Belfast, Ireland

In Belfast I interviewed Sean McKernan, a photographer who in 1983 set up a photo exhibition called Belfast Exposed, featuring a lot of images from the height of the troubles. Sean now runs an multifunction arts centre called BX Arts. Sean discusses how Belfast has changed since the 1997 ceasefire. Intro music by Cape to Clare Music during archive photos by The Audibles, Sean’s teenage sons band Remaining music by DJ Marky Mark (me) using garageband. Belfast (Irish: B??al Feirste, meaning the mouth of the river Feirste) is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland (which has remained part of the United Kingdom since 1920) and the second largest city on the island of Ireland after Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland. Situated at the mouth of the River Lagan on Belfast Lough, Belfast is surrounded by low hills and has a population of 267,500, however this figure refers only to the Belfast City Council area whose borders date back to the 1950s, since then the city has expanded and the population of the Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area which incorporates the surrounding suburbs and towns is 483,418. Although Belfast took the brunt of The Troubles, since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, most of the politically-motivated violence has evaporated. Belfast was recently awarded the accolade of being the safest city in the UK, based on a comparison of nation-wide crime figures, and, as part of its commitment to maintain peace, now seeks tourism from all around the world, especially from countries other than the Irish Republic and the rest of the UK. Those who live in Belfast tend to either absolutely love the city or loathe it, although the outsider's perspective tends to be more forgiving, as Belfast was voted the fourth best city in the UK for a city break in the Guardian/Observer travel awards. Needless to say, a visit to Belfast will be rewarded by a glimpse of a unique city that has finally begun to celebrate, rather than fight over, ...

Channel: www.CheckMyCity.com Video Length: 8m 12s Date Found: Sun, Mar 07 2010 11:20 PM Category: Travel Date Produced: Sun, Mar 07 2010 11:11 PM View Count: 1