiet oasis of decadent luxury.

Take a stroll down to the newly restored Titanic Quarter where the infamous liner was built, to work up an appetite for Mourne’s, a city secret of a seafood restaurant. Try the fragrant chowder to warm your soul but arrive early, as it’s very popular. To wash all that fine food down, you’re never far away from sniffing your next drink. Bushmills Inn (and the original distillery) sits a couple of hours out of Belfast, a historic coaching inn in the middle of, what would have been, smugglers’ country. A Bushmills sitting by a roaring fire made with peat blocks is one of this region’s finest treats. Peat blocks are made naturally by the land compressing hundreds of years of vegetation, which are then cut and dried and produce a distinctive earthy smell that is unique to Ireland.

While there, head out along the Antrim coast road where the landscape will captivate even the most cynical of eyes. Weather is a visible movement; light beams highlight green fields across the lochs and dramatic black clouds roll over the water. The landscape and weather evolve every minute; watch out for rainbows often with both ends visible, a perfect semi-circle bridge between the land and the sea.

Although the Romans never settled this far north (the area was continually raided by Vikings, Scots and later on, the English), they named it Hibernia — land of winter. The Romans might have built straight roads but they weren’t the best weather men. Despite Belfast being the same latitude as Moscow, thanks to the Gulf Stream, it doesn’t get bitterly cold. Often damp and windy, a waterproof jacket and a decent pair of boots is sufficient for even a winter holiday.

Just as the weather is evident, so is the region’s unique history. Castle ruins litter the island such as the cliff top remains of Dun Luce Castle (where, legend has it, part of the kitchen fell into the sea during a dinner party). Castles were in constant use here until the early 17^th century when nobles were given the choice to submit to English rule or flee. Most fled in what is now referred to as the ‘flight of the earls.’ Down along the border to the south west of Belfast is Belle Isle Castle, sat on one of 365 islands in Lough Erne and unlike the others, it is still habitable. The castle can be hired to accommodate up to 14 people or coach house apartments can be rented for self catering; either brings with it a sense of aristocratic grandeur. Gathering for pre and post dinner drinks in the elegant drawing room of a 16^th century castle is an experience not easily forgotten. The castle also runs a cookery school which holds courses on traditional  Irish cuisine.

One of the largest tourist attractions in Northern Ireland is not a part of man-made history but that of natural occurrence. The Giant’s Causeway is a 50 million-year-old section of coastline where over 42,000 volcanic stones have been eroded into the same hexagonal shape. Only discovered in the 18^th century and previously only visible by boat, the area is now open to tourists who descend to the shoreline to hear, see and smell the crash of the Atlantic ocean against these astounding-looking rocks.

Slightly less imposing is the infectious lilt of Irish music that can be heard in most pubs in the evenings as people gather with traditional Irish fiddles, tin whistles and the bodhrán. A one-sided drum that is hit with a tipper, the bodhrán is synonymous with Irish music and its soothing beat can be picked up in a few hours of lessons for those who want to join in or sit back and listen to in a warm, cosy pub, where the age-old tradition of storytelling through songs is still very much alive.

For those who want to work off all the creamy Guinness and rich food, Northern Ireland is a walker’s paradise; the whole region is riddled by lochs, hills and glens that are home to wonderful rivers, waterfalls and forests. The hardest decision is which direction to head in but start off at the tourist office in Belfast for a selection of maps, guides or book a tour. For those who like their nature a bit more structured, Northern Ireland is home to some serious fairways like the Royal Portrush course founded in 1888, or the Ballymoney course, considered one of the finest in Ireland.

A land of mystery, of history and a land of plenty, Northern Ireland brings to life how wild and wonderful nature can be, and how inventive and imaginative man can be. A holiday here speaks directly to your soul.

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