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Everytime I plan a weekend trip to Belfast, my mates remind me to keep an eye out for trouble. I can never figure why? Perhaps, If you're walking across the street during a Orange Order March then maybe. But, I’ve always found Belfast to be a very safe place.
Northern Ireland has the lowest ordinary crime rate in the United Kingdom.
West Belfast is the centre of much of the political tension in Northern Ireland,
and should be avoided, particularly at night and in times of civil unrest.
Getting there is relatively easy from Dublin. Via train from Connolly
Station is around 2 hours (IR£32) and by bus is approx. 3 hours.
The train is a bit more expensive for such a short trip, but if you're
looking for comfort - this would be the way to go. If you're coming
from Great Britain then Belfast is also serviced by low cost airline, Easy Jet (www.easyjet.com).
When I visit Belfast, it's usually for a quick day or weekend break and
of course, I try to keep costs at a minimum. The selection of B&B's
aren't terribly close to the city centre and when coming home from a
club at 3am, I like something within stumbling distance. All the gay
venues lie North of City Hall and most accommodation lies South of
City Hall. Enter Paddy's Backpackers' Linen House Hostel (www.belfasthostel.com).
If you call in advance then you can reserve a private single room
for £15 and dorm rooms are also available from £6.50.
The Linen House is a 2-5 minute walk to all the gay venues
in the city and has friendly staff to help you with any questions you
might have about Belfast.
If you've some sterling burning a hole in your pocket then you might try
the Posthouse Premier (Ormeau Avenue). The rooms are new and have
shower heads to die for. There's also a fridge stocked with drinks
and snacks as well as Playstation games that can be played on the
TV in your room. Twin rooms start at £43 per person.
Eating in Belfast has been a pretty good experience for me. There
are loads of reasonable take away places along Dublin and Lisburn Road.
Highly recommend for a tasty meal is The Apartment (Donegal Square
West (028) 9050 9777) on the right side of city hall. The place gets jammed
at peak times, but it's completely worth the wait. Another delicious and busy
place is the Northern Whig (2-10 Bridge Street, 028 90 509888). Set in the
former offices of the Northern Whig newspaper you enter a vast, three-tiered
hall dominated by huge beer barrels and 10ft-high Communist statues imported
from Prague. I recommend it for a Sunday hangover meal after 1pm.
If you need to check your email (or can’t live without it like myself) there’s the
Revelations internet café (http://www.revelations.co.uk) on Shaftesbury Square.
Pretty much the only café in general that is open until 10pm on a Friday. You
get a good rate if you’re a student or staying at a hostel in town.
Gay Nightlife is rapidly improving in Belfast. There's something to do every
day of the gay calendar. White's Tavern (www.whitestavern.co.uk) hosts a
gay night every Wednesday (Slosh) evening. The Juice Bar
(Duke of York, 11 Commercial Court) holds a women's only disco on the 2nd
Thursday of every month.
Also, Milk (www.clubmilk.com) features a gay night called Forbidden Fruit
every Monday night. I was lucky enough to check this night out and
a great time was had by all. Greeting people at the door was
my favourite drag queen in Ireland, Baroness Titti Von Tramp. She
was handing out free cocktails and outrageous personality at the door.
The club itself is impressive. You walk into the main room which leads
into a sleek sitting room with loads of room to socialise. Upstairs is the
main dance floor with the DJ sitting high and dry above the crowd. The
music was mainstream and upbeat, which kept the punters going until
3am. Admission to the club was a worthwhile £5 and I'd highly
recommend a visit.
More regular gay venues include the main gay bar in Belfast - The
Parliament (www.theparliament.co.uk) One of Belfast's oldest gay
clubs/bars. Open 7 days per week with an extensive pub food
selection. The pub itself has its regulars and I'd recommend going
there with a mate as to not feel too out of place.
Saving the best for last - there's The Kremlin (www.kremlin-belfast.com).
My favourite club in Ireland, the Kremlin is fine example of what a
gay venue should be. The club makes a great effort to keep the
image of the club fresh and to a high standard. With guest PA's
rockin' drag queens and different theme nights every week, the
Kremlin is a must see for a queer visitor to Belfast. The admission
on a Saturday is a reasonable £5. This gives you access to the Tsar
Bar, the long bar and the clubroom where you can dance the night
away. The Kremlin is opening an extension to the club called "Red
Square" in the middle of June. I will definitely make it up from Dublin
for the opening ceremonies.
For more information on Belfast and Northern Ireland you can also
check out:
Gay & Lesbian Youth NI http://www.glyni.org.uk/
And the Queens University site: http://quis.qub.ac.uk/lgb/home.htm
Revvlon’s online Diary: http://www.gay-ireland.com/revvlon/index.asp
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