When my love said to me
Meet me down by the gallow tree
For it’s sad news I bring
About this old town and all that it’s offering
Some say troubles abound
Some day soon they’re gonna pull the old town down
One day we’ll return here
When the Belfast Child sings again – Simple Minds
Woolly says – I was up and ready in record time and eager to start our first day in Belfast.
Belfast is the capital city and main port of Northern Ireland. It stands on the banks of the river Lagan and is connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel. While chartered as an English settlement in 1613, the town’s early growth was driven by an influx of Scottish Presbyterians. Their descendants’ disaffection with Ireland’s Anglican establishment contributed to the rebellion of 1798 and to the 1801 union with Great Britain that followed. Access to the British capital and markets were key to industrial growth. When granted city status in 1888, Belfast was the world’s largest centre of linen manufacture, and by the 1900s its shipyards were building up to a quarter of all United Kingdom tonnage.
There had been two periods of sustained violence involving paramilitaries and security forces: in 1920 to 22, as Belfast became the capital of the six north-eastern counties retaining the British connection, and in the so-called Troubles, the three decades from the late 1960s during which the British Army was continually deployed on the streets. A legacy of conflict is the barrier-reinforced separation of Protestant and Catholic working-class districts. Since the Good Friday Agreement, the electoral balance in the once Unionist-controlled city has shifted.
It was also the birthplace of C.S. Lewis (1898 to 1963), writer and Anglican lay theologian. (author of The Chronicles of Narnia), Gerry Adams (born 1948), reputed republican paramilitary (PIRA) leader, president of Sinn Féin and MP for Belfast West, Derek Bell (1935 to 2002), harpist, musicologist and composer of The Chieftains, George Best (1946 to 2005), football international, iconic sports figure, City Airport is named in his honour, Van Morrison (born 1945), singer-songwriter and musician and Ian Paisley (1926 to 2014), Protestant evangelist (Martyrs Memorial Church, Belfast), founder of the DUP and First Minister of Northern Ireland.
Our first day in the city would be centred round the Titanic Quarter in the dockyards where the great ship had been constructed. Having navigated our way through the streams of traffic and parked underneath the centre we headed straight up the steps and into the Titanic Belfast. Opened in 2012, it is a monument to Belfast’s maritime heritage on the site of the former Harland & Wolff where the RMS Titanic was built. It tells the stories of the Titanic, and her sister ships RMS Olympic and HMHS Britannic. The building contains more than 12,000 square metres (130,000 sq ft) of floor space, most of which is occupied by a series of galleries, private function rooms and community facilities.
It was huge and I just hoped that the thousands of tourists making their way in would disappear into the large place otherwise it might take us a while to get round.
The first few areas told us about Belfast history and its links to the linen trade (it had once exported more linen than any country in the world), the Sirocco woks who has the worlds leading ventilation company, cigarette production (Benson and Hedges, Silk Cut), Whiskey manufacturing and the docks and how they had started.
The exhibits were excellent and very interactive if you could get near them, I stuck right with Jo in fear of getting lost in the crowds. It then moved on to the shipbuilding side of the city with focus on Harland and Wolff who had been the biggest shipbuilders by far.
The black and white photography was incredible given when it was taken and gave a real insight to the city in its early stages.
We then moved onto the White Star line with its colourful adverts, one picture showed a huge design office which was bigger than some houses, just as I was staring at this the floor appeared to start moving and plans of the titanic started moving along the floor which was fascinating if a little strange.
Arriving at some large steel girders we found ourselves suddenly sitting in a small moving cart which took us through the shipyard as work started on the big ship whilst listening to the words of people who had once worked there.
Climbing out of the cart we headed into an area dedicated to the Titanic’s launch day including an incredibly rare ticket for it, where she had been moved into the water for the rest of her fittings which included 29 boilers each standing at nearly a hundred foot tall.
The final bits were then added, and we were able to see what the cabins had looked like, the main salons and dining rooms and even things like the choice of carpets and drapes.
Next was a series of wonderful photographs showing the ship in Southampton, Cherbourg and Queenstown (Cobh) that we had recently visited before she set off for the last time.
Then came the last messages sent from the doomed ship which were so sad to read, along with the stories from the Carpathian who had tried so hard to rescue all that they could.
Heading downstairs gave us an insight into the inquest that had taken place which made shocking reading and changed maritime laws for good, from having no binoculars, no lifeboat drill you really had to wonder.
The last section was all about finding the ship and Ballards attempt to track her down which he finally achieved in 1985 when during a twelve day search, they found one of the boilers, from that one find they were able to secure more funding and have cameras to record what lay so far beneath the sea.
The footage was fascinating and you could clearly make out details of the wreck.
Just as we exited, we found a small section dedicated to the films and books about the Titanic and the legendary front of the ship where Jack and Rose are famous for standing.
It had been an incredible place to visit but we were exhausted and all in need of a sit down, drinks and snacks. Half an hour later and we were off again. Outside was a fascinating area which was marked out on the ground showing exactly where Titanic had been built and giving some context of where lifeboats, tables etc would have been located.
As we walked the distance from stern to bow, we were able to have a look over the docks which seemed very quiet now in comparison to how it must have looked in its heyday. It also gave a chance to admire the museum building.
One thing that we had found a bit odd was that no anchors had been mentioned and we had been quite keen to see some information on the biggest of the ships anchors as it had been made in Netherton in the Black Country only a few miles away from Zoe’s home. At the time it was also the biggest anchor in the world.
A short walk away was our last port of call to see one the Titanic’s tender’s.
SS Nomadic is a former tender of the White Star Line, launched on 25th April 1911 at Belfast, she was built to transfer passengers and mail to and from the ocean liners RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic. She is the only surviving vessel designed by Thomas Andrews, who also helped design those two ocean liners, and the last White Star Line vessel in existence today.
The keel of Nomadic was laid down in the Harland and Wolff shipyards, in 1910 (yard number 422). She was built on slipway No. 1 alongside RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic, which were constructed on slipways 2 and 3.
She looked incredible and a lot of work in restoration had obviously taken place. Heading on board we admired the second class area with it long wooden benches and moulded panels.
Afternoon tea would have a favourite on board and there was even a bar. A small display of some of the luggage at the time although I didn’t think that the polar bear had been there for that long.
A small display of women’s clothing showed up the boarding dresses worn, the deck walk dresses as well as the evening and more formal attire, the hats were a sight to see.
A board showed us some of the famous people who had used the tender before we found out about the crew areas and below below decks.
The crew area was tiny and I’m not sure how they fitted in there, I was glad to get out onto the deck and wander around or promenade as guests would have once done.
It also gave us a chance to admire the funnels and the bridge which was very open to the elements. SS Nomadic had crammed a lot into her lifetime at sea from helping the two much bigger ships, to carrying soldiers in both of the World Wars she had finally been brought back to her home and even the same dock where she had been built so that she could enjoy her retirement.
It had been a brilliant day but all of us were exhausted, a good night’s rest and we would be ready for our second day in Belfast.