Belfast

Belfast is the capital city of the North of Ireland and is situated at the head of Belfast Lough. It is the largest urban area in the province of Ulster, the second largest city on the island of Ireland and the 15th largest city in the United Kingdom. Historically, Belfast has been a centre for the Irish linen industry (earning the nickname "Linenopolis"), tobacco production, rope-making and shipbuilding: the city's main shipbuilders, Harland and Wolff, which built the ill-fated RMS Titanic, propelled Belfast onto the global stage in the early 20th century as the largest and most productive shipyard in the world.

Belfast played a key role in the Industrial Revolution, establishing its place as a global industrial centre until the latter half of the 20th century. Belfast is home to a fairly temperate climate with warm and pleasant summers, together with noticeably cooler winters. Situated in Northern Ireland, along the eastern coast, Belfast sits next to the Irish Sea, which influences much of the area's weather, climatic conditions and overall temperatures.The summer climate in Belfast is hottest from June to August, when temperatures often exceed 20°C / 68°F, peaking at over 25°C / 77C at times. Belfast's winter weather shows its face towards the end of November, when temperatures quickly start to fall and hover around 7°C / 45°F between December and February. Winter weather in Belfast is often wet and overcast, with harsh frosts, infrequent periods of sleet and light snow flurries. The average annual daytime temperatures in and around the city of Belfast are approximately 12°C / 54°F.

East Belfast has produced an extraordinary number of poets, novelists, playwrights and musicians from world famous names like creator of Narnia, CS Lewis and singer Van Morrison to award-winning playwrights such as Marie Jones and Stewart Parker and actors James Ellis and Dan Gordon. Great novelists from the past, such as Forrest Reid and present, like Glenn Patterson, have links to East Belfast, while Northern Ireland’s greatest cultural icon, soccer legend Georgie Best grew up here.Belfast is Music City. Traditional. Classical. Country. Jazz. Blues. Rock. But what really sets us apart from other cities is that their music is ‘of the people’. Their talent is indigenous. From Van Morrision to Snow Patrol, Belfast is the happening place to be. But this is nothing new. During the ‘60s they had a groovy rhythm and blues scene. The ‘70s gave them an in your face punk scene. The ‘80s brought a truly new wave of artists. Belfast is home to many galleries, opera houses, museums and movie theaters. Such as Ulster Museum, Mullan Gallery, Ormeau Baths Gallery and more.

With the rising prestige of the city and the growing wealth of the Victorian city fathers they began to demonstrate their civic pride in constructing one impressive building after another; buildings such as Lanyon's delightful Custom House, where the great Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope kept an office, the Queen's University of Belfast, another Lanyon masterpiece. Successive industrial and trading advances utterly transformed Belfast and created this architectural legacy. Belfast could claim not only the largest shipyard in the world, but the largest linen mill, the largest tobacco factory and the largest rope works. Today many highlights of contemporary Belfast were once Victorian warehouses like the luxury boutique hotel Ten Square housed in old linen warehouse and the fashionable Malmaison Hotel once two glorious seed warehouses.Today, Belfast remains a centre for industry, as well as the arts, higher education and business, a legal centre, and is the economic engine of Northern Ireland. Belfast city centre has undergone considerable expansion and regeneration in recent years, notably around Victoria Square. Belfast is served by two airports: Belfast International Airport to the north-west of the city, and George Best Belfast City Airport in the east of the city.