28 June 2024 Belfast, Northern Ireland •

 28 June 2024              Belfast, Northern Ireland •

 Today we leave the Republic of Ireland and cross over the border into Northern Ireland as we travel to its capital Belfast. 

 Along the way we stopped at the Armagh Cider Company, a family-owned apple orchard.  Here we learned how they came to make cider.  The climate in this part of Northern Ireland is very conducive for growing apples.  Apple growing grew out of the time when England took land away from the Irish and gave it to people that were loyal to the crown, a system of “Plantations.”  In order to keep the peace, England sent many soldiers from his kingdom to Ireland; however, the drinking water was not very clean or safe.  It was no problem for the locals as their bodies had become used to this water, but soldiers drinking the water soon became disposed because of dysentery.  The British learned that cider (and here in Ireland cider means alcohol otherwise it is just apple juice) helped to dilute the water and kill some of germs that affected their soldiers.  So many plantations planted apples.  The land of the cider maker that we visited had many acres of apple trees, but they are Bramley Apples which are very tart and most commonly used for making apple tarts (or pies).  But, except for local use, there was not much demand for Bramley apples, so the owner decided to use them for making cider.  He soon learned that he needed to add some different apple varieties to produce good cider, so he planted more apple trees between the existing apples.  Today he is one of the largest producers of cider in Northern Ireland.  He produces a dry cider, a sweeter cider, and cider that is infused with honey, dark berries, or my favorite, cider infused with summer fruit – strawberries and raspberries.  After his explanation we walked through his plant to see how they press the apples to extract the juice, ferment the juice and then bottle or can the cider.  We then had a tasting of the above mentioned 4 types. We then enjoyed a traditional lunch at the farm, complete with homemade soup, freshly baked brown bread, and an assortment of homemade jam and chutney, a salad and sausage roll, and a glass of the cider of our choice.  Our dessert, of course, featured their Bramley apples in a homemade apple tart.  During lunch we learned a little about life on a rural farm in Northern Ireland.  In addition to their apples, they also breed and raise horses for competitions and show events (none for racing).  It was an interesting morning and he and his wife still live in a house that was built in the 1700s.

Our Host with a Bramley Apple

Our Cider Tasting

Our Lunch Menu - All Ingredients Came
from Their Farm or within Farms 10 Miles of Their Farm

Leaving the farm, we arrived in Belfast around 4:30 in the afternoon.  In addition to being the center of the conflict during the “Troubles”  (the 20^th century conflict between the Protestants and Catholics), Belfast has its own long history.  The name Belfast means "mouth of the sand-bank ford."  There have been settlements on the site of Belfast since the Bronze Age.  Near the city stands the Giant’s Ring, a 5,000 year-old henge.  It wasn’t until the 17^th century, that Belfast became a substantial settlement with the arrival of the Scottish (Presbyterian) settlers.  From there it grew into an established port on the Lagan River as a center for linen manufacturing in Ireland.  In 1888 it finally received its status as a city.  During the later part of the 19th century and early part of the 20^th century, Belfast became a world-class shipbuilding center, known for their innovative and technically advanced ship designs.  It was here in 1909-1912 that the Titanic was built and launched on its fateful maiden voyage.  Two other large ships were also built here – the Olympic, which was scraped in 1937 and the Britannic, which was sunk by a German mine off the coast of Greece.  During WWII, Belfast was heavily damaged by German bombers.  And as I recounted in my Northern Ireland blog, during the 1960s – 1999s, Belfast was rocked by violence and bloodshed, becoming one of the most dangerous cities in Europe

However, the beautiful, serene countryside just outside the city belies this image of conflict.  This area was the inspiration for books like the Chronicles of Narnia and Gulliver’s Travels. 

Following our arrival at our hotel (Ten Square Hotel), a local guide took us on a short orientation walk that featured Belfast’s city hall with its beautifully manicured gardens.  The City Hall, built just after Belfast gained its status as a city in 1888, is today the home of the Belfast City Council as well as housing a collection of art and items from Belfast’s history.  One of the most impressive is the series of stained-glass windows reflecting Belfast’s past.  Around the grounds that surround the building are statues of Queen Victoria and King Edward VII, the Northern Ireland war memorial, the Titanic Garden of Remembrance, and a granite column dedicated to the American Expeditionary Force which was based in Belfast before D-Day.  It was very windy so no pictures from our walk, but e have a free day in Belfast and we will be visiting the City Hall and most likely the Titanic Museum and I will post pictures then.

Our dinner was in an Irish Cultural Center that works to preserve the Irish culture and language here in Northern Ireland.  The chef gave us a demonstration on baking Guinness Brown Bread.  It only uses a few ingredients – flour, oats, brown sugar, Guinness beer, and molasses.  I like it but Bill is not very keen on it.  Perhaps someday I will try it at home.

 As we were driving back from dinner, we were stopped for about 25 minutes as an Orange Order Parade was marching through the intersection.  The parade is held every year around 12 July (give or take 5-6 days either way) to commemorate the victory of the protestants under King William III (William of Orange) over the Catholics led by King James II in the Battle of the Boyne (near present day Belfast) on 12 July 1690.