General: Northern Ireland

“A Great Country, just pretending to be Small!”
I’m afraid I’m not sure who said that, but it sums up my opinion of Northern Ireland perfectly. Let me explain…

I’m Northern Irish. If I’m ever asked what my nationality is, I always say Northern Irish. According to the national census I’m in the minority. Tradition here in our country is to define yourself as either British or Irish according to your religious beliefs. Personally ...
...to be British, nor Irish. We have enough history to rightfully establish ourselves as a separate entity to either England or Ireland. And if anyone’s going to write a review on Northern Ireland, I reckon I might just be biased enough to make it sound like the most phenomenal place on earth! So, lets go with the hard sale…

Let us begin with a short journey back in time. Ireland was ruled by the Celtic Earls, and each earl owned a County. ... more

“A Great Country, just pretending to be Small!”
I’m afraid I’m not sure who said that, but it sums up my opinion of Northern Ireland perfectly. Let me explain…

I’m Northern Irish. If I’m ever asked what my nationality is, I always say Northern Irish. According to the national census I’m in the minority. Tradition here in our country is to define yourself as either British or Irish according to your religious beliefs. Personally I’m very proud of where I’m from. I don’t want to be British, nor Irish. We have enough history to rightfully establish ourselves as a separate entity to either England or Ireland. And if anyone’s going to write a review on Northern Ireland, I reckon I might just be biased enough to make it sound like the most phenomenal place on earth! So, lets go with the hard sale…

Let us begin with a short journey back in time. Ireland was ruled by the Celtic Earls, and each earl owned a County. With there being nine counties in the province of Ulster this meant there were nine Earls. This is the back-bone of Irish culture, and the source of all the wonderful tales you hear from the land. Ireland was the bane of England’s life, as they feared the French becoming allied with Ireland and thus joining forces and attacking England. So being a stronger nation they sent powerful barons from England who barbarically confiscated the land from the Celtic Earls by King James I. They enforced the protestant religion, slaughtering anyone who publicly denied it, and so began the troubles in Northern Ireland. I’ll bet you all thought the troubles began in the 1970s… so there’s an interesting piece of information to mull over, it began in the 17th Century! I’ll give you a great link to check out if you’re interested in learning more from the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/plantation/religious/index.shtml

So, Ulster kept its nine counties, it still has nine counties, but the country known as Northern Ireland is only made up from six counties. I think it’s quite interesting that if I trace back my family tree I’m a descendant of an Irish Chieftan , and my boyfriend is of planter descent from Scotland so in the olden days we most certainly would not have been together! It would have been unheard of and unacceptable! But then I’m trying to show that Northern Ireland’s future is much more positive than its past.

We’ve had very bleak years. It has been well documented in the press, and few people have escaped without feeling the impact of terrorism both sides of the political divide. But people here began to get their act together after the Omagh atrocity. The people of Northern Ireland had been crippled one last time by individuals taking it upon themselves to take the lives of innocents in the name of a war no one wanted. The bombing of those 29 people was the final straw. It was time to get this country sorted out. Of course it is taking a long time to make forward progress politically, but the everyday people here began to look into the future and try to make things a little better for us all. I can’t say it’s all peace and daisies here, but it is a shock to hear of a sectarian murder in the country now, rather than a regular everyday thing. Let me reassure one and all, I’m twenty three now, and I’ve never encountered a bomb, I’ve never had a relative injured, and I’m unscathed by the land I grew up in. Forget army checkpoints and bag-searches. Such things have not existed here for over a decade. What people need to see about this country is the Lakes of Fermanagh, the Mountains of Mourne and the Walls of Derry. So let me give you a guided tour County by County. Highly recommended by me, and I should know! I live here!

COUNTY ANTRIM
+++++++++++++++

If you’re coming to Northern Ireland by Plane or Ferry then it is more than likely that Antrim will be the first sight you see. The capital of the country, Belfast is located in Antrim, and is home to the two main airports, and Ferry ports. Belfast is a sprawling great city, and having survived probably the hardest times in the past it is now a modern buzzing place with a great nightlife and a varied culture. Belfast is also a great shopping place for all the shopaholics out there, but Antrim has much more to it than the industrial / urban side. Some of the most scenic areas of the country are located on the Antrim coast. The Giants Causeway and the Carrick-a-reed rope bridge (you may remember it from an old guinness ad) are all on the coast, and going further around will take you to the old Bushmills distillery. The 60 mile drive around the coast is dangerously breathtaking and attracts many nature lovers each year. And if you get a chance, do call in a town called ‘Portrush.’ It’s our equivalent of Blackpool, and worth going to for a laugh.

The Glens of Antrim are also worth visiting if you are interested in scenery and wonderful waterfalls. One waterfall there is called “tears of the mountain,” I’m sure you can just imagine how pretty that is!

COUNTY LONDONDERRY
++++++++++++++

Derry/ Londonderry/ Doire. The town so good they named it thrice. Oh dear, I’m going to be terribly biased here as it’s my home county! Derry is home to the Sperrin mountains. The River Faughan in the North of the county provides a great trail for those keen on hill climbing, great for fishing too. The Ness Woods here are home to the countries highest waterfall, at 30 ft. This is the Oak Leaf County (that’s what the name Doire means) and a visit to the county shows why it is called so. While in the North of the county you must visit the city itself, a wonderful, friendly place with a great emphasis on the arts and culture. The architecture here is breathtaking. Walk the mile round trip of the walls. Derry City is one of Europe’s last remaining Walled Cities.

Travelling towards the Derry coast you will find the blue flag beach of Benone, Magilligan Strand, which is the longest beach in Ireland, the Georgian town of Limavady, and the historically basked castle at Dungiven, where the clans of O’Cahan lived hundreds of years ago. If you want history, if you want to hear about clan battles, horsemen, and the more recent (but still very old!) fine English influence on architecture then you could not do any better than come to this county. It is a Culture Vulture’s dream.

COUNTY TYRONE
+++++++++++++++

Tyrone is the biggest county in Northern Ireland, although at the risk of offending the people who live there, it may well be the least interesting! Because it is so huge, it is quite sparsely populated and there are great sweeps of rugged green land. Omagh is the county town of Tyrone, although it isn’t a great place for shopping, it does have some great examples of architecture in it’s Cathedral and the surrounding buildings.

The emphasis in Tyrone is very much historically orientated. A must-visit if you want to understand a little more about Northern Ireland, is The Ulster-American Folk Park, which is located outside Omagh. The Folk Park is a huge expanse of land on which old houses have been taken from all over the country, brick-by-brick to tell the story of Ireland in olden times. They don’t do things by halves here either… when you visit, all the staff are in full costume.

There are a few Neolithic sites in County Tyrone which are rather unique, and one in particular is based in Gortin, at the Ulster History Park. Even if you are not interested in history, the Gortin Glen is the most eeriliy beautiful glen I personally have been to, and I love to drive the windy roads there.

COUNTY DOWN
+++++++++++++

If you like to walk, then come to County Down. The infamous Mountains of Mourne are in County Down, and they form a postcard perfect backdrop where ever you look at them from. Strangford Lough is a bird sanctuary and of course the main hobby for people in Down is fishing! Their waters are healthy with fish, and many people living on the coast make their livelihood from the sea.

Picturesque villages such as Kilkeel and Warrenpoint dot the Down coast, but it is Newry, the County Town where you will find a warm welcome, and a surprisingly good shopping area. The father of the Bronte sisters came from the North of Newry, near another pretty town called Banbridge. And if you are religious, Saint Patrick is buried in a town called Downpatrick, also worth a visit.

COUNTY ARMAGH
++++++++++++++++

To anyone from Northern Ireland, nearly the first thing you think of when someone talks of Armagh is the planetarium! A staple of school visits for all of us from a young age, I’d say there aren’t too many of us that haven’t been! But you know I’m going to say that there’s certainly more to Armagh than that! Armagh is an almost regal Strongpoint and they emphasis this to the strongest ability. It is the seat of both the Catholic and Protestant archbishops and therefore has a great reputation of holiness.

Navan Fort is an oddly formed fort, and was the seat of the high kings of Ulster. There was a visitors centre here which explained the stories of the kings of Ulster, but something went wrong with investment here, and as far as I know the centre closed down, but you can still visit the fort. Armagh is a strange county, sometimes it seems more Irish than Ireland itself, but it has a lot of potential for tourism and in my opinion it would be nice if there were a little more money and thought put into investing in the county. Armagh people are extremely friendly and very cheerful, they certainly will make you feel welcome if you decide to visit.

COUNTY FERMANAGH
+++++++++++++++++++

I make no secret that I love Fermanagh. This little forgotten county boasts the richest countryside you will ever experience. I’d move here tomorrow! Enniskillen is the County town, and it is completely on an island, you have to cross a bridge to get to it. Then there’s the home of Bellek Pottery, where you can have a tour. Fermanagh is most certainly the county for water-lovers. Everywhere you go you are not far away from water, and the people of the county are great boats-people. Lough Erne, aside from being pretty, is usually full of yachts, Speedboats and Cruisers and the atmosphere is usually one of great fun with people enjoying themselves on the water, surrounded by a backdrop of lush greenery.

It does seem to rain a lot in Fermanagh though, so take a raincoat. If you have spare time I’d suggest a visit to the Marble Arch Caves, or a walk in the grounds of Castle Archdale where you might catch a glimpse of Red Deer. The best thing about Fermanagh is the unique wildlife you can find here. Swans and Ducks are so used to people they wander tamely around human legs, and in the forests you can hear the cries of guinea-fowl. I’ve never encountered any of these animals at home.

If you do visit here, remember the people are very relaxed and chilled out. You know how we all run to GMT, well here they all run to “FMT- Fermanagh Mean Time” that means you really should set your watch back half an hour. No one rushes in Fermanagh!

SO WHERE SHOULD YOU TAKE THE CHILDREN?

Odessy Arena, Belfast- Visit the iMax cinema, and the W5 science exhibition.
Dundonald IceBowl, Belfast- Ice-skating to enjoy the day.
Waterworld-, Portrush. The best, most exciting swimming pool in the country.
Banana’s Play World, Derry City- a small kiddie’s dream!

WHY NORTHERN IRELAND IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 We have all the pros of both England and Ireland available to us, and right on our doorstep. We have the great NHS (some may disagree) and yet we only have to cross the Irish border to fill our cars with cheap petrol- 20 Euro (£13) fills my tank!
 We can claim dual Nationality, so heaven forbid we get kicked out of a country, we can just go back under a different passport. (I’m kidding!)
 We are becoming a more prosperous country due to our friendly links with most of the world, and the fact that we have progressed into a time of peace.
 Our countryside cannot be compared to anywhere else.
 The people are friendly and welcoming and the Ulster Fry is a fine breakfast!
 We have a high quality of life, and a strong education system.
 House Prices are MUCH cheaper here!
 We have one of the lowest crime rates in the world!
 We are in a time of great transition, where Protestants and Catholics are beginning to learn about each other’s cultures and shake off the old biases and arguments. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that optimism and the development of integrated children’s schools and playgroups?
 We have fine alcohol, community spirit, great nightclubs and most importantly a new-found pride in who we are.

So grab your tour-book, and circle all the places I’ve listed and spend a month here! I’ll promise you won’t regret it. Please feel free to embellish and add parts to my review if you’re Northern Irish… I think it’s about time we let ourselves be known!
 

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