Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cost and Hours:
Free;buildingopenMon-Thu8:30-17:00,Fri8:30-16:30,closed(ex-
cept for tours) Sat, closed Sun; tours Mon-Fri at 11:00, 14:00, and 15:00—entrance on
north side of building behind Queen Victoria statue; Sat at 14:00 and 15:00—entrance
via south-facing back door only; no tours on Sun; call to confirm schedule and to reserve
a tour, handy Bobbin coffee shop on ground floor, tel. 028/9032-0202,
Visiting City Hall on Your Own:
If you can't manage a tour, at least step inside to
admire the marble swirl staircase and the view up into the dome. In 1912, at the center of
the marble floor design beneath the dome, Sir Edward Carson signed the Ulster Coven-
ant—to be followed by 470,000 other Unionists at dozens of desks surrounding City Hall
that day. Some signed with their own blood. The Covenant stated Unionists would use “all
means necessary” (including the might of the 100,000-strong UVF militia) to resist the
Home Rule bill that had just passed in Parliament. The bill would have given the island
of Ireland limited autonomy from Britain. These Protestant Unionists feared “Home Rule
as Rome Rule,” where they would have become the minority in an independent Catholic
Ireland. World War I interrupted the implementation of Home Rule, and the partition of
Ireland followed shortly after the war's end.
1916
ThispivotalyearmeansvastlydifferentthingstoNorthernIreland'stwocommunit-
ies. When you say “1776” to most Americans, it means revolution and independ-
ence from tyranny (unless, perhaps, you're a Native American). But when you say
“1916” to someone in Northern Ireland, the response depends on who's talking.
