Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [504]
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RED HAND OF ULSTER
According to legend, the chief of a raiding party – O’Neills or O’Donnells, take your pick – approaching the coast by boat decided to fire up his troops by decreeing that Ulster would belong to the first man to lay his right hand upon it. As they neared land one particularly competitive chap cut off his own right hand and lobbed it to the shore, thus claiming Ulster as his own. The O’Neill clan later adopted the Red Hand as their emblem and it went on to become the symbol of the Irish province of Ulster.
You’ll see the Red Hand of Ulster in many places: on the official Northern Irish flag, in the Ulster coat of arms, above the entrance to the Linen Hall Library on Donegall Sq, and laid out in red flowers in the garden of Mount Stewart House and Gardens in County Down. It also appears in many political murals in the badges of Loyalist terrorist groups, and as a clenched red fist in the badge of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).
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On the square’s north side is the equally fine Robinson & Cleaver Building (Map; 1888), once the Royal Irish Linen Warehouse and later home to Belfast’s finest department store (now occupied by Marks & Spencer). There are 50 busts adorning the facade, representing patrons of the Royal Irish Linen company – look out for Queen Victoria and the Maharajah of Cooch Behar, both former customers.
CROWN LIQUOR SALOON
There are not too many historical monuments that you can enjoy while savouring a pint of beer, but the National Trust’s Crown Liquor Saloon (Map; 9024 3187; www.crownbar.com; 46 Great Victoria St; admission free; 11.30am-11pm Mon-Sat, 12.30-10pm Sun) is one of them. Belfast’s most famous bar was refurbished by Patrick Flanagan in the late 19th century and displays Victorian decorative flamboyance at its best (he was looking to pull in a posh clientele from the new-fangled train station and Grand Opera House across the street).
The exterior (1885) is decorated with ornate and colourful Italian tiles, and boasts a mosaic of a crown on the pavement outside the entrance. Legend has it that Flanagan, a Catholic, argued with his Protestant wife over what the pub’s name should be. His wife prevailed and it was named the Crown in honour of the British monarchy. Flanagan took his sneaky revenge by placing the crown mosaic underfoot where customers would tread on it every day.
The interior (1898) sports a mass of stained and cut glass, marble, ceramics, mirrors and mahogany, all atmospherically lit by genuine gas mantles. A long, highly decorated bar dominates one side of the pub, while on the other is a row of ornate wooden snugs. The snugs come equipped with gunmetal plates (from the Crimean War) for striking matches, and bell-pushes that once allowed drinkers to order top-ups without leaving their seats (alas, no longer).
Above the Crown is Flannigan’s ( 9027 9901), another interesting bar with Titanic and other maritime memorabilia.
GRAND OPERA HOUSE
One of Belfast’s great Victorian landmarks is the Grand Opera House (Map; 9024 1919; www.goh.co.uk; Great Victoria St; guided tours adult/child £5/3; tours by arrangement), across the road from the Crown Liquor Saloon. Opened in 1895, and completely refurbished in the 1970s, it suffered grievously at the hands of the IRA, having sustained severe bomb damage in 1991 and 1993. It was said that as the Europa Hotel next door was home to the media during the Troubles, the IRA brought the bombs to them so they wouldn’t have to leave the bar.
The interior has been restored to its original, over-the-top Victorian pomp, with swirling wood and plasterwork, fancy gilt-work in abundance and carved elephant heads framing the private boxes in the auditorium. See also Click here.
ORMEAU BATHS GALLERY
Housed in a converted 19th-century public bathhouse, the Ormeau Baths Gallery (Map; 9032 1402; www.ormeaubaths.co.uk; 18A Ormeau Ave; admission free; 10am-5.30pm Tue-Sat) is Northern Ireland’s principal exhibition space for contemporary visual art. The gallery stages changing exhibitions of work