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Features
- Viva the Olympic Torch!
- April & May 2012 Titanic and 9/11 Events at Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
- Apps and Players from My Tour Talk
- Need some medical attention?
- NI's Top Spa and Golf Resorts
- An Englishman in Norn Iron
- Belfast Visitor Pass
- NI Public Holidays
- Belfast webcams
- Troubles Tourism
- Northern Ireland Facts and Figures
- Where to find Belfast In Your Pocket
- ULSTERBUS DAYTOURS - Rosapenna & Atlantic Drive, Donegal
- ULSTERBUS DAYTOURS - Devenish Island and Enniskillen
- Scenic Ireland photographic book
- ULSTERBUS DAYTOURS - Belleek, Bundoran and Sligo Town.
- Belfast In Your Pocket in iPaper
- Belfast Murals
- A Welcome from the Lord Mayor
- 31st Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon
- Haunted Belfast
- Ulster History Circle: Local legends on a wall
- NI by Railway: BELFAST - NEWRY
- How till spake Norn Iron (A guide to local phrases)
- NI by Railway: BELFAST-DERRY
- Ask us anything... seriously.
- Spending a penny
- NI by Railway: BELFAST-BANGOR
- NI by Railway: BELFAST-LARNE HARBOUR
- The Plantation of Ulster
- A Brief History of Belfast
- Ethnic Belfast
- Art In The City
- Robert Burns - the Belfast connection
- Belfast's Quarters
- On the Presidential Trail
- The Twelfth and the Orange Order
- Tracing Your Roots
- Will the real St. Patrick please stand up?
- George Best 1946-2005
- Belfast Public Art: Not a Mural in Sight
- Local Food & Gastro Tourism
- Belfast Media
- Belfast's Gay Scene
More features:
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Belfast In Your Pocket in iPaper
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NI's Top Spa and Golf Resorts
With the successes of local boys Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy on the global golfing circuit, and the return of theIrish Open to Royal Portrush Golf Club from 28 June - 1 July 2012, there’s never been a better time to indulge in Northern Ireland’s top golf and spa resorts.... -
Haunted Belfast
Everyone likes a good scare every now and again, and Belfast offers plenty of investigative opportunities for all you wannabe ghostbusters.... -
Ask us anything... seriously.
Stressing out about your stag weekend? Want to see the political murals? Fancy a classy Big Night Out? Whether you're on a budget or blowing the company expenses (as if), get in touch and we'll provide info only a Belfast native would know.... -
NI by Railway: BELFAST-LARNE HARBOUR
Local writer and railway enthusiast COLIN McALPIN takes a train ride across NI and uncovers some fascinating snippets along the routes.... -
ULSTERBUS DAYTOURS - Belleek, Bundoran and Sligo Town.
Travel Writer Colin McAlpin hits the road - and someone else is driving.Bundoran, the fossilised town (circa: l950s) on the Co.... -
Belfast Murals
Many visitors to Belfast come to see the famous murals. But, once here, many are surprised at just how many have little, or no, political allegiances.... -
On the Presidential Trail
They may have been born in the USA, but an astounding 17 out of the 43 US Presidents can claim some form of Irish ancestry.... -
ULSTERBUS DAYTOURS - Devenish Island and Enniskillen
Local travel writer COLIN McALPIN keeps on trucking courtesy of Ulsterbus Daytours... this time he's bound for Co.... -
Viva the Olympic Torch!
The Olympic Torch will be officially welcomed to Belfast on the evening of Wed 6 June. Tickets will ... -
A Brief History of Belfast
Before you begin, we thought you might like to take BBC Northern Ireland's State of Minds test. This fascinating insight holds up a mirror to our conscious and subconscious secterianism and reveals just how bigoted we really are.... -
April & May 2012 Titanic and 9/11 Events at Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
4 April, 13:00Lost Voices from the TitanicTalk by genealogist and TV Presenter, Dr Nick Barratt 12 April, 18:30 Titanic Festival of Creative Arts Musical and theatrical event, in collaboration with Belfast Titanic Company.... -
ULSTERBUS DAYTOURS - Rosapenna & Atlantic Drive, Donegal
Local travel writer COLIN McALPIN heads way out west as he continues his Ulsterbus Daytours travels. This time it's Rosapenna & Atlantic Drive, Donegal.... -
NI by Railway: BELFAST-BANGOR
Today the only line still operating over what was once the extensive route system of the Belfast and County Down Railway is that from Belfast Central to Bangor....
Ich bin ein, er, Belfaster?
What do you call people from Belfast? No, it's not the start of a bad joke, we really do want to know.
Across the UK and Ireland, the good citizens of various cities have suitable monikers, but not us. There are Dubliners, Glaswegians, Londoners, Mancunians, Brummies (Birmingham) and Geordies (Newcastle). Liverpool folk even have two, Liverpudlians and Scousers.
According to some websites, we're calledBelfastians, but frankly, no-one has ever used that word in public and we've never seen it on anything official. And let's face it, it's just not snappy to call people from Belfast, 'people from Belfast' all the time.
We asked our esteemed Lord Mayor, Cllr. Naomi Long and, officially, there is no such word for the people of Belfast that the City Council knows of or uses. "We sometimes have difficulty putting our identity in a nutshell," she told Belfast in Your Pocket. "So it would be useful to have a word that unites people from Belfast. If you can capture that in a word or phrase, that would be great."
The great, the good and the very funny of Belfast were also collared for their suggestions.
Comedian Tim McGarry initially put forward something a bit rude that rhymes with neckers. It's a word we have heard bandied about a lot when it comes to locals, and in some neighbourhoods it's quite the term of endearment. But it's not what we had in mind. "How about, 'oh no, them bloody people from Belfast'" he quipped, before settling on his own take on the debate, 'Belshafters'.
If anyone should be able to come up with a pleasing expression it's man of words, and one of Belfast's most famous poets, Michael Longley. "It's very interesting as to why there is no word to describe us," opined the wordsmith, before coming up with Belfastian. We anticipate an epic verse entitled 'Sebastian the Belfastian' any day now. Just remember who put the idea in your head, Mr Longley.
Graeme Farrow, Director of the Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's, admitted that he falls back on 'people from Belfast' or 'Belfast people'. Factually correct, but a tad dull, we think. And certainly not as quirky as Mackems, which is what the people of Sunderland, Graeme's home town, are known as.
Historian, Sinn Fein Councillor and former Lord Mayor, Tom Hartley, is the go-to guy for matters relating to Irish history. He's previously given the matter some thought and was quick to offer two suggestions, both of which play on the original Irish place name Béal Feirste (meaning mouth of the sandbars/river inlet) - Feirstach andBealfeirstian. "I like Bealfeirstian," he says. So do we Tom, but would we find it too hard to pronounce with a forkful of champ in our gobs?
So we're campaigning for a linguistically fitting moniker to describe us and we're asking for your opinion, views and suggestions. Should we beBelfasters? Belfastians? Belfasties?Bealfeirstians? Send us your ideas and tell us what you think.
Altogether now… What do we want? A demonym!* When do we want it? Well, as soon as you've got a free minute really.
*Also referred to as a gentilic, a demonym is a word that denotes the resident of a place, and is often derived from the name of that place, fact fans.
Now click here to see the response. A veritable hornet's nest has been rightfully stirred. And learn how to speak like a local here.
Across the UK and Ireland, the good citizens of various cities have suitable monikers, but not us. There are Dubliners, Glaswegians, Londoners, Mancunians, Brummies (Birmingham) and Geordies (Newcastle). Liverpool folk even have two, Liverpudlians and Scousers.
According to some websites, we're calledBelfastians, but frankly, no-one has ever used that word in public and we've never seen it on anything official. And let's face it, it's just not snappy to call people from Belfast, 'people from Belfast' all the time.
We asked our esteemed Lord Mayor, Cllr. Naomi Long and, officially, there is no such word for the people of Belfast that the City Council knows of or uses. "We sometimes have difficulty putting our identity in a nutshell," she told Belfast in Your Pocket. "So it would be useful to have a word that unites people from Belfast. If you can capture that in a word or phrase, that would be great."
The great, the good and the very funny of Belfast were also collared for their suggestions.
Comedian Tim McGarry initially put forward something a bit rude that rhymes with neckers. It's a word we have heard bandied about a lot when it comes to locals, and in some neighbourhoods it's quite the term of endearment. But it's not what we had in mind. "How about, 'oh no, them bloody people from Belfast'" he quipped, before settling on his own take on the debate, 'Belshafters'.
If anyone should be able to come up with a pleasing expression it's man of words, and one of Belfast's most famous poets, Michael Longley. "It's very interesting as to why there is no word to describe us," opined the wordsmith, before coming up with Belfastian. We anticipate an epic verse entitled 'Sebastian the Belfastian' any day now. Just remember who put the idea in your head, Mr Longley.
Graeme Farrow, Director of the Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's, admitted that he falls back on 'people from Belfast' or 'Belfast people'. Factually correct, but a tad dull, we think. And certainly not as quirky as Mackems, which is what the people of Sunderland, Graeme's home town, are known as.
Historian, Sinn Fein Councillor and former Lord Mayor, Tom Hartley, is the go-to guy for matters relating to Irish history. He's previously given the matter some thought and was quick to offer two suggestions, both of which play on the original Irish place name Béal Feirste (meaning mouth of the sandbars/river inlet) - Feirstach andBealfeirstian. "I like Bealfeirstian," he says. So do we Tom, but would we find it too hard to pronounce with a forkful of champ in our gobs?
So we're campaigning for a linguistically fitting moniker to describe us and we're asking for your opinion, views and suggestions. Should we beBelfasters? Belfastians? Belfasties?Bealfeirstians? Send us your ideas and tell us what you think.
Altogether now… What do we want? A demonym!* When do we want it? Well, as soon as you've got a free minute really.
*Also referred to as a gentilic, a demonym is a word that denotes the resident of a place, and is often derived from the name of that place, fact fans.
Now click here to see the response. A veritable hornet's nest has been rightfully stirred. And learn how to speak like a local here.
I think I will go for "Frankies" as its the city of many Francis's D
I think it was on my crossword puzzle and if no one, including the people living there know, it is pretty much impossible to answer.
we lived just outside belfast and we always called them townies
Belfasters. Not too hard to pronounce, sounds reasonable...why not?
Its belfastards, and you all know it is.
belfitebelitebelfastite
Ermm how about Loughers? In ref obviously to the Belfast Lough. It doesn't have any sides to it and it will provide plenty of confusion for visitors about pronunciation. (luffers? loggers? etc etc)
I would suggest it absolutely ought to be Belfast Yins; could be spelled Belfastians if you want, but pronounce it Belfast Yins (like Billy Connolly calling himself "The Big Yin")
Howkers- -relates to your days of coming over to Scotland at the harvest time to pick 'tatties'- -Tattie Howkers!!??
maybe I spent too long in Switzerland...I thought we were Belfastish?
There already is a name for people from belfast - It is Frankies. It is used around Downpatrick / Ardglass to describe people from Belfast (because so many people who visit the area are called Frankie.
if liverpudlians or scousers have 2 then we should also, harlendars(howlers) and wolffers.
belites or belfites taking in the 1st part of belfast n ites meaning the tribe that inhabit belfast, i like sodafasters aswell its jus not that guessable, but i have been calling people from belfast, belfastians for some time on networking sites, though belfasters wasn't 1 i had considered. but if we can pick anything i also like harlanders or wolffers its quirky? don't yas think??
I think we should go with "Belfastonians" or "Befasters".
Laganers, after the river in which the city grew up.