The Bakers, our regular motorhome touring family are touring Northern Ireland for their summer holiday and report back on 2 unmissable Belfast attractions. A black taxi tour and a visit to the Titanic Museum.
Black Taxi Tour of Belfast
Norman Reilly’s original Black Taxi Tour is stuff of legend, so it was at the top of the list for us. Normally the taxi would pick you up from your hotel but due to us touring in a motorhome, the company suggested we met at Shanklin Leisure centre. We were booked at 9 am and at 8.50 prompt we received a call from our tour guide Mark introducing himself.
Once we arrived, we were warmly greeted by Mark and he introduced the tour, explaining the history of the troubles and what we would see. We had children in our private group so Mark made sure he spoke at a level the children would understand.
The tour started in West Belfast where we were taken to a mural in a housing estate on the Protestant side of the city, which depicted support to the UDA (Ulster Defence Association). The barrels of the guns followed us around wherever we stood, a sobering reminder of what had taken place here, and only officially ending just twenty years ago. Mark explained how the Police at the time weren’t equipped to deal with the unrest and so the Army were called in.
A wall was erected nearby, now known as the peace wall, dividing the two warring sides, with gates which are still locked each night at 10pm and re-opening at 6am. Mark provided us with pens to write messages of peace on the wall. He told us the government created two of everything, the same on each side for each community. Two schools, two leisure centres, and two cinemas, only a short distance away from each other. A new police force was formed, now called the Police Service of Northern Ireland, which is the only force in Great Britain to be routinely armed.
We visited memorial gardens for both sides built with donated money to remember what had come before. The Catholic Garden was built with a marble-like memorial a clean smooth finish, whereas the Protestant Garden was much simpler, just photographic representations of each disaster offering a stark reminder.
Mark told our children how children of their ages (10 & 13) were recruited to carry bombs or shoot people by kneecapping them.
The murals are all over Belfast and the talent for the art is unbelievable. You can’t turn a corner without seeing another mural telling a particular story or reminding us of what this city has been through.
Our final stop was at a wall of murals representing conflicts throughout the world. We felt Mark gave a very balanced view from each side, a reminder of how life was and a reminder to not return to those dark days ever again.
If you get the chance, book onto Norman’s 2 hour Black Taxi Tour and take the opportunity to learn about the unique history of Belfast from a personable and professional guide. A very interesting but sombre few hours. Hopefully never to be repeated here again.
Titanic Museum Belfast
The Titanic Museum is in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter. The combined entrance ticket also gives you access to the Titanic’s tender ship, SS Nomadic. It has been wonderfully restored following a very colourful history. Not only was it the Tender to the Titanic but it also saw action in WWI and WW2, vandalised and set on fire. If only those walls could talk – what stories they could tell!
The Titanic Museum is a self-guided visual display set over four floors and ten exhibition halls. Audio guides are available for £5 per person. The tour starts by detailing the history of Belfast prior to the Titanic’s construction and telling us how flaxseed was used for making Irish Linen. The building of the Titanic was carried out by workers from Harland & Wolff, a company still in business today.
We learned about how communication was undertaken through the immersive use of morse code, while staged displays showed us the different classes of cabins, explained the terrible loss of life and what lessons and recommendations have been made since the sinking.
To our surprise the 3 rd exhibition hall had a cable car ride telling us the story of a builder who worked on the Titanic. it was a great interactive way for SEN children, who could lose interest in the visual displays, to hear and see how the dock labourers worked on the ship and how hard life was for them.
The final exhibits really hit home the number of lives lost, with a dedication wall naming the survivors, and those who perished. We were able to search the names to see if we had any family connections. A survivors life vest and original sun lounger from the Titanic are preserved on display in glass cases.
In 1985 Dr Robert Ballard and his team located the sunken Titanic and the use of video clips and cinematography brings this to life.
Of course, the museum had to pay homage to Leonardo Di Caprio, Kate Winslet and Celine Dion, with visitors getting the chance to recreate that famous scene from the film. Naturally, we stepped in and did our own Hollywood thing.
The experience, including the visit to SS Nomadic, took us around three hours but has we had the time, we could have spent much longer there.
After the Bakers visit, we got in touch with Judith Owens MBE, CEO of Titanic Belfast who gave us her insight on the Titanic Museum.
“Titanic Belfast is the world’s most authentic Titanic visitor experience located on the historic Titanic Slipways in the heart of what was once the biggest shipyard in the world, where the famous ship was designed, built and launched.
As the home of RMS Titanic, we celebrate the city’s maritime heritage and industrial past while offering visitors a unique and rich experience. The self-guided Titanic Experience offers visitors interpretive and interactive galleries that explore the sights, sounds, smells and stories of Titanic as well as the city and people that made her.
Last year we completed a £4.7 million refresh to the Titanic Experience, which saw three of our existing galleries transformed into four new themed spaces. We also introduced a stunning new artefact collection and an illuminated 7.6 metre long scale model of RMS Titanic which rotates in sync with state-of-the-art projections for a truly immersive experience.
Having welcomed over 8 million visitors since opening, we’re also really proud to be a leader in accessibility and want to be as inclusive for our guests as possible, for example we recently introduced Changing Places facilities, our hand-held multimedia guides are available across a number of languages and we also have a specially designed multimedia guide and family explorer trail for children.
With a visit to SS Nomadic, Titanic’s tender ship and last remaining White Star Line vessel in the world, also included in your ticket – Titanic Belfast is a must-see on any trip to Belfast!”
Tell me more about Visiting Belfast.
Norman Reilly’s original Black Taxi Tour Private black taxi tours from £70.
Titanic Belfast Adult £24.95* Child (5-15)* £11.00
Child (under 5 Free, Family Pass (2 adults, 2 children) £62.00 *Children 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
