Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
by the success of the local linen, rope-making, and especially shipbuilding industries. The
Industrial Revolution took root with a vengeance. While the rest of Ireland remained rural
and agricultural, Belfast earned its nickname (“Old Smoke”) during the time when many
of the brick buildings that you'll see today were built. The year 1888 marked the birth of
modern Belfast. After Queen Victoria granted city status to this boomtown of 300,000, its
citizens built Belfast's centerpiece, City Hall.
Belfast is the birthplace of the
Titanic
(and many other ships that didn't sink). In
2012, to mark the 100th anniversary of the
Titanic
disaster, a modern new attraction
was launched in Belfast's shipyard, telling the ill-fated ship's fascinating and tragic story.
Nearby, two huge, mustard-colored cranes (built in the 1970s, and once the biggest in the
world, nicknamed Samson and Goliath) rise like skyscrapers. They stand idle now, but
serve as a reminder of this town's former shipbuilding might...strategic enough to be the
target of four Luftwaffe bombing raids in World War II.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the peace process had begun to take root, and
investments from south of the border—the Republic of Ireland—injected quiet optimism
into the dejected shipyards where the
Titanic
was built. Though funding has declined, Bel-
fast officials hope the historic Titanic Quarter will continue to attract development...and
lots of tourists.
Despite the economic downturn, it feels like a new morning in Belfast. It's hard to be-
lievethatthebrightandbustlingpedestriancenterwasonceasubdued,traffic-freesecurity
zone. Now there's no hint of security checks, once a tiresome daily routine. These days,
both Catholics and Protestants are rooting for the Belfast Giants ice hockey team, one of
many reasons to live together peacefully.
