Have you visited Northern Ireland and if so what is your opinion of the place?

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Was out a couple of nights in Belfast and got the same impression. It feels more free in the south even with our stupid licensing laws.

After a certain time, most clubs don't seem to let you in. I don't know the exact cut off point but a lot of Dublin clubs will let you in at 2.15am if you're not schwasted. It's different in Belfast, the people inside seem allowed to stay but there seems to be an early cut-off for intake of more punters. I'd have to check that with a local, was only my impression from the few times I've been out there. One great thing the last night I was up, leaving Lavery's (a pretty fun spot) late on we were able to go to the adjoined offy and get what we wanted to bring the party further.

Belfast City Centre is dead at night by comparison with the equivalent central streets in Dublin and you kinda have to go towards the university or up to the "Cathedral Quarter" to find nightlife.

If I never heard mention of the place again that would be ideal.
Hearing about it non stop throughout my life has just taken it's toll on my feelings towards it.

I always head far North.No sterling needed and not a soldier or a PISN in sight .
http://www.malinhead.ie/Homepage.html

Newry is a tip by the way!

Duck's hoop wrote: »

Pretty sad attitude considering it makes up a considerable portion of this small island, is fantastically beautiful in places, has a rich history to say the least and home to some very funny and resilient people.

If you were forced to hear the same ****ty song 12,000 times in your life, you'd avoid it too.

Havent been up North in years-really must.
From what I remember of Belfast, it was clean nice and had decent shopping. Was weird being in Ireland using sterling and I definately got a more English than Irish vibe from the place, not that that's a good or bad thing. Was too young before to check out the nightlife so may head yp with some people soon

I lived up the north for a few years when i was in my early teens. I never liked it, always felt there was a lot of bigotry on both sides and most people were very two faced about it.
I think someone said Belfast felt cold , that's the way the whole place feels to me. Maybe it's changed since then , haven't been up there is years.

I always thought it to be Irish (OK, depends on what part of NI you are in, hard to have an Irish feel to a place when there's Union Jacks hangin all over the place)

Mainly I never really thought much about it thought much, I always considered NI just as much a part of Ireland as the Republic, but that maybe because I grew up just beside the border and spent quite a lot of time in NI and had quite a few friends there, so it was just another place "up the road"

I did a tour of the North a few years ago (jeepers probably 10 years ago!!), and I really enjoyed it. We started off in Dundalk, then onto Carlingford > Newry > Newcastle > Downpatrick > Belfast > Ballymena (my uncle lived here, he used to tell us some great stories!) > Ballycastle > Giants Causeway > Portrush > Portstewart > Derry > Buncrana > Letterkenny > Rosapenna > Dunfanaghy (some lovely beaches up around here) > around Bloodyforeland & down the coast. We got a good spell of weather aswell, and I would definitely do it again, and yes there's an English feel to the country (except Donegal obviously).

I reckon there's a large percentage of people south of the Galway/Dublin divide who have never ventured up to the North, and that's a shame, the experience/adventure is really worth it.

I went to Derry last year, quite liked it. The football club there is amazingly good, fantastic supporters. Did a walk along the walls of derry in the late afternoon, it was a bit depressing seeing how segregated some of the place has to be, but still enjoyed my time there. Never been to Belfast, but I really liked Newry. Great friendly place. Didn't like the rural areas so much, bad roads and kerbs painted red, white and blue.

Far more british than irish.

I visited Northern Ireland for a few days over the summer. I was mainly in Portrush and Ballycastle but saw Giants Causeway and parts of County Antrim and County Derry.

My view of it was very positive. The people I met there were some of the friendliest people I've met. I noticed people seem very glad of your business there and were as a result very accommodating. I think it still suffers from its reputation but I didn't experience anything bigoted at all (barring speaking to a Rangers fan in a pub, after I revealed to him my Irish background, he immediately went on to say how he loved singing about the UVF when going to Ibrox :rolleyes:) but people there seem to have moved on I feel. The only difference is when you go through either a Protestant town or a Catholic town you'll see different flags and the skangers hanging round will be wearing either Republic of Ireland/Celtic attire or Northern Ireland/Rangers.

Having grown up in England, when I went over it certainly wasn't British. It felt more Irish than British despite the road signs and currency but it wasn't Irish as I know it from visiting family in the Republic. As people have said Northern Irish is a culture in itself. That's not to say people have the right to consider themselves Irish or British as well. It's unique.

But I liked the place. I'll definitely be going back. :cool: