TITANIC BELFAST
Read moreThis is without a doubt the capital's most important visit. Located right next to the famous historic Harland and Wolff shipbuilding site, this attraction traces the history of the Titanic in the city where it was born. The building alone is worth a visit with its light-catching, undulating aluminum facade, reminiscent of Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie, Lyon's Musée des Confluences or the Fondation Vuitton in Paris. Its seductive angular shape evokes the bow of a ship. The museum is almost as emblematic as the Titanic whose history it recounts (4,200m3 of concrete were poured in 24 hours to ensure its foundations!) For the record, the Titanic Belfast can accommodate 3,547 visitors at a time, the same capacity as the original Titanic and its facades measure 27 meters, the same height as the Titanic from keel to deck! James Cameron himself called it "phenomenal". If you only know the Titanic from James Cameron's movie, this visit is a must to go beyond the clichés, to get away from the romanticism and dig into the concrete reality of this mythical ship. Throughout the nine galleries spread over six floors, the past of the colossus, its construction site, its workers, its challenges and its tragic sinking are all on display. The launch of the museum was chosen for March 2012, the year corresponding to the centenary of the tragedy, which took place in 1912. Since then, it has become an unmissable event for all visitors, but also for the locals, who have thus reclaimed their past and their heritage. A visit here allows for a fun and exciting tour: 3D videos, documentaries, life-size models, rare objects found after the shipwreck, reconstruction of the cabins according to the different classes, etc. An experience that brings the Titanic back to life and will fascinate both history lovers and the simply curious. The museum is truly designed to provide an immersive and interactive experience for the spectators who take the place of the workers, passengers and crew of the famous liner. When the tour discusses the cranes of the shipyard and the height at which the men worked, we suddenly go up to the4th floor where we overlook the rest of the museum and where the sounds of the shipyard accompany us. When the doors of the elevator open we discover this sentence: "Let's go to work"! The museum sometimes takes on the air of an amusement park with, among other things, the Shipyard Ride, a train that takes us, in the middle of the visit, with the workers to the shipyard. The Titanic is not only a love story, and it is the strength of this museum to remind us of this. The Titanic is above all the story of thousands of workers, of an entire city that gave everything to build it and that staked everything on its construction. The emotions are strong because we understand that all this work, all this genius, all these efforts ended at the bottom of the water. We understand the broken hope and pride of Belfast. The room of the sinking is particularly moving with the distress messages sent by the Titanic and reproduced hour by hour on the walls of the room. The silence reigns. In the last part of the exhibition, we take place in a huge amphitheater and we dive into the ocean in search of the wreck of the Titanic which is revealed little by little under the water. Fascinating!
BIG FISH
Read moreThis original work, created in 1999 by local artist John Kindness to mark the regeneration of the Lagan River (previously too polluted for fish to swim in), features a 10-meter-long salmon made of more or less blue ceramic and engraved with text telling the story of Belfast. Standing on the edge of the Lagan River, not far from the Albert Memorial Clock and the Customs House, the "big fish" fits perfectly into the skyline of new Belfast. A must-see if you're ever in the area.
ULSTER MUSEUM
Read moreIn the heart of the botanical garden, the Ulster Museum is a superb museum not to be missed. Although walking through the museum is a bit like trying to find your way through a maze, it is a great opportunity to immerse yourself in Northern Ireland's past, in all its extraordinary diversity and richness. Glass and steel walkways allow visitors to move around the central atrium and to view some of the exhibits, as well as the museum from different angles and dimensions depending on the location and the floor they are on. Collections include archaeological pieces from the Stone Age to the late Middle Ages, Irish paintings from the 17th to the 20th century, a natural history gallery with many stuffed animals, objects from the world's cultures... The fossil of the dinosaur Edmontosaurus is undoubtedly a masterpiece, the mummy of Princess Takabuti of Thebes (the first mummy to be exhibited to the public outside of Egypt in 1835), 2,500 years old, is also a must-see and fits into the theme of life and death in ancient Egypt. The section on the Troubles will fascinate anyone who wants to know more about this terrible period. It will also prevent you from making the slightest mistake in discussing the subject during your stay. The "stop and think" panels are very well laid out and allow questions to be raised and debates to be launched. This part is organised in chronological order and offers a new vision of the conflict, different from the one relayed by the media.
The Ulster Museum is a lively and interactive museum, full of re-enactments and videos, and with many dynamic scenographies. Everyone can find an interest, a subject that fascinates them, whether it be history, art or science, and one can easily spend several hours there. One can easily spend several hours there. One can move from one era, field and century to another, like a journey through time. Everything about Northern Ireland is brought together in one place and the bridges between the subjects are particularly pleasing. After discovering the history of the country in the first floors, we discover Northern Ireland and its significant events in painting through the paintings of great masters of the country. This is a great museum to do with children, as each part of the museum has a specially designed room where they can handle objects, experiment and have fun.
WAR MEMORIAL MUSEUM
Read moreLocated right next to the cathedral, this tiny museum commemorates the role of the cities of Belfast and Derry in the First and Second World Wars. There are archival images to view on screens, following an interactive index that categorizes them by theme. An important section is also dedicated to the American army, which came to help the Irish. Don't hesitate to talk to the museum staff who will be happy to explain it to you. Events are also regularly organized here.
EILEEN HICKEY MUSEUM
Read moreOpened in 2007, on the first anniversary of the death of Republican Eileen Hickey who had begun a collection of artifacts relating to the history of Irish Republicans. Volunteer workers were able to pursue her dream of preserving for future generations the memory of those who fought for freedom.
A former prisoner in the notorious Armagh Women's Prison (a cell is reconstructed at the entrance to the museum, with the original door of this prison opened in 1868 and closed in 1999!), Eileen died of cancer. Today, the museum displays a moving collection of artifacts that belonged to those who fought the revolution against British rule. Key books on politics and civil disobedience, memorabilia from the 1798 and 1803 rebellions, medals from 1916-1923, photographs and newspaper articles, and especially crafts made in prison by Irish Republican prisoners and items brought by their families. Indeed, the status of political prisoner, until 1979, gave some advantages such as the right to visit, to read and to create. The period saw the blossoming of a positive spirit of protest that incarceration did not alter. Prisoners wrote poems, read political screeds, sculpted wooden objects, in a few words, were in resistance... Later, London abolished this status, thinking to finally muzzle them by taking away these rights. Note that the museum lives on donations.