https://youtu.be/h2nXgnuD-o4

Nuair a ohionn an deoch istigh bionn an chiall amiugh (when the drink is in, the sense is clear).

Travelling from Liverpool-Birkenhead to Belfast via the Stena Line ferry is not the quickest of journeys, but is one of the most relaxing. Crossing the Irish Sea was calm and smooth, and gave us chance to chill out in the Stena Plus lounge. This means paying extra on top of your standard ticket but allows time to sit in peace and quiet, and you can help yourself to complimentary drinks and snacks. You can also pay extra for a substantial meal if you so wish. Even though we booked a cabin we spent very little time there.

Despite setting off late from Liverpool, we still arrived on time in Belfast. After disembarking, we had a quick ten minute journey by car to the Titanic Hotel in the Titanic Quarter https://www.titanichotelbelfast.com

The building itself was the headquarters of Harland and Wolff, the shipbuilders who built the doomed Titanic ship. This was another hotel that we have stayed at before and is amazing. Every time we have visited there has been a wedding taking place. I noticed that wedding packages start at £13995 ( minimum number of guests is 120). Not cheap but a great setting for nuptials.

Upon checking in we booked a taxi from the hotel to pick us up after a quick freshening up. We knew from previous experience that taxis in Belfast are never in a hurry. True to form, our 730pm ride turned up at 750pm. We chatted to the friendly taxi driver and, after a bit of quizzing about the Platinum Jubilee, we discovered that he was “on the Queen’s side”. He talked a bit about the history of Northern Ireland and the Troubles. Speaking from his perspective, he mentioned that the Northern Irish “love everybody else but not ourselves”. Quite thought provoking I’d say.

Our restaurant of choice was Mourne Seafood Bar, a place that we have visited previously https://www.mourneseafood.com. The food and service was amazing as usual. Oysters were popular with customers during our visit and everything from the local catch is freshly prepared on the premises. The food is just incredible and I understand why you need to book. It’s not somewhere I would recommend if you don’t like seafood, as there are very few options to choose from if it’s not your thing. However, I would actually travel to Belfast just to go there. It’s the best seafood restaurant I have ever been to.

Next door to the restaurant is a bar called Kelly’s Cellars. Our taxi driver had recommended that we visit it and it was a brilliant recommendation https://kellyscellars.co.uk. He did actually say that if we ask the staff then we would find out more about its history, but it was very busy so we just soaked up the atmosphere. Historically, it was the first meeting place of the United Irishmen, who planned the uprising against British rule in 1798. Sadly, there have also been plans by Belfast City Council to delist the building that is the home of Kelly’s Cellars, which would mean it could be demolished or developed. Despite this, an American woman campaigned against this and her petition eventually got the decision reversed in 2015, based on the pub’s historical significance. This meant that the building’s listed status is now back in place.

There was an Irish folk band playing when we arrived which added to the ambience of this historical venue. It was buzzing with locals and visitors who were all soaking up the atmosphere. It was an obvious choice to immerse ourselves in locally distilled whisky, which we were served in a half pint glass! There were lots of photographs on the wall in one area of the bar, which gives an backdrop of the history of this amazing city.

Getting a taxi back to the hotel proved another problem. One of the staff from Mourne, who happened to be outside sorting the bins, tried to help us with local taxi phone numbers. Despite his best efforts we had no success. After getting no answer from the phone numbers we had tried, we managed to get a ride from someone who had arrived to pick someone else up. The driver took us back after first checking with the person who had booked, finding that they weren’t ready to leave yet (she was in the toilet!!). I was thankful as it would have been a long walk back to the hotel.

Back at the Titanic hotel, the bar was quiet and we were well looked after by the staff there. Bushmills Causeway 2011 whisky finished off our evening in traditional Irish style.