BT4 3GL

NEIGHBOURHOOD REPORT

BT4 3GL - Belfast

Belfast ( , BEL-fast, , -u2060fahst; from Irish: Bu00e9al Feirste [bu02b2eu02d0lu02e0 u02c8fu02b2u025bu027eu02e0(u0259)u0283tu02b2u0259]) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel. It is the second-largest city on the island of Ireland (after Dublin), with an estimated population of 348,005 in 2022, and a metropolitan area population of 671,559.

First chartered as an English settlement in 1613, the town's early growth was driven by an influx of Scottish Presbyterians. Their descendants' disaffection with Ireland's Anglican establishment contributed to the rebellion of 1798, and to the union with Great Britain in 1800 - later regarded as a key to the town's industrial transformation. When granted city status in 1888, Belfast was the world's largest centre of linen manufacture, and by the 1900s her shipyards were building up to a quarter of total United Kingdom tonnage.

Sectarian tensions existed with the Irish Catholic population that was drawn by mill and factory employment from western districts. Heightened by division over Ireland's future in the United Kingdom, these twice erupted in periods of sustained violence: in 1920u201322, as Belfast emerged as the capital of the six northeast counties retaining the British connection, and over three decades from the late 1960s during which the British Army was continually deployed on the streets. A legacy of conflict is the barrier-reinforced separation of Protestant and Catholic working-class districts.

Since the Good Friday Agreement, the electoral balance in the once unionist-controlled city has shifted, albeit with no overall majority, in favour of Irish nationalists. At the same time, new immigrants are adding to the growing number of residents unwilling to identify with either of the two communal traditions.

Belfast has seen significant services sector growth, with important contributions from financial technology (fintech), from tourism and, with facilities in the redeveloped Harbour Estate, from film. It retains a port with commercial and industrial docks, including a reduced Harland & Wolff shipyard and aerospace and defence contractors. Post Brexit, Belfast and Northern Ireland remain, uniquely, within both the British domestic and European Single trading areas for goods.

The city is served by two airports: George Best Belfast City Airport on the Lough shore and Belfast International Airport 15 miles (24 kilometres) west of the city. It supports two universities: on the north-side of the city centre, Ulster University, and on the southside the longer established Queens University. Since 2021, Belfast has been a UNESCO designated City of Music." [1]

Situated in local authority Stormont, Belfast is classed as . Nearest towns are Belfast (3 miles away), with the capital city, Belfast being 3 miles away.Holywood (3 miles away), Newtownabbey (7 miles away),

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County Antrim

County Antrim is located in the north east of Northern Ireland and is named after its county town, Antrim. The region covers over 2800 square kilometers and is both one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland and one of the six counties that make up modern Northern Ireland. It also lies within the historical province of Ulster. Visitors to County Antrim are often awe struck by the incredible and varied terrain on offer, particularly the UNESCO World heritage site of Giant's Causeway. From desolate jagged landscapes to seaside resorts, from the enchanting villages of Cushendall, Carnlough and Cushendun, to fertile green valleys and frothing waterfalls, from the walled city of Derry and the Bogside Murals to the capital city Belfast, County Antrim is a must see destination on any trip to Northern Ireland.

The region of County Antrim has been inhabited for centuries, from the ancient Celtic people known as the Darini to the Kingdom of Ulidia in the Middle Ages, from the Anglo-Norman invasions to the clans that ruled for hundreds of years and the invasions of the Vikings to the constant attempted invasions of the Tudor era. Because of this it is almost impossible to turn a corner and not come upon some historic or ancient remains in the region, from cairns and forts or mounts to old churches and cathedrals, military remains or old towers. From the round towers at Ram Island, Armoy and Antrim to the medieval castle at Carrickfergus and the castles of Dunluce, Red Bay, Garron tower and Olderfleet to the Cairns of Colin Mountain, Slieve True, Carrickfergus and Colinward there are hundreds of historical sights worth seeing. Indeed the town of Lisburn has an astonishing 134 churches whilst Belfast is a city steeped in history and historic sites. From Belfast Castle to the Albert Memorial Clock Tower, or from Stormont Castle to St Anne's Cathedral to the beautiful Queen's University.

Further out and further back in history there is the Giant's Ring, a Neolithic ritual complex with a Druid's Altar at its center as well as the volcanic scenery of the Giant's Causeway rock formations. County Antrim features some of the most awesome and remarkable coastal formations in the world, from jagged fierce cliffs and coves, pinnacles and sea stacks, caves and sandy beaches broken up only by the Atlantic surf and charming resort towns such as Portrush (with its well-known golf links), Portballintrae and Ballycastle. Truly a beautiful region and well worth visiting.

Where is it?

Nearby Towns