This is against a background (in 2023) of 2,317 people (0.67% of residents) presenting as homeless, many of whom are in temporary accommodation and shelters. New townhouse and apartments schemes are being developed for the city’s quays, and for Titanic Quarter. But retail footfall in the centre is limited by competition with out-of-town shopping centres and with internet retailing. Next door, its successor, Marks and Spencers, is housed behind the red sandstone, Florentine Gothic, facade (1869) of a rival linen business that was burned out in the Blitz.

Ashes to Fashion at The Ulster Museum

The city’s name is derived from the Gaelic Béal Feirste (Mouth of the Sandbank or Crossing of the River). A castle, probably built there about 1177 by John de Courci, the Norman conqueror of Ulster, seems to have survived until the beginning of the 17th century. Though the site of Belfast has been occupied since the Stone Age, its modern history began in 1611 when Baron Arthur Chichester built a new castle there. Harland and Wolff, the chief shipbuilding firm in the city, built the luxury liner.

Things to Do & Events

Guinness is served on tap in the beer tents, while The Errigle Inn and The Pavillion (sometimes called the Big House) bars on nearby Ormeau Rd are popular haunts for prematch tipples and postmatch celebratory toasts. Northern Ireland has a rich sporting heritage, and watching one of the local professional teams in action is an exhilarating way to kick off a night on the town. At the same complex, Banana Block is an innovative commercial and community events space in a former linen mill. From there, spend some time exploring the free museum before strolling through the gardens. When the weather’s on your side (invariably difficult to predict, irrespective of the time of year you visit Belfast) take a hike up Cave Hill, which rises a humble 368m above the low-lying city. As the late Northern Irish poet Seamus Heaney once opined, “The end of art is peace” – a sentiment the Belfast black taxi tour echoes.

53-55 Crumlin Road, BT14 6ST – Crumlin Road Gaol was built in 1849 and has had many prisoners pass through its doors including Éamon de Valera, Martin McGuinness, Michael Stone and Bobby Sands. Sadly this local hero met an untimely death after being hit by a lorry but he is now immortalised in this lovely piece of street art. The Victorian market opens Friday to Sunday and is the place to go for fresh produce, ‘street-food’ dining, live music and of course shopping for gifts and gadgets. But we guess you didn’t come to Belfast for Vietnamese or Thai food?

The 14 best restaurants in Belfast

Don’t miss exploring the SS Nomadic, the last remaining White Star Line ship in the world, which is included with a museum ticket and is docked right outside. The journey culminates with a deep dive into the RMS Titanic, whose ill-fated Atlantic voyage in 1912 eventually crippled the city’s top industry. The Titanic Belfast museum, rising from the grounds of the Harland & Wolff shipyard, is much more than a maritime showcase. Museums and tours nourish history buffs, while enthusiastic hikers can find belfast cabs nature on the city’s doorstep. Sign up to receive inspiring ideas, events and offers which showcase the best of Belfast and Northern Ireland!

In 1997, unionists lost overall control of Belfast City Council for the first time in its history, with the Alliance Party holding the balance of power. Her duties include presiding over meetings of the council, receiving distinguished visitors to the city, representing and promoting the city on the national and international stage. Formerly known as Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education, it specialises in vocational education. But the presence of 18 selective grammar schools in Belfast is a further feature of post-primary education in Belfast that distinguishes it from that of comparable cities in Great Britain where academic selection was abandoned in the 1960s and 70s. Primary and secondary education is divided between (Catholic) Maintained Schools and (non-Catholic/ "Protestant") Controlled Schools. Despite the DUP’s derailment of devolved government in protest, local business leaders largely welcomed the new trade regime, hailing the promise of dual EU-GB access as a critical opportunity.

What famous ship was built in Belfast?

• Next door, its successor, Marks and Spencers, is housed behind the red sandstone, Florentine Gothic, facade (1869) of a rival linen business that was burned out in the Blitz.
• Experience an authentic black cab tour of Belfast and discover the murals and unique characters of both the nationalist and unionist communities.
• Specialist services include cardiac surgery, critical care and the Regional Trauma Centre.
• Self-guided tours with audio guides and holograms are the best way to explore its cavernous tunnel, shoebox cells and macabre graveyard.

All four extend beyond the city boundaries to include parts of Antrim and Newtownabbey and Lisburn and Castlereagh districts. Belfast City Council is responsible for a range of powers and services, including land-use and community planning, parks and recreation, building control, arts and cultural heritage. Belfast Metropolitan College ("Belfast Met") is a further education college with three main campuses around the city, including several smaller buildings.

Educational institutions in Belfast include Queen’s University at Belfast (founded in 1845 as the Queen’s College), the University of Ulster at Belfast (1849), and Union Theological College (1853). These sectors are now overshadowed by service activities, food processing, and machinery manufacture. By the late 1730s the castle had been destroyed, but Belfast was beginning to acquire economic importance, superseding both Lisburn as the chief bridge town and Carrickfergus as a port. He did much to encourage the growth of the town, which received a charter of incorporation in 1613. Belfast’s modern history began in 1611 when Baron Arthur Chichester built a new castle there.