BELFAST


“The Ulster Hall was built in 1862, and was


intentionally sandwiched between the many linen factories and showrooms that back then lined these pavements,” says Dolores. “It was purpose-built to entertain the city’s growing population, which shot up from 25,000 people in 1801 to some 350,000 a century later, and first opened solely with live classical music. Today, it’s very different, with everything from comedy to rock and opera to jazz in there.” Linen was one of the industries that helped


Belfast prosper — alongside ship building, which resulted most notably in RMS Titanic. At its early 20th-century peak, the Belfast region accounted for around 80 linen factories, which employed 47,000 people. By 1901, the city had overtaken Dublin to become the largest on the island of Ireland. And with the booming population came a boom in Belfast’s music — by 2021, this waterside city was a UNESCO City of Music. “Up until the late 1960s, everybody


wanted to play Belfast, but that changed,” says Dolores, pausing to pull out a Bluetooth speaker from her satchel. “We had all the big bands like The Beatles playing here, but for a 30-year period from the 1970s onwards, most of them stopped coming.”


The reason? The Troubles — the violent


nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s until 1998, which saw mostly Protestant unionists, who wanted to remain a part of the United Kingdom, clashing with mostly Catholic nationalists, who wanted Northern Ireland to join the Republic of Ireland. Around 3,600 lives were lost and 47,000 people were wounded before a resolution was reached. The Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998, calling for peace and setting up a new government in Northern Ireland that represented both unionists and nationalists. Only one artist repeatedly performed in


Belfast during The Troubles: Irish singer- songwriter Rory Gallagher, who was born in Donegal, raised in Cork and lived in Belfast. He now, too, has a commemorative plaque inside the Ulster Hall. “He was one of the only artists to insist on playing here when everyone else refused,” says Dolores, pressing play on his biggest hit, Bad Penny, a track where his guitar soars over his throaty vocals. “Most notably, in 1974, he went ahead


with a gig right here in the Ulster Hall even though bombs were going off outside,” she says. “He brushed it off by saying everyone


INS I D ER TI P S


To visit the peace walls, book a Black Cab Tour with a local guide. They’ve lived through The Troubles and offer incomparable insights on what it was like. touringaroundbelfast.com


Owing to the city’s Christian roots, Sundays in Belfast often follow a much slower pace. Large shops are only open between 1pm and 6pm.


In east Belfast, head to the Banana Block event space, housed in a former linen mill. Meet artisan producers in their workshops and learn of Belfast’s banana connection — some of the first in Britain were cultivated here. bananablock.org


Avoid visiting on 12 July. Known as ‘The Twelfth’, it is when a parade commemorates the victory of Protestant King William of Orange over Catholic King James II in 1690. Many businesses are closed.


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