Holidays close to home
HOLIDAYS AREN’T JUST SPECIAL WHEN THEY ARE OVERSEAS. SOMETIMES THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME CAN BE FOUND ON OUR OWN SHORES. HERE WE HIGHLIGHT CORK AND BELFAST AS TWO OF THE TOP IRISH PLACES TO VISIT IN THE NEW YEAR
We highlight Cork and Belfast as two Irish destinations to visit in the New Year
“T here are so many reasons why Irish people holiday in Ireland,” says Fiona Liversidge, Corporate Communications and Insights Manager for Visit Belfast. “The convenience of the trip is a big draw as there is no need to fly for visitors in the south. There is also the huge amount of investment in our tourism offering. This encourages locals to discover more about their home with some top-class accommodation, attractions, great food and hospitality.”
Research from Europcar Ireland’s recent Tourism Index found that one in four Irish people holidayed in Ireland, which is an increase of 39pc on the previous year. It revealed that 53pc of Irish holidaymakers reported holidaying in Ireland as their main getaway of the year. According to Fáilte Ireland, there were 9.8 million domestic trips in Ireland in 2018 and this year, visitor numbers are set to rise by 3pc in 2019. Home seems to be where the heart is. BEAUTIFUL BELFAST “In the last few years, we have seen an uplift in the number of visitors from the Republic of Ireland coming north, especially to Belfast,” says Fiona. “Belfast has come a long way in a short time as a tourist destination.
Don’t just take Fiona’s word for it, Belfast and the Causeway Coast was also chosen as Lonely Planet’s number one region to visit in 2018, while National Geographic Traveller Magazine recently voted Belfast as their ‘City on the Rise’.
Belfast has a range of accommodation from 5-Star hotels to B&Bs and in 2018, six new hotels opened in the city centre. Fiona says the city is compact and easy to explore, so it’s very easy to discover visitor attractions. This includes Titanic Belfast, which was awarded the World’s Best Visitor Attraction award by the World Travel Awards in 2016.
“Titanic Belfast tells the story of Belfast’s unique place in building the most famous ship in the world.” But that’s not all, “If you are in Belfast over the weekend, St George’s Market is a must – the Victorian-covered market offers great local food, artisan gifts and entertainment.
“The Ulster Museum, situated in Botanic Gardens offers exhibitions from Irish art and treasures from the Spanish Armada, all the way through to Egyptian mummies and the story of the Troubles.
“Belfast is a Victorian city with some great examples of Victorian architecture, one of which is the Crumlin Road Gaol. Having only closed in 1996, visitors can now take a tour of the building and uncover the social history of Belfast over 150 years.” A CITY OF ARTS AND CULTURE Fiona says that those interested in the culture of the city will be very happy as there are plenty of museums, galleries and cultural outlets to visit. However, Belfast has the added benefit of having some great family attractions including W5 Discovery Centre, the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum and Belfast Zoo.
For those looking for a quiet trip, Belfast has scenery ideal for hillwalking, cycling, golfing and of course for fans of Game of Thrones®, there are plenty of filming locations to visit. “Game of Thrones® will air its final season in 2019 and Belfast will welcome the Game of Thrones® Touring exhibition in April at the Titanic Exhibition Centre. This new exhibition will drop fans into the centre of the Seven Kingdoms for an upclose look at authentic props, costumes and set decorations from the show.”
Fiona adds: “Personally, I have loved every minute of working in Belfast and Northern Ireland over the last 21 years and I feel very lucky to see how Belfast in particular has flourished since the Good Friday agreement. The HMS Caroline is a favourite of mine. Decommissioned by the Royal Navy in 2010, HMS Caroline is the only surviving naval ship from the Battle of Jutland and now restored, it’s a must-see floating museum telling the story of life at sea for over 90 years. I would recommend everyone to visit this at least once.” COME TO CORK “We see more and more staycationers in Ireland and visiting places like Cork because of the amount of year-round activities available to them,” says Seamus Heaney, Head of Visit Cork. “Cork City is easily accessible with hourly rail services from Dublin and great connectivity to places such as East Cork, Fota Wildlife Park and Cobh. Bus services around the county are frequent and great value, so it’s easy to get around.”
Cork is the largest county in Ireland and is part of both the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland’s Ancient East, meaning it has an abundance of attractions to suit any visitor. Seamus as Head of Visit Cork knows why people love the Rebel County. He says that visitors love Cork for natural places like Fota Wildlife Park and Gardens, the history and culture of the city and historical sites such as Elizabeth Fort and Cork City Gaol.
“Cork offers visitors a real sense of Irishness, which can be found in our food, our attractions and most of all in our people. We have fresh food made by artisan producers throughout the county. The Crawford Art Gallery and Café for one is a must-see in the centre of the city.
“When visiting Cork, I would recommend people visit Nano Nagle Place. Nano Nagle was born 300 years ago and became a Presentation Sister.”
Nano Nagle was an important person for the history of Ireland, for education and for women as she opened seven schools and helped many poor women. The Presentation Order have created an amazing tourist attraction and heritage experience in her honour. THE IRISH EXPERIENCE For those who want to have the Irish experience and enjoy the countryside of Cork, the West Cork Farm Tour is available which is a tour of any one of five dairy or pig farms around Clonakilty and Rosscarbery.
Another wildlife experience is Doneraile Wildlife Park which is a free attraction, 25 miles north of Cork City. This 18th century landscaped park has 166 hectares of land filled with trees, deer and many pathways for walking. Doneraile Wildlife Park was named as one of Ireland’s most popular ‘free-to-enter’ attractions by Fáilte Ireland.
“You can’t come to Cork and not visit Spike Island and Cobh, with their breathtaking views of Cork Harbour and some great storytelling on the Island. Cobh’s history is fascinating as it was the final port of call for the ill-fated Titanic, so coming here has many tales of Irish immigration. The Cobh Heritage Centre, as well as Titanic Centre are definitely worth visiting.”
Seamus says any trip to Cork is suited to couples, families, great escapers and the culturally curious visitor.
“With a maritime history spanning over a thousand years, the land, the people and their culture will allow you to discover a quirky way to stimulate your senses. Over 500,000 Corkonians would love to meet you!” For more information on visiting Belfast, see visitbelfast.com and for information on Cork, visit purecork.ie You can check out Visit Belfast on stand R8 and Pure Cork on stand Q18/R17 at Holiday World Show