Well worth a visit…read more On 19 May 1928, the Governor of Northern Ireland the Duke of Abercorn laid the Foundation Stone for Parliament Buildings ( Front Pillars), The building was offically opened for business with a grand opening, On 16 November 1932, The Prince of Wales, Edward Windsor, opened Parliament Buildings. Architect Sir Arnold Thornely of Liverpool designed Parliament Buildings to be 365ft wide, representing one foot for every day of the year. Representing the number of counties in Northern Ireland, Parliament Buildings has six floors and there are six pillars at the entrance to the building. To camouflage Parliament Buildings during World War II, the building's Portland stone was painted with a mixture of cow manure and bitumen. Removing the paint after the war was a huge challenge with the mixture having stained the stonework. The paint mixture took seven years to remove and the exterior façade never regained its original white colour. It is one mile from the gates at the bottom of Prince of Wales Avenue to the front steps of Parliament Buildings. The avenue leading up to Parliament Buildings is lined with 305 red-twigged lime trees which have survived since they were first planted in the 1920s. Parliament Buildings is a Grade-B listed building, designed in Greek Classical tradition.

You know you're getting old when you're scouring Belfast looking for new dog walking destinations!…read more After suggesting Stormont Park would be a nice walk with the dog for the last few weeks we finally paid it a visit. It was a mild Saturday afternoon and there wasn't a cloud in the sky and to be fair the weather plays a big part in how you view this park. In the rain the trails would be muddy and the view over Belfast would be unclear but yesterday it was just perfect. The main features of the estate are; - Carson's mile - even if you don't like what goes on in parliament building you can't deny it's a pretty spectacular building and view from the gates. - the country trails through wooded land - the random excersise points - these are installed for joggers to break up their cardio with pull ups, press ups and various other activities. - the grounds are really well kept, cut grass, maintained flower beds and bins every 100 yards! There were also loads of other dogs and kids playing in the grounds and park making it a really nice atmosphere. All in all a really nice walk, could maybe do with a designated car park but apart from that it's top notch!

This is a lovely vibrant buzzing area of Belfast with great pubs with live music, I would recommend…read morethe thirsty goat and I hear the dirty onion is good but we couldn't get in with children after a certain time and restaurants I would recommend granny Annie's , there's lovely outdoor seating areas with overhanging umbrellas and benches to enjoy a Guinness in the sunshine.

History and modern clash here in the Cathedral Quarter which is in the shadow of Belfast's Saint…read moreAnne's Cathedral. I spent most of my time along Hill Street but there's more. The narrow cobblestone alleyways are lined with classic pubs, fashionable bars and a spectrum of restaurants for different tastes and budgets. Many of the walls here are covered with street art, either sanctioned or unsanctioned. This makes for a colorful (colourful?) tour as you stumble from one drinking establishment to the next. Thankfully, my hotel was not too far away from Hill Street so I didn't have to stumble too far after enjoying drinks in the Dirty Onion and the Dark Horse the Garrick bar and the Duke of York. Lots of traditional Irish music, some whiskey, some Guinness and more. Don't miss the Yardbird which smelled amazing with their rotisserie chicken cooking. [Review 1994 of 2024 - 896 in United Kingdom - 23016 overall]

In most of my reviews regarding the local area I have banged on about how creative, cultural and…read moretalented the people from North Down are. Now this is there chance to prove me right. Every Year the Tourist Board hold the Creative Peninsula Festival which is a celebration of Art and Design from the Ards Peninsula. This celebration is held in the month of August and consists of workshops, exhibitions, coach tours and Open studios. This will give the public a chance to marvel at the skills of craftsmen and women from the local area as well as the opportunity to learn some of the techniques for themselves. The coach tours on offer also help to show tourists and interested onlookers where the inspiration comes from to create the art and designs. If you can not possibly wait until August to get creating crafts and treasures inspired by the beauty around you then Ards Tourist Information centre will have more than enough information on how to pursue this interest further.

Great artwork of a 33ft long by artist John Kindness. This fish is a ceramic tile and located at…read morethe bank of Lagan River. It's very noticeable and well created. Glad that I visited.

We live laugh love the salmon of knowledge!!! Big Fish was a huge highlight of the trip, even…read morethough we only got to see it at night because of our timing.

This mural makes me hang my head in shame, hold my head high with pride and wet my pants laughing…read morewhen I see it. As it is down an alleyway next to The Duke Of York I usually encounter it when i'm several sheets to the wind. This is probably the best time to look at it as some of the local celebrities are hard to decipher without a copious amount of booze. The funniest thing to do is either try and work out who all the celebs are or watch tourists do it - there are about ten that I vaguely recognize and very few that the average tourist can spot. You are likely to hear 'Is that one Nadine Coyle or Christine Bleakely?' a few times before the night is out. Loving the fact that there is a summer seat positioned right opposite the main wall so you don't even have to be a standing detective - you can actually sit, with your pint and your smoke and solve the riddle that is this mural. Good Luck!

Mesmerisingly beautiful forest park located in South Belfast which is less cultivated and more…read morenatural in style. Really comes into its own during autumn when leaves turn golden. There are numerous trails to follow whether your walking, running or just aimlessly wandering. The air is filled with birdsong and sounds of running water from the Lagan River; I never listen to music or podcasts when walking through Belvoir as the sounds of nature are so relaxing. This is fast becoming one of my favourite locations in Belfast.

Let me start by clarifying the name of this forest park. Despite the spelling, its name is…read morepronounced 'Beaver'. Yes, it's odd I know. So, anyhoo, it's got an odd name, what else can I tell you about Belvoir? Well, it's a beautiful green space close to the centre of Belfast and in my experience, one that not that many people know about. Obviously, there is plenty of space taken over by lush green trees and shrubs which is ideal for kids and dogs. I think dogs are meant to be kept on leads but not everyone sticks to that and as long as the dogs behave, no-one gets too bent out of shape. There's also a river running through the forest park which dogs can splash about in although I don't let the kids go in it as I have a little bit of a rat phobia. Squirrels are everywhere, so take some nuts and they will come quite close to you to eat them. Cultured types will also be interested in the historical aspects of the forest like the 12th century motte. More simple types like me will just enjoy the fresh air, the greenery and the squirrels.

A crane, a ship, a plane, a factory and a phalanx of workers on the tiled mural that decorates…read moreTransport House harks back to a pre-Troubles Belfast when the city still had significance as an industrial centre. Built in 1959 as the office of the Transport and General Workers Union it later became the headquarters of Unite the Union. Now that the office of Unite has moved elsewhere Transport House is empty, a grubby shadow of its former self. By the look of it, the main use now for Tranport House is to provide shelter for some one sleepoig rough, judging by the melancholy sight of a dirty pink blanket bundled in the doorway that I saw when taking a closer look at building. Though far from beautiful, its Russian Constructivist style is a real curiosity these days, if only it could be given a good scrub.

This aptly named 'Writer's Square' area of the magnificent St Anne's church courtyard was…read moretransformed for one night only in to a Mecca of arts and culture where various stalls, tents and stands were set up and all displayed their various wares, arts, skills and events all in relation to Culture Night. There were a number of interesting, fun stalls where you could get henna tattoos or get your face painted or pick up information about the various charities and events relating to Culture Night around Cathedral Quarter. There was live music playing throughout the night as well as a miniature stage show from 'Leon and the place Between' which will be debuted at the Belfast Festival at Queens. Any one who missed this night should be well prepared for next year as it seems to be growing and flourishing in to a fantastic event on the Belfast calendar. It was here I discovered the publication 'Belfast Flags of Hope' which is a fascinating and great publication by The Thomas Devlin Fund. This group was set up to commemorate the young school boy (Devlin) who was viciously murdered on his way home from the shop, one summer night, five years ago. The fund provides financial support for teens involved in creative and musical ventures. The 'Flags of Hope' idea was thought up by local artist Raymond Watson who wanted to represent the aspirations of school children in the fight for the hope of a day where sectarianism no longer exists. This scheme touched my heart as I was at school with Dev and I think it's great to see even a glimmer of good coming out of his death.