Northern Ireland is a beautiful country that I think most people overlook due to its troubled past. I therefore wanted to list 100 things that I love about my country that hopefully, will make you fall in love with it too...
Victoria Square is relatively new and is basically a huge shopping centre in Belfast. It's built in a spiral shape and you can even go up into the dome and look out over the city. Although the view is amazing, the platform moves which is a little bit terrifying!
Northern Ireland is absolutely full of gorgeous forests. Depending on which forest you choose to visit, you may discover hidden waterfalls, lakes and old ruins. Pictured (above) is the forest of Binevenagh.
#63 Americans Love Us
I'm pretty sure that no matter where you are from in Ireland, whether it be from the North or the Republic, Americans will greet you with open arms. I know there are a lot of Irish pubs over there and they have a huge St Patrick's Day celebration - which I'm pretty sure puts ours to shame. Maybe they love us because the majority of Americans have Irish roots? Who knows, maybe this is just stereotypical nonsense and they can't stand us!
#64 Continental Christmas Markets
Every year at Christmas, the continental market comes to Belfast city. It also comes to Londonderry but it's not as big. There are stalls from all over the world selling their traditional cuisine and crafts including Australian emu and kangeroo burgers, German hotdogs and beer, French sweets, Russian babushka dolls, Dutch flowers as well as hand-crafted animal statues, dream-catchers, clothes and jewelry from Africa, India, America and more...
#65 Pubs With Live Music
Although there are pubs in the cities that have live music from bands every Friday night, what you really want is to go find a traditional pub in some town, away from the cities, to enjoy a more relaxed and homely atmosphere. Those are the pubs where you'll discover local bands playing traditional folk music on traditional instruments. I'll suggest The Smugglers Inn near the Giant's Causeway because that's where I experienced my first live folk band which was a real treat.
The Antrim Coast is probably thee most beautiful place in Northern Ireland. Seriously, if you're a first time visitor then you have to go there just to marvel at it's beauty. It's a really scenic drive what with beaches, cliffs, rolling green fields, the ocean, Dunluce Castle, the Carrick-a-Reed rope bridge and the Giant's Causeway all being found there.
In 1689, catholic King James came to Londonderry to take control of it as it predominately Protestant at that time. However, 13 apprenctice boys took the keys of the city and locked all the gates preventing him and his army from entering. Thus began the siege of Derry which lasted 105 days. The people of Derry suffered greatly because King James' army prevented many supply ships from restocking Derry's food reserves resulting in the people having to kill and eat rats to survive. Eventually a ship called the Mountjoy broke through and the people survived due to its supplies. Eventually King James' army retreated and the siege ended. It was the last great siege in British history and the bravery of the 13 apprentice boys is celebrated every year with parades. King James was later defeated by William of Orange in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 which is also celebrated every year with parades. We have a lot of parades...
The gardens opened in 1828 as a private park but now it's open to the public. It's located near Queen's University and the Ulster Museum. One of the main features of the garden is the Palm House Conservatory (above) that contains both cool and tropical areas. Some of the more noteable plants include a 400 year old Xanthorrhoea and an 11 metre tall Globe Spear Lily which is native to Australia and finally bloomed in 2005 after a 23 year wait.
Barrontop Fun Farm is actually that, a farm. It's designed mainly for children so is a great day out for them which I can support as I loved going there as a child and can't wait to take my own children there someday. Whilst there, children can help feed the lambs, chicks, baby goats and piglets. They can also pet the deer, llamas, ostriches, highland cows and horses. There's also a playground area for them to play in and horseriding opportunities.
During the plantations of Ulster, many Scottish people migrated to Ulster and settled here. They lived here since the 17th century and are known as the Ulster Scots. Because of this, Northern Ireland and Scotland have always had a close relationship.
This ten part series is inspired by
Charlotte
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