Belfast Quarters
Encyclopedia
The Belfast Quarters refer to a number of distinctive cultural zones within the city of Belfast
, Northern Ireland
, whose identities have been developed as a spur to tourism and urban regeneration. These "quarters" differ from the traditional districts
into which Belfast is divided.
The term "quarter" does not refer to one fourth (or one quarter) of the city, nor is every area in the centre of Belfast part of one of the quarters. Instead, each "quarter" reflects something about a neighbourhood's history and locale, with the "Quarter" label being something that has come into general use in recent years.
The quarters are as follows:
takes its name from St. Anne’s Cathedral
and has taken on the mantle of the city's key cultural locality. It boasts a yearly visual and performing arts festival
. Custom House Square is one of the city's main outdoor venues for free concerts and street entertainment.
covers 75 hectares of reclaimed land adjacent to Belfast harbour
, formerly known as Queen's Island. Named after the Titanic, which was built there in 1912, work has begun which aims to transform the former shipyard into "one of the largest waterfront developments in Europe". Plans also include new apartments, a riverside entertainment district, and a major Titanic-themed museum.
Titanic Quarter also features the Odyssey Arena and Odyssey Pavilion, a major entertainment complex which has hosted concerts by such artists as Iron Maiden
, Slipknot
, Kings of Leon
, and Muse
, as well as comedy stand-up shows by Peter Kay
and Russell Howard
. It will also play host to the 2011 MTV EMA Awards for the very first time on November 6th.
is named after Queen's University and is located in South Belfast, famous for its leafy, suburban atmosphere despite its proximity to the city centre. The area has a large student population and hosts the annual Belfast Festival at Queen’s
each autumn. It is also home to Botanic Gardens
and the Ulster Museum
, which underwent extensive refurbishment for several years, reopening in 2009. The Golden Mile
is the name given to the mile between Belfast City Hall
and Queen's University. Taking in Dublin Road, Great Victoria Street, Shaftesbury Square and Bradbury Place, it contains some of the best bars, restaurants and nightclubs in the city. Since the Good Friday Agreement
in 1998, the nearby Lisburn Road
has developed into the city's most exclusive shopping strip.
is an area around the Falls Road in West Belfast
which promotes and encourages the use of the Irish language
. It was most liklely born out of the high volume of Irish nationalist residents in the Falls Road area, which is well-known for its Irish demographic.
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, whose identities have been developed as a spur to tourism and urban regeneration. These "quarters" differ from the traditional districts
Districts of Belfast
The subdivisions of Belfast are a series of divisions of Belfast, Northern Ireland that are used for a variety of cultural, electoral, planning and residential purposes....
into which Belfast is divided.
The term "quarter" does not refer to one fourth (or one quarter) of the city, nor is every area in the centre of Belfast part of one of the quarters. Instead, each "quarter" reflects something about a neighbourhood's history and locale, with the "Quarter" label being something that has come into general use in recent years.
The quarters are as follows:
- Cathedral QuarterCathedral Quarter, BelfastThe Cathedral Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland is a developing area of the city, roughly situated between Royal Avenue near where the Belfast Central Library building is, and the Dunbar Link in the city centre. From one of its corners, the junction of Royal Avenue, Donegall Street and York...
- Gaeltacht QuarterGaeltacht Quarter, BelfastThe Gaeltacht Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is an area surrounding the Falls Road in the west of the city. A Gaeltacht is an area where the Irish language is widely spoken. The area aims to promote the Irish language and provide tourist attractions associated with it, as well as Irish...
- Smithfield Market and Library QuarterSmithfield Market and Library Quarter, BelfastSmithfield and Union is one of the Belfast quarters established by Belfast City Council in the 21st century. Initially designated the Smithfield Market and Library quarter, the current name was adopted in 2011. Based around the north of Belfast City Centre it extends from North Street to Frederick...
- Linen QuarterLinen Quarter, BelfastLinen Quarter is the area of Belfast south of Belfast City Hall bounded by Donegall Square South, Bedford Street, Ormeau Avenue and Cromac Street...
- Market QuarterMarket Quarter, BelfastMarket Quarter refers to a wide area of Belfast City including St George's Market, an area of inner city housing, The Waterfront precinct - including conference and concert hall and Hilton Hotel - and the city's Central Railway Station....
- Queen's QuarterQueen's Quarter, BelfastQueen's Quarter is the southern-most quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland and named after Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland's largest university...
- Titanic QuarterTitanic Quarter, BelfastThe Titanic Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland is a waterfront regeneration project, including apartments, a riverside entertainment district, and a major Titanic-themed attraction under development on reclaimed land in Belfast Harbour, known until recently as Queen's Island...
Cathedral Quarter
Cathedral QuarterCathedral Quarter, Belfast
The Cathedral Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland is a developing area of the city, roughly situated between Royal Avenue near where the Belfast Central Library building is, and the Dunbar Link in the city centre. From one of its corners, the junction of Royal Avenue, Donegall Street and York...
takes its name from St. Anne’s Cathedral
St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast
St Anne's Cathedral, also known as Belfast Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Donegall Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland...
and has taken on the mantle of the city's key cultural locality. It boasts a yearly visual and performing arts festival
Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival
The Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival is an annual festival of music, comedy, theatre, art and literature that takes place in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The festival, now in its 12th year, primarily takes place in the first weeks of May in an area of Belfast known as the Cathedral Quarter, so called...
. Custom House Square is one of the city's main outdoor venues for free concerts and street entertainment.
Titanic Quarter
Titanic QuarterTitanic Quarter, Belfast
The Titanic Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland is a waterfront regeneration project, including apartments, a riverside entertainment district, and a major Titanic-themed attraction under development on reclaimed land in Belfast Harbour, known until recently as Queen's Island...
covers 75 hectares of reclaimed land adjacent to Belfast harbour
Port of Belfast
Belfast Harbour is a major maritime gateway in Northern Ireland, serving the Northern Ireland economy and increasingly that of the Republic of Ireland...
, formerly known as Queen's Island. Named after the Titanic, which was built there in 1912, work has begun which aims to transform the former shipyard into "one of the largest waterfront developments in Europe". Plans also include new apartments, a riverside entertainment district, and a major Titanic-themed museum.
Titanic Quarter also features the Odyssey Arena and Odyssey Pavilion, a major entertainment complex which has hosted concerts by such artists as Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
, Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion, Oklahoma but formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill , Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion,...
, and Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
, as well as comedy stand-up shows by Peter Kay
Peter Kay
Peter John Kay is an English comedian, writer, actor, director and producer. His work includes That Peter Kay Thing , Phoenix Nights , Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere , Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and other independent productions which have included two sell out tours.-Early career:Peter Kay...
and Russell Howard
Russell Howard
Russell Joseph Howard is an English comedian best known for his TV show Russell Howard's Good News and his appearances on the topical panel TV show Mock The Week...
. It will also play host to the 2011 MTV EMA Awards for the very first time on November 6th.
Queen's Quarter
Queens QuarterQueen's Quarter, Belfast
Queen's Quarter is the southern-most quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland and named after Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland's largest university...
is named after Queen's University and is located in South Belfast, famous for its leafy, suburban atmosphere despite its proximity to the city centre. The area has a large student population and hosts the annual Belfast Festival at Queen’s
Belfast Festival at Queen's
The Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's is an annual arts festival held in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The 49th Festival will take place from 14 to 31 October 2011.-History:...
each autumn. It is also home to Botanic Gardens
Belfast Botanic Gardens
Belfast Botanic Gardens is a public park in Belfast, Northern Ireland.Occupying of south Belfast, the gardens are popular with office workers, students and tourists. They are located on Stranmillis Road in Belfast's university area, with Queen's University nearby...
and the Ulster Museum
Ulster Museum
The Ulster Museum, located in the Botanic Gardens in Belfast, has around 8,000 square metres of public display space, featuring material from the collections of fine art and applied art, archaeology, ethnography, treasures from the Spanish Armada, local history, numismatics, industrial...
, which underwent extensive refurbishment for several years, reopening in 2009. The Golden Mile
Golden Mile (Belfast)
The Golden Mile is the name given to the stretch of Dublin Road, Great Victoria Street, Bradbury Place and University Road between the City Hall and the university area in Belfast, Northern Ireland...
is the name given to the mile between Belfast City Hall
Belfast City Hall
Belfast City Hall is the civic building of the Belfast City Council. Located in Donegall Square, Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, it faces north and effectively divides the commercial and business areas of the city centre.-History:...
and Queen's University. Taking in Dublin Road, Great Victoria Street, Shaftesbury Square and Bradbury Place, it contains some of the best bars, restaurants and nightclubs in the city. Since the Good Friday Agreement
Belfast Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement or Belfast Agreement , sometimes called the Stormont Agreement, was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process...
in 1998, the nearby Lisburn Road
Lisburn Road
The Lisburn Road is a main arterial road linking Belfast and Lisburn, in Northern Ireland.The Lisburn Road is now an extension of the "Golden Mile" with many shops, boutiques, wine bars, restaurants and coffee houses. The road runs almost parallel to the Malone Road, the two being joined by many...
has developed into the city's most exclusive shopping strip.
Gaeltacht Quarter
Gaeltacht QuarterGaeltacht Quarter, Belfast
The Gaeltacht Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is an area surrounding the Falls Road in the west of the city. A Gaeltacht is an area where the Irish language is widely spoken. The area aims to promote the Irish language and provide tourist attractions associated with it, as well as Irish...
is an area around the Falls Road in West Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
which promotes and encourages the use of the Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
. It was most liklely born out of the high volume of Irish nationalist residents in the Falls Road area, which is well-known for its Irish demographic.
See also
- Belfast City CentreBelfast City CentreBelfast city centre is the central business district of Belfast, Northern Ireland.The city centre was originally centred around the Donegall Street area. Donegall Street is now mainly a business area, but with expanding residential and entertainment development as part of the Cathedral Quarter...
- Belfast Metropolitan AreaBelfast Metropolitan AreaThe Belfast Metropolitan Area is a grouping of council areas which include commuter towns and overspill from Belfast, Northern Ireland with a population of 579,276. The area was first officially classified as a Metropolitan area in the late 1990s when the Government began to prepare for a cohesive...
- Tourism in Northern Ireland