The two capital cities on the island of Ireland are best seen on two wheels. Erica Reed saddles up for a bike rides in Dublin and Belfast. I braved the Ireland ‘sprist’ (mist mixed with sprinkles of rain) and hit the city streets of and on two wheels with wise-cracking guides who were as full [...]

Our favorite guest blogger Gerry Britt returns once again to our Emerald Isle. He’s on his own and ready to do some serious exploring. After a whirlwind tour around the island visiting old friends and making new ones, Gerry sits down to tell us all about his time in … I was sitting on the [...]

“There is a sense that something big is on the horizon”, says Belfast author Susie Millar. I’ve asked her about the atmosphere in the city at the moment. Belfast of course built the legendary Titanic and plans to mark the 100-year anniversary with nothing less than a festival, firework-laced opening of a Titanic visitor centre [...]

According to some very wise and ancient dietician – you are what you eat. In Ireland, we like to believe that and perhaps that’s the reason why we’re such a cheery bunch. We spend our time munching on drool-inducing potato farls, creamy seafood chowder and hot, out-of-the-oven Guinness bread so it’s natural that we have [...]

Belfast, 31st of May, 1911. The keel of the Titanic has loomed over the city for over two years. Locals, who have woken, slept and lived under the shadow of the Ship of Dreams are about to witness fantasy become reality as the world’s most talked about ship slides into Belfast Lough and begins its [...]

Here are a few of the random facts I knew about Belfast up until today – The Titanic was built there It’s home to the chiseled architectural beauty that is Queen’s University St Anne’s Cathedral has the largest Celtic Cross in Ireland The actor Liam Neeson and writer C.S. Lewis were born there (okay, in [...]

It’s 100 years ago. The Manhattan Bridge has just connected Canal St to Brooklyn, Henry Ford has already sold 10,000 cars and the young aviation industry has yet to ‘take off’. In Belfast, the noise of the hammering of rivets echoes around the city from the Harland & Wolff shipyard. There, a local workforce of [...]

Knives, forks, spoons…baking cutters. Tuck into Northern Ireland’s fascinating food! I’m sitting down at 8.30am in Belfast and having a ‘when in Rome, eat how the locals eat’ moment. “If there’s a breakfast of champions,” my server advises “it has to be the Ulster Fry”. That’s fried bacon, eggs, tomato, potato bread and soda farls. [...]