Launch into a new era

We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.

Advertisement

This was published 12 years ago

Launch into a new era

The Giant's Causeway.

The Giant's Causeway.Credit: Getty Images

A program of regeneration is helping lay Northern Ireland's difficult past to rest. David Atkinson travels from Belfast to Londonderry to see what's in store.

REG LORETTO looks misty eyed. "The Titanic was the biggest and best," says the County Down-born former ship worker. We're standing on the windswept Titanic slipway, the four angular hulls of the Titanic Belfast museum, a work in progress, behind us, and the yellow cranes of the old Harland and Wolff shipyard overhead. "Belfast was at the cutting edge when they built her here," he adds.

Reg worked at the shipyard in the '60s but, like so many, he moved away amid industrial decline and sectarian conflict. However, today he has come to see how the regeneration of the Titanic Quarter aims to restore Belfast's sense of pride.

"It's a chance to show the world there's more to Northern Ireland than the Troubles," he says.

The Troubles, the violent period from 1968 to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, is the elephant in the room throughout my journey around Northern Ireland. It's a feature of almost every conversation, with everyone I meet insisting it's time to move on. The region has its chance to do exactly that over the next 12 months, with a triumvirate of key events aimed to encourage visitors: the centenary of the launch of the Titanic in April next year, the opening of a visitor centre at the Giant's Causeway World Heritage site in June and Londonderry's selection as Britain's inaugural City of Culture in 2013.

A celebratory program of events for next year is planned, starting with the Titanic Light Show on April 7 and taking in the Land of Giants carnival in Belfast and the arrival in Londonderry of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

I start my exploration of a resurgent Northern Ireland with a walking tour of Belfast's 73-hectare dockside regeneration area, joining Reg and a small group of so-called "Titanoracks". The landmark Titanic Belfast museum, due to open on April 1, is the centrepiece of the project. Plans for its nine galleries include a CGI version of the Titanic on the slipway, a re-creation of the first-class cabins and an audiovisual gallery devoted to the folklore that grew out of the Titanic story.

Later, I head across the city centre - a cosmopolitan mix of stately architecture and new boutiques - to the student-favourite Queen's Quarter, where the Ulster Museum is the city's biggest draw. Television images of Northern Ireland were part of my '70s childhood but, as I make a beeline for the third-floor history section, I'm amazed how little I know about the area's development and its culture. It feels like suddenly getting to know my next-door neighbour - and rather enjoying his company.

Next morning I find the simple stone slab that marks the start of the 190-kilometre Causeway Coastal Route at Larne, just north of Belfast. The old Antrim coast road, built by the military engineer William Bald from 1832 to 1842, will lead me through the rural heart of Northern Ireland on the way to Londonderry. It's a road of fire and ice, the limestone, sandstone and basalt cliffs forged long ago by glaciers and volcanoes.

Advertisement

I follow the arc of the coast, stopping at lost-in-time towns and communities: Glenarm, with its walled castle garden; Carnlough, with its pretty harbour; and Ballycastle, with its views to the puffin community at Rathlin Island. The traditions and legends of rural Ireland are etched into the stone-forged, purple heather-hued landscape with tales of wailing banshees and the 1845-50 famine commemorated along the way.

I stop in the village of Bushmills, dominated by a huge mural of Finn McCool, Northern Ireland's mostly wily giant, for a spot of lunch and a whistle-stop look around the Bushmills distillery, the only surviving whiskey distillery in Northern Ireland. Tour leader Peter Wilson invites me to sample some of Bushmills' finest malts. "We don't like ice in our whiskey here," he deadpans as we prop up the bar, trickling drops of water into a 10-year-old malt aged in bourbon barrels. "I think it's a Titanic thing."

From Bushmills it's just a short drive to the Giant's Causeway, the UNESCO-listed landform that consists of thousands of hexagonal lava-forged rocks extending into the Atlantic. The angular new visitor centre, grass-roofed and glass-fronted, is taking shape. When complete, it will comprise retail, catering and an interpretation centre based around the landscape and characters of Northern Ireland's greatest geological natural wonder.

"The north coast is stunning and the causeway is a particularly awe-inspiring sight," says the National Trust's property manager, Max Bryant, as we clamber over the basalt rocks. "Every time I come here I appreciate the changes with the light, the weather and the mist."

The Causeway Coastal Route ends at Londonderry, which was recently named Britain's first City of Culture for 2013. Much like Liverpool in the build-up to the European Capital of Culture 2008, Londonderry is a maze of construction sites, the first fruits of which will be revealed in June with the opening of the new Peace Bridge across the River Foyle. The bridge leads from Guildhall Square to the 10-hectare Ebrington regeneration area on the river's east bank.

This erstwhile Victorian army barracks is earmarked as the city's new cultural hub, including a maritime museum, an archive, a gallery and a centre devoted to migration. One of the first events confirmed for the year-long cultural jamboree is a Turner Prize exhibition, which is coming to Ebrington in December 2013.

But can Londonderry convince the world it is a cultural powerhouse and finally throw off the shackles of its troubled past, notably Bloody Sunday in 1972. The fast-talking general manager of the city's Playhouse theatre, Niall McCaughan, believes it can. "The city has a very active cluster of arts organisations, which had their incubation during the Troubles as an outlet for local people," he says. "Derry people today are very aware of their cultural identity."

As the sun breaks through the clouds, I take a guided stroll around the well-preserved city walls, dating from 1614. We pass St Columb's Cathedral, the Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall and look across to the Bogside area of the city, site of events on Bloody Sunday. Graffiti and elaborate murals along the route speak of 30 divided years.

"As a seven-year-old, I used to walk to school with a packed lunch and a handkerchief soaked in vinegar for the CS gas," says my walking guide, Nuala Griffiths. Nuala was among the crowd in Guildhall Square in June last year when the families of the victims of Bloody Sunday gathered for the reading of the Saville Inquiry. When the thumbs-up sign came, she hugged the person next to her and cried. It felt, she says, like a weight being lifted from the city.

I feel it too. Walking through the Bogside without the slightest frisson of trepidation later that day, I find fledgling new galleries and cafes where once stood bombed-out shells and perennially closed shutters.

By the time we arrive in the Craft Village, a cluster of boutiques and a world-music cafe next to the living-history Tower Museum, I can almost feel the pace of change across Northern Ireland accelerating around me.

"I'm tired of telling my story," Nuala says as we shake hands and I promise to return to witness Londonderry's phosphorescent moment in Europe's cultural spotlight. "Finally," she smiles, "the time has come for fresh voices to talk about the future."

Trip notes

Getting there

Qantas flies to London, with several airlines connecting to one of Belfast's two airports. qantas.com.au.

Getting around

Translink provides public transport information for Northern Ireland. +44 28 9066 6630, translink.co.uk.

Staying there

The Europa hotel, Belfast, has welcomed everyone from war correspondents to American presidents. Doubles from £100 ($156). +44 28 9027 1066, hastingshotels.com.

City Hotel, Londonderry, is close to the city centre and has large rooms. Doubles from £70. +44 28 7136 5800, cityhotelderry.com.

The 17th-century Ballygally Castle, Ballygally, on the coast offers a free night to anyone who can survive a night in the so-called ghost room, where Lady Isabella Shaw met her grisly end. Doubles from £70. +44 28 2858 1066, hastingshotels.com.

The Merchant Hotel in Belfast is the city's most prestigious; it has a spa, jazz bar and a Cathedral Quarter location. Doubles from £160. +44 28 9023 4888, themerchanthotel.com.

See + do

The Ulster Museum is free to visit and a perfect way to fill in a rainy afternoon. +44 28 9044 0000, nmni.com/um.

The Bushmills distillery offers a tour followed by a glass of whiskey for £6 but it's worth trading up to the Premium Tasting (£15) to sample six whiskies, including rare 21-year-old single malts. +44 28 2073 3272, bushmills.com.

Members of the National Trust (nationaltrust.org.uk/giantscauseway) get free parking at the Giant's Causeway; otherwise it costs £6.

For a pint of the black stuff and some live music in Londonderry, head to Waterloo Street. The pub Peadar O'Donnells (peadars-gweedorebar.com) has a traditional music session most nights but it doesn't get going much before 10.30pm.

What to avoid

Taxis from Belfast's twin airports may hike prices.

Pre-book a taxi with Value Cabs (+44 28 9080 9080) and pay no more than £7 into town from George Best Belfast City Airport and £25 from Belfast International.

The Titanic Quarter is still a building site and, while the walking tours (£12 for two hours, book at Belfast's tourist office, +44 28 9024 6609) are interesting, it's not yet really suitable for small children or older people.

More information

discovernorthernireland.com, discoverireland.com, www.derryvisitor.com and causewaycoastandglens.com. The In Your Pocket series (inyourpocket.com) has an excellent guide to Belfast; download it from the website.

Five great ulster eats

1 Tedfords, Belfast A refined, maritime history-rich spot for seafood and steaks on the banks of the river Lagan, just across from the Titanic Quarter — try the curry roast monkfish with coconut rice. 5 Donegall Quay, +4428 9043 4000, tedfordsrestaurant.com.

2 The Bushmills Inn Hotel, Bushmills Between the Giant's Causeway and the Bushmills Distillery, this 18th-century coaching inn has a cosy, red-hued bar and decent pub meals with main courses around £12 ($19). There are smart rooms, too, for self-driving explorers. 9 Dunluce Road, +4428 2073 3000, bushmillsinn.com.

3 Seafood is a good option on any menu, as are local beef and lamb. For a twist on comfort food, look out for black pudding with blue cheese, or bacon and buttered cabbage. The Crown Liquor Saloon in Belfast, owned by the National Trust, might be a bit of a tourist trap but still serves a good pint of Guinness. 46 Great Victoria Street, +4428 9024 3187, nicholsonspubs.co.uk.

4 Mange2 Restaurant, Londonderry Seafood specials are de rigueur at this quayside restaurant, located in Londonderry's waterside regeneration area. Tuck into main courses for around £16 and enjoy the river views. 110-115 Strand Road, +4428 7136 1222, mange2derry.com.

5 Custom House, Londonderry A chic, three-floor restaurant in a period property, with views of the new Peace Bridge. The top-floor bar is buzzing at weekends for after-dinner drinks. Queens Quay, +4428 7137 3366, customhouserestaurant.com

Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter

Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.

Most viewed on Traveller

Loading