We join Needra D’Souza in a rejuvenated Northern Ireland.
If I were to mention Northern Ireland to you what images instantly come to mind? Men in masks? Tanks? Bombed buildings? Actually no. The Northern Ireland of today is a far cry from the bloody images we once saw on TV, and is more cosy pubs, happy, welcoming locals and picture postcard scenery.
With the ongoing progress of the peace process between the IRA and the British Government, Northern Ireland’s cities in particular have blossomed into thriving centres with fashionable shops, great restaurants and music scene, and more Guinness than you can poke a stick at. Likewise, the countryside is dotted with historic castles, fabulous gardens, quaint villages and even more Guinness than you can poke a stick at.
Northern Ireland has seen a 27 per cent rise in tourist visits and is the fastest growing centre for tourism in the entire British Isles. As one local said, “We may not have got on with each other but we do get on with visitors.”
The best way to experience it is to drive. The roads are good and, being a small country, you won’t spend the whole time behind the wheel. Accommodation of all types and budgets is available and if you’re ever stuck ask a local for help, if only to hear their deep curling accent.
While Dublin is in the Republic of Ireland, it’s a great place to start. Sightseers should buy a Hop On-Hop Off Pass; you can jump on a city tour bus as many times as you like in a day and get discounts on attractions like the Dublin Writer’s Museum and the Jameson Distillery. However, if you’re doing the driving yourself beware, Dublin pedestrians don’t seem to take much notice of ‘Don’t Walk’ signs.
You should also take in a hurling or Gaelic football match during the day and join a literary pub crawl at night. Hosted by a group of actors, you are taken to pubs in the trendy Temple Bar district and told tales of James Joyce, Oscar Wilde and Brendan Beehan (by the way smoking is banned in all pubs in the Republic). For dinner, try the Irish specialty Boxty, a potato pancake filled with meat or vegetables laced with whisky or Guinness. Accommodation is plentiful and includes elegant boutique hotels such as The Morgan, which are worth considering if the budget allows.
From Dublin, take the M1 north. On the way, stop at Newgrange, 30 kms north of Dublin, home to a monument that dates back to 3BC, older than the pyramids. This circular structure, thought to be a tomb, is made of hundreds of white quartz ‘bricks’ each weighing up to 10 tonnes (the quartz was quarried 14 kms away and would have taken 80 men five days to transport each stone to the Newgrange site).
During the winter solstice, a beam of sunlight shines through lighting up the whole tomb. You can enter a ballot to be one of only a few people each year allowed to witness this marvel.
From there drive through the quirky-named Knowth and Dowth before you cross the border into Northern Ireland.
Enniskillen and the Fermanagh lakelandsEnniskillen is set on Lough Erne which flows into the Shannon leading all the way down to Limerick in the Republic. You can join a tour of the Lough or do what many locals and visitors do, skipper your own cruiser and sail for as long and as far as you want. There are several operators including Carrick Craft in Knockninny.
Enniskillen, the only island town in Ireland, is delightfully picturesque: lots of traditional shopfronts selling locally made crafts, historic cottages, William Blake’s pub, which has remained untouched since 1887, and great restaurants including Scoffs which surprisingly features kangaroo and crocodile on the menu, along with the more traditional champ: mashed potato with shallots. (Potato — mashed, fried, baked, boiled — is served everywhere so leave your no-carbs diet at home!)
Enniskillen sits in the Fermanagh Lakelands, an area worth exploring. Craft fanciers can visit the Sheelin Irish Lace Museum in Bellanaleck or head to Belleek in the west, home of the world famous pottery. History buffs can poke through 16th-century Enniskillen Castle while the adventurous can hike up peat-coated Cuilcagh Mountain or explore the stunning underworld of rivers, waterfalls and calcite formations in Marble Arch Caves (make sure you have lunch at nearby Arch House). You can even hone your cooking skills at Belle Isle School of Cookery, owned by the Duke of Abercom, and stay in his 17th century castle with its opulent interiors decorated by David Hicks with walls featuring original Hogarth prints and works by the Russian masters.
Enniskillen to DerryHead north into County Tyrone to Omagh. The site of a tragic IRA car bomb in 1998, this gentle town pays homage to an earlier history at the Ulster American Folk Park, a real must. In the 18th and 19th centuries, more than 200,000 people headed across the Atlantic to America to start a new life. The park uses ‘live’ exhibits to showcase life in Ulster more than two centuries ago with costumed guides and replicate buildings; then ‘jump aboard’ an emigrant ship and walk out onto a faux street in Pennsylvania, USA.
It’s fascinating and really well done, you can even sample the food the people ate back then. But it’s not just Americans who have an Irish heritage — more than 70 million people around the world can lay claim to a link to Ireland (this global family is called Irish Diaspora), a country with a population little more than Sydney!
From Omagh keep heading north to the walled city of Derry (Londonderry is still its official name but most people refer to it as Derry). The widest part of the walkway circling the city is called the catwalk. Apparently in the early 1900s, the well-off residents would walk along this section on Sundays showing off their new clothes and the less well-off residents would yell out catty remarks.
Don’t miss a walking tour around the perimeter for a truly moving experience. It’s hard to believe this thriving centre with planter boxes ablaze with colour, classic café courtyards and laughing locals out doing their shopping, is the same place where exactly 30 years ago, three-quarters of all the buildings in the walled area were damaged or destroyed by the ‘Troubles’ (as the conflict between the Catholics and Protestants is called).
Some evidence of the conflicts remains; vivid wall art marks events such as Bloody Sunday around Free Derry Corner in the once infamous Bogside. With the Troubles now in the past, there has been a great injection in tourism. The locals really want you there and want to show off their city, they’ll even join you for a pint at the legendary Bogside Inn, once the headquarters of the IRA.
With 45 per cent of the population under 25, there’s a thriving music scene here with most of the pubs and clubs featuring a range of live music. The tradition of Halloween originated in Derry and every year they hold a parade and run ghost tours to celebrate, while the annual short film festival is rated one of the best in the world, with the winner gaining automatic entry to the Oscars.
Derry to Belfast via the Causeway CoastWhile there is a direct inland route east to Belfast from Derry, you’d be mad not to follow the A2 and take in the stunning coastline, stopping off at the World Heritage listed Giant’s Causeway. Straddling 15 kilometres of coastline (on a clear day you can see Scotland), the 38,000 hexagonal columns of basalt were either the result of volcanic activity 60 million years ago or the work of giant Finn McCool who wanted to build a path to a rival Scottish giant.
Look out for the 12 metre high Giant’s Organ and make a wish in The Wishing Chair (watch out for the frothy waves). If you don’t mind walking on shaky ground, head for the 20 metre long Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge which sits 30 metres above ground level, and on the way look out for the ruins of 16th century Dunluce Castle - its coastal aspect is spectacular.
Drive inland a couple of kilometres for a swig at Bushmills, the world’s oldest licensed whisky distillery. You can take a tour, enjoy a tasting and if you like what you’ve tried, buy a bottle with your own name on the label.
If you’re good with the golf clubs, there’s 30 courses in the region, while motorbike lovers should plan a May visit for the International North West 200 road race. Anglers grab your rod for great salmon and trout fishing and if you don’t mind chilly waters, there are some great dive opportunities too.
BelfastUnderstandably, this city has had some bad press in the past but it’s a must-see. Take a Living History tour in a black cab and visit previous trouble spots like Shankill Row and Bombay Street, where you can sign the peace wall, which divides loyalists and republicans, and observe the plentiful murals depicting powerful political messages.
The biggest surprise, however, is how welcoming the people are. Walking down Beechmont Ave where grenades once flew, now a local would happily loan you their phone if you asked. As one resident said, “Now the most ominous thing is the weather.”
Although tensions still simmer in some areas, the Belfast CBD is seen as neutral and is chock-full of shops and restaurants with new office blocks interspersed with century-old buildings like the City Hall.
The Titanic was built in Belfast and you can go on a boat tour of the ‘Titanic Quarter’ which is currently under redevelopment with plans to build a hotel that looks like the Titanic. (There’s a strange irony in being given a ‘safety talk’ on the Titanic tour!) If you’re after something more modern then the W5 (who, what, where, when, why) Science and Technology Exhibition is five levels of fascinating science discoveries presented using ‘real life’ experiments, simulators, games and interactive displays.
Belfast nightlife is a treat. Dine at restaurants that range from hip Japanese to traditional carvery, then pop into any of the ornate Irish pubs (many like the Crown Liquor Saloon are over 100 years old) and join in a sing-a-long with the resident band.
On the trip back to Dublin, stick to the A2 coast road, then hop on the car ferry at Portaferry to get to Downpatrick: the site of St Patricks grave and home of Irish Christianity. A museum there explains his life through multimedia exhibits (the loos in the museum won an award from the British Tourist Association for best toilets), while a separate museum shows the life of Irish convicts before they were sent to Australia.
While the peace process is not yet finalised, Northern Ireland is a land rejuvenated. As one local told me, “Here, you’re part of living history. While you can’t airbrush out the past, the future is rosy.”
Facts about IrelandThe Open Road flew with Cathay Pacific to London via Hong Kong and then to Dublin by Aer Lingus.
English in Northern Ireland; English and Gaelic in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland uses British pounds sterling; the Republic of Ireland uses the euro.
NRMA Members can obtain International Driver’s Licences through NRMA, as well as discounts on car rentals from Hertz
For current advice on security issues, visit Smartraveller
For more ideas on planning your trip, details on the best time to go, events and other attractions or to book accommodation, visit Tourist Ireland or call 9299 6177.
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