Belfast – Days 3 & 4
Day 3: Black Cabs & Titanic Boats
When planning this trip we decided to arrange for a private driver. With the wrong-side of the car-wrong side of the road, a manual transmission and uncertainties about directions, we believed at any given moment someone in the car would be nuclear. I feared it would most often be me. So, we opted to hire a private driver. That was the best decision we made. We met him the morning of the third day. He was patient, knowledgeable to the point of being a tour guide, funny and thoughtful. He selected the best restaurants for lunch stops, filled us with interesting facts and funny stories. He took tremendous stress off our shoulders and added much value to the trip. And his name fit his role, Finnbar.
We arrived in Belfast, dropped our bags at the Grand Central Hotel, and met a Black Cab driver for a political and mural tour—a dive into the legacy of “The Troubles.”
The roots of Ireland’s division go back centuries. The British first became involved in Ireland in the late 12th century and consolidated control over time, especially following the 16th and 17th century plantations, when Protestant settlers from Britain were placed in the northern counties. In 1921, after years of political struggle and violence, Ireland was partitioned: six northeastern counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland, while the rest became the independent Irish Free State, now the Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland’s population was divided along religious and political lines—Protestant Unionists/Loyalists, who wanted to remain a member of the UK, and Catholic Nationalists/Republicans, who wanted unification with the Republic of Ireland. Tensions erupted into violence from 1968 to 1998, a period known as The Troubles, during which over 3,500 people died and tens of thousands were injured in bombings, riots, and shootings.
The Good Friday Agreement in 1998 lead to a power sharing government in Northern Ireland and an end to the large-scale violence. But tensions and divisions still exist. There is a “Peace Walls” between the Catholic and Protestants neighborhoods in west Belfast, some areas 45-foot high. The Wall is a physical barrier made of corrugated iron and topped by barbed wire. Its purpose was to reduce the violence between the groups. Three gates in the Peace Wall are open during the day but close each night at 9 pm. Passage is permitted during the day. But for the most part they shop in stores, dine in restaurants, drink at bars, shop for groceries and work on their respective sides of the Wall.
Our Black Cab driver took us into West Belfast, where these divisions are most visible.
We drove down Falls Road, the heart of the Catholic/Nationalist community, where tricolor flags (orange, white and green) flew and murals told stories of resistance and international solidarity. We saw the “Fáilte go dtí Béal Feirste Thiar” mural (Welcome to West Belfast), the Solidarity Wall on Albert Street where the murals along it come and go but the themes are always the same: freedom, justice and peace. There were murals of Frederick Douglas and Nelson Mandela.
We passed the Garden of Remembrance, dedicated to IRA members who died during the conflict. Nearby was the mural of Bobby Sands, the imprisoned hunger striker who died in 1981 and became a symbol of Republican resistance. The Sinn Féin offices were just around the corner.
We stopped at Bombay Street, where homes were burned by Loyalist mobs in 1969, sparking wider conflict. A memorial garden now honors the victims, the Clonard Martyrs Memorial Garden.
We visited the Peace Wall on Cupar Way between the Protestant/Loyalist/Unionists Shankill Road intersection with the Catholic/Nationalists/IRA Falls Road. Our driver brought a black marker for us to sign it.
We then passed through the Lanark Way gate into the Shankill Road area, a Loyalist stronghold. The difference was visible—Union Jacks flying, tributes to Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, and murals dedicated to figures like Stevie McKeag, a notorious Loyalist paramilitary, and community memorials like the Women’s Quilt and Lower Shankill Angels.
Crossing back through Northumberland Street Gate, we headed for the Titanic Belfast Museum. I wasn’t initially excited—how much could there be to say about a ship that sank? But our travel agent insisted it was a “must-see.” I’m so glad we went.
The museum was immersive and engaging. It told the story of Belfast’s industrial past, including linen-making and shipbuilding. The Titanic was constructed here at Harland & Wolff, and the museum traces the ship’s creation, launch, and doomed voyage. At the start of the tour, you’re assigned a real Titanic passenger, and at the end, you find out if they survived. Interactive exhibits walk you through the tragedy, with chilling records of how close the iceberg field was to New York.
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Day 4: Northern Coast: Castles, Bridges, and Giants
On our fourth day, we explored north of Belfast. We visited the eerie, twisting Dark Hedges (famous from Game of Thrones), the dramatic cliff side ruins of Dunluce Castle, and the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. The views were incredible.
Our next stop was Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thousands of interlocking basalt columns spill into the sea, the result of ancient volcanic activity—but local legend says they were laid by the giant Fionn mac Cumhaill to cross to Scotland. Dan and the grand kids walked to the causeway from the Visitor’s Center. They decided to walk back along a different path after Dan told them it was just over that hill, well, just over the next hill, well, it would come into view soon. The walk was much further than the three thought.
Giants Causeway
We also visited Ballintoy Harbour, a picturesque coastal village that served as another Game of Thrones filming location. A mother let her dog and little girl playing in the water.
We returned to Belfast via the scenic Antrim Coast Road, with views of the sea, sweeping fields, peat bogs, and grazing sheep.
We had a delicious lunch in Market Square, Bushmills, and dinner in Bank Square, Belfast. At dinner, we noticed a note at the bottom of the menu:
“Please make any allergies or intolerances known to a member of the staff.”
When I ordered, I mentioned my celery allergy. When it was time for our oldest grandchild (the passionate one) to order, he launched into a political rant about “intolerances,” we had to clarify that they meant food sensitivities—not ideological ones.
We ended the night with drinks at the rooftop bar of our hotel. The kids were thrilled when they spotted Justin Timberlake sitting nearby. He was in Belfast for a concert two days later.
