I visited this castle when I was vacationing in Ireland earlier this year…read more We were driving on the main road and this castle was right next to the road, so getting here and was really convenient, as well as parking. There are public restrooms outside of the castle, which is definitely a plus! The castle was really cool and so fascinating that it is still standing. The exhibits inside were really interesting too. The employees at the entrance were really nice and friendly. I would definitely visit this castle again.

Gord and I took a train to Carrickfergus and spent a few hours wondering around Carrickfergus…read moreCastle. Carrickfergus Castle was built by John de Courcy in 1177 as his headquarters, after he conquered eastern Ulster and ruled as a petty king until 1204, when he was ousted by another Norman adventurer, Hugh de Lacy. It was an interesting spot to spend a couple of hours!

Wow. Just wow…read more Knockagh Monument is a hefty memorial dedicated to those from County Antrim who lost their lives in the two world wars. It's a fitting tribute, and each November, a service is held in memory of those who served for their country. But, the location of the monument is really what it's all about. Oooh yes. (I'll explain shortly). Until fairly recently, I'd never even heard of Knockagh. Disgraceful I know. My dad had mentioned the memorial a couple of years back, and I thought I'd misheard him. "Knock a what?", I questioned. "Knockagh Monument, it's up north Belfast direction", came the reply. "Yes, but who's knocking which monument?", I further queried, confused at what exactly was going on. Thankfully, all was made clear (it did take a while), and I told myself I would have to check it out someday. And that day was today. Luckily, it was fairly clear, not too windy and unusually dry, so the conditions were in our favour. Up and up we drove (luckily my brother just about remembered the way), twisting and turning, bumping along the Monument Road ("Eeek! It's like a rollercoaster!", screeched my sister). And there it was, the monument in all it's splendour. Out we hopped, dashing over to see the view. And what a view! Arguably one of the best panoramic sights in all of Belfast, stretching right the way round from the Mournes, over Holywood and Bangor direction, the Copeland Islands, with Scotland visible in the background, right round to Carrickfergus and Whitehead direction. Stunning, absolutely stunning. Go, go, go, go!

I'm from the area, I see it every day of my life. It was even the logo on my primary school…read moreuniform, so admittedly, the Knockagh Monument isn't something I give a great amount of thought to. It's just always been 'there' As has already been noted in this thread, the purpose of the Knockagh Monument is to commemorate all those from County Antrim who lost their lives in both of the World Wars. A small bit of trivia, there are many war memorials throughout the province of Ulster, but this one is the largest. The monument is situated at the top of Carn Hill on the Antrim Plateau, and if you go up on a fine day, you can get a wonderful view across Belfast Lough towards Bangor and beyond, or if you look to your right, you can see all the way across Belfast. From the ground, the best view of the monument and the hill leading up to it, can be had from standing outside Greenisland Golf Club, or Greenisland Presbyterian Church.

It looks like a jewelry box but it's actually the Jaffe Memorial Fountain. Striking and brightly…read morecolorful it was originally erected in 1874 by Sir Otto Jaffe to honor his father, Daniel Jaffe. It was initially placed in Victoria Square but was later moved to the Botanic Gardens, where it remained until 2008 It is intricate and elegant, made of Portland stone with each of the smaller columns featuring a female figure that represents each of the four seasons. It stands at the Victoria Street entrance to the Victoria Square shopping center. The original yellow and white were apparently selected to reflect the aesthetic preferences of the Victorian era, as these were popular colors to symbolize purity and light and optimism. It is indeed a fountain but in September it was dry. I'm not sure if it is ever filled with water. [Review 1883 of 2024 - 866 in United Kingdom - 22905 overall]

I bet you've walked past this wee gem hundreds of times but never given it a second look, I'm right…read morearen't I? Well now it's time to be enlightened. This is the Jaffa Fountain, not named after everyone's favourite cake/biscuit but actually named after Belfast's first Lord Mayor Otto Jaffa. The fountain itself was actually built in 1879 and it was erected in its current location, but here's the strange part. As industrial and commercial Belfast grew it was moved out to Botanic Gardens - mature students might recognise it from those days. Once Victoria Square was commissioned the decision was made to bring the old fellow back to its rightful place. I for one am glad they did as I think it provides a welcome nod to Belfast's past in the centre of its current commercial renaissance.

This is an interesting wee place, a traditional thatched house dating from the 1700's - and kept in…read morethe style of how it would have looked at the time. Now, to be pedantic (sorry) - the US President, Andrew Jackson, was in fact NOT born here, this was where (or so we are told) his parents lived before they emigrated to the USA. Andrew Jackson was born a few years later, so the link to Ireland is through his parents. There is, however, a display here of the life and work of Andrew Jackson, the 7th President of the USA, along with many other period style items, such as furniture and farm machinery. Just another note - the majority of the footfall coming to see the cottage at school trips, and as such, the cottage is opened by appointment only, so should you wish to visit, it would be advisable to phone ahead.

When you live in Newtownards you will pass the building a million and one times but not really…read morenotice it - which is a real shame as this is a historical building and part of the history and heritage of Newtownards. These are the remains of a Dominican Priory founded in 1244. Hugh Montgomery established a newtown within the grounds of the old priory and this flourished and was used as a central area for the new market town. The restoration of the building began in 1609 by Montgomery and this can be seen within the building on a carved stone. The ruins of the old tower and part of this old building can still be seen. If you look closely you can see Montgomery's monogram ad some bible references etched into the stone. In 1988 part of the old door was restored by the Ulster Heritage Center and the door will be opened on request, it is worth a look as this is a fine example of our ulster-Scot heritage and was, at one time, a big tourist attraction.

As other reviewers have said The Priory is slap bang in the middle of Newtownards yet you could…read morepass it without even registering as an important part of our culture and heritage. Although the budget is tight down at the old Tourist board they could do with digging into their pockets and forking out for a few signs to properly promote this place. The reason I say this is that The Priory is actually a really interesting place, I did not realise the significance of this place until I paid it a long overdue visit. The Priory is an example of a Dominican (Black) Piory and is one of the only remaining examples in Northern Ireland. The Priory is worth a visit if only for the convenience of the place, whether you are a day-tripper or a local The priory will at very least give you an insight into the regions culture.

Generally people think it's a bit weird that I like graveyards, I guess it's hard to describe, but…read morethere's something about them that totally captivates and intrigues me. I wouldn't go as far as saying discovering this place made my day but finding this ancient piece of history right on my doorstep certainly added to the experience of being here. It's not just an old graveyard either; it's the site of an ancient mausoleum. It was absolutely fascinating seeing first hand all this history right in front of my eyes. I've never been in a mausoleum before, not that I'd make a habit of it admittedly, but I was captivated by the history held within (and under!) its walls. There were some incredibly old gravestones (some more than three hundred years old!) as well as a few important historical figures buried under the ground (most notably William Orr, a member of the United Irishmen who was executed in 1797) The mausoleum was built in 1789, suggested by Clotworthy Upton (what a name!) to commemorate his late brother. It was designed by Robert Adams, one of the many Adams family architects. It features some impressive classic urns, sarcophagi and intricate leaf detail. You'd need to see it yourself and feel the eerie atmosphere within to understand how I feel about this place. Spooky! In 1965 the mausoleum was donated to the National Trust who carried out extensive repairs to restore its original condition. It certainly is an eye opening and wonderful experience. Bonus: it's free. Note: Don't go in high heels!!

CS Lewis Square is not much more than a small park. However, it is free to enter and roam as well…read moreas filled with a handful of statues which bring figures of his Chronicles of Narnia to life. I came in the morning and was effectively the only person around. I spent about 15-20 minutes in total walking around, attempting to take the perfect pictures, and otherwise admiring the work. If I knew folks heading to Belfast, I would recommend they try to work in a visit, especially if they were already in the area. I would not advise drastically changing your schedule to incorporate nor spending heavy for transit to get there if it were significantly out of the way. Hopefully that guidance helps in planning if you should or should not plan a visit!

We stopped by CS Lewis Square during our vacation. It is a nice dedication to CS Lewis. There are a…read morefew unique art/statue pieces dedicated to his different stories. There isn't a lot here but it's cool to get some really nice pictures. It doesn't cost anything and takes no more than 15 minutes to see each of the statues. Well worth getting off the bus walking over to it taking a look and waiting for the next bus. Especially if you are a CS Lewis fan.

I have driven past this stone to many times to count but it was not until today that I thought I…read morewould go and have a look at it. Located on the shore between Millisle and Donaghadee this is North Downs very own Stonehenge, the only difference being it was erected probably by machinery in the 20th century. But that's just small print. It is actually a memorial to the late Major Richard Gustavus Heyn, who was owner of the once famous Ulster Steamship Company and a member of the flying corps during the first World War. The inscription has now been eroded by the Irish Sea Salt water. The land around the monument is owned by a local farmer but you can walk right up to the monument if you do not mind cows and cow pat. This is also be an ideal place to view Scotland across the Irish Sea on a clear day.

So I'd heard about the big stone before from my future father-in-law who is a member of the Ards…read morehistorical society. He knows I'm interested in the establishment of the churches in Ireland and that I have a particular love of the big green man himself - Sir Saint Patrick, bringer of St. Patrick's day and all the drinking that goes with it! Yee Haa! Anyways, i'm going off track, I decided to go out and have a look at the big rock thing and was put off immediately by how hard it is to access. I had to park my car in a nursing home, pet some cows so they knew I ment them no harm, climb a fence and walk through nettles - St Patrick himself didn't have as much bother as me getting over to Millisle I can bet. So, I though that the rock was a symbol to mark an area where St. Patrick was supposed to have handed when he was coming over to do his thing but it turns out the rock has nout to do with the green man at all and in fact was made and put there by human hands to remember a major and the owner of the Ulster Steamship Company. Some other historical stuff went on with this mayor man - I fell asleep listening to it to be honest - the rock was a let down. Took me a while to get to it, the land is wild and harsh and played havoc with my stilettos. It's an anti-climax, I returned to my car disappointed. I met a lovely cow though. She licked my face.

Went to the Crumlin road jail as it's the top ranked attraction on trip advisor. It was…read moreinteresting that the site is owned by the Govt but run by a private company. It cost £6.50 (had a £2 discount coupon). The last tour of the day is at 4:30pm but it's also cool that the main building is open till late because of the restaurant located inside. Hearing about what went on was truly horrific but overall this was an okay experience for me. I think I was expecting more info about the troubles and the political prisoners but that wasn't really our tour guide's focus. He also started the tour by asking for volunteers but nothing was done involving a volunteer! It's an hour's tour and the visit to the tunnel plus the hangman info was the most interesting bits of the tour for me. Another tip - Don't miss checking out the beautiful but now derelict courthouse opposite the street. The govt sold it for £1 but it's going to take a fair bit of bob to put it back to rights! So overall it was interesting tour but maybe Note: #222 of Yelp 100 challenge for 2016

I had been meaning to come here for absolutely years, and just never got around to it…read more I am a huge fan of anything of historical interest, however my first visit, surprisingly, was for the Ghost tour this Halloween! I booked the tickets online and came along this October hoping for a spooky experience. We were greeted at the gates by security who explained how to get around into the car park, and got parked up with no issues. We waited in the coffee shop 'The Crum' - and had a wine and beer each prior to the tour. When the tour started, we were initially taken into a holding area, and then began by being taken into the tunnel linking the jail to the courthouse, where allegedly, paranormal activity has taken place! Unfortunately (or thankfully, maybe) we experienced no such activity on our trip. We were then taken into a side room where an employee was said to have met a grisly end, and we were instructed to record audio on our phones. Next, we were taken to one of the wings where we could see the cells (and inside the cells) and last but not least, we were shown to the condemned man's cell, and behind the book case to the gallows, before being taken down into the basement. We didn't experience any ghostly going's on in our trip, but I would definitely come back again, this time during the day, so I can get a proper look at the inside of the jail, since the tour I did was in the dark or low light. Recommended!