Belfast For a Weekend City Break?

Hi,

Thinking of heading up (from Dublin) next week or weekend for a couple of nights. We were also considering Kilkenny.

Basically we're looking for somewhere with good bars and food as well as good shops to pick up some pre-christmas stuff.

Have been to Galway many times so not considering there. It would seem Langton's in Kilkenny would be a laugh in a small dose - looks like it would be similar to staying in the hotel over Copper Face Jacks!
But Belfast is where we think might be good, especially with the exchange rate for hotels and shopping. There's a Radisson there too which we'd probably go for.

If anyone has any suggestions, experiences or recommendations it would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers