This mural makes me hang my head in shame, hold my head high with pride and wet my pants laughing…read morewhen I see it. As it is down an alleyway next to The Duke Of York I usually encounter it when i'm several sheets to the wind. This is probably the best time to look at it as some of the local celebrities are hard to decipher without a copious amount of booze. The funniest thing to do is either try and work out who all the celebs are or watch tourists do it - there are about ten that I vaguely recognize and very few that the average tourist can spot. You are likely to hear 'Is that one Nadine Coyle or Christine Bleakely?' a few times before the night is out. Loving the fact that there is a summer seat positioned right opposite the main wall so you don't even have to be a standing detective - you can actually sit, with your pint and your smoke and solve the riddle that is this mural. Good Luck!

Best food in Belfast so far. Linen Hall breakfast is fantastic, vegetarian Linen Hall breakfast is…read moreevery bit as good. Poached egg on avocado toast with walnuts and feta highly recommended. Service quick and friendly. Atmosphere absolutely beautiful and a library to boot. Prices lower than many others of lesser quality and ambience. Don't pass up this Belfast gem.

The Linen Hall library is plonked inbetween two banks which for something steeped in so much…read morehistory, it was somewhat a surprise (borderline disappointment) to actually find out where this place was located. I love books, bookshops, librarys, words, dictionaries, the old 'shift+f7' shortcut on word, but there is just too many flaws with this place to make it five stars. Yes it has the history, yes it has a proper traditional uneven floors and some books which you know if you tried to sell you could probably get a holiday out of it. But... and I don't strive to be controversial, the entire library and the entire experience is ruined by the coffee shop. It is an old-fashioned library set in the heart of Belfast's city centre. The Library is tiny compared to Queen's Library and simply cannot compete for the depth of knowledge or academic texts. But what is has is character. So why, please tell me, would you take this terrific library and stick a chain coffee store in the middle of it. If you step outside and throw a book, you will probably hit a coffee shop. Don't stick one in the middle of the blooming library. It's not necessary, it's trying to capitalise on the experience of going to the library and if it were to be taken out, you could put in a few squishy, coffee smelling sofas and a couple of newspapers to read. The library has character, it has history, it has a proper library atmosphere. It should not have a chain coffee shop (even though it is a NI coffee shop) in the middle of it. Let it be a library. Don't try and make money out of it.

On one of the many art gallery stops over the span of Culture Night I called in here as a screening…read morewas being shown by a friend of mine. I've ventured in briefly before to view Frankie Quinn's series of black & white photographs of Belfast scenes and these were being shown on the night alongside a screening of the television series of 'Artery' with Royce Harper. The RBG (Red Barn Gallery) only opened recently and is run by local artists as a performance and exhibition space. The director of the gallery is Frankie Quinn himself (who is friendly and great craic as well as an amazing photographer). He's often about the gallery so maybe you'll get a chance to meet the man himself. For those who visited the gallery on the night there were light refreshments and a more than welcoming comfortable sofa to rest your wear legs. A great and welcoming gallery which I hope goes from strength to strength.

The Picture Gallery on Queen Street just looks cheap. It's been there along time and I'm always…read morepraising independent businesses but the framing business hasn't been over run by any type of corporate machine just yet so I don't think The Picture Gallery can use that as an excuse for its tattered facade and silly pictures it sells. It really does sell a lot of silly pictures. It can be read (vaguely) painted on the shop front that it deals in classic Irish art but that doesn't appear to be what it sells at all. Instead all you can see covering the walls are silly sketches of footballers, wrestlers, MP's and way to many pictures of Elvis. This did work to our advantage when for a birthday joke we got our friend a picture of the Undertaker (which was framed....), but come on, why does a shop selling that exist?

If you want to see pictures crammed wall to ceiling with average Northern Ireland local views then…read morestep in here. For some reason I once got a photograph framed here in a so-so transaction as I noticed greasy finger prints on the inside of the glass when it came back. I'd have been grateful too if they'd let me know when the picture was ready as they said they would. The price was not outrageous but I'd try another picture framer in future.

Flax Art studios have a rather serious, mature, industrial atmosphere. Indeed they originally came…read moreinto being in 1989 via a group of art school graduates, seeking space big enough to allow for the creation of large installations and sculptures. Flax's website describes the studio space as: "An area of 1,320 square metres provides ample room to house an industrial scale workshop, 7 large studio spaces, 11 smaller studio spaces, an international residency space and a communal fabrication area. A large mezzanine area accommodates the organisation's office and IT facilities." By the time I arrived at Flax it was the end of a walking tour of Belfast Art Studios and I'd been on my feet for over 3 hours walking, climbing stairs and wandering about without break. Thus I wasn't pleased to arrive at Flax and find their industrial lift out of order. Lift door probably not closed properly on the top floor and hence could not be called down to ground floor level, or so I was advised by the lovely Ladies who greeted us at the entrance doors. After 3 flights of stairs I arrived at Flax but was probably too tired to appreciate it fully. Despite this I was amazed at this warehouse sized space which was walled off into individual studios. The large fabrication area was pretty impressive too. I grabbed my third Suki tea of the day and had an amble around amiring work by Barbara Freeman, Sinead O'Donnell and Shiro Masuyama and chatted to the artists. I definitely want to return to Flax on the next Belfast Open Studios day in 2016, but will probably start with Flax so I'm not too tired to fully appreciate it. However, if you want to see an art studio big and well equipped enough to allow for the creation of large scale works such as public art pieces then this is the studio to visit. It's basically a huge warehouse with plenty of windows letting in natural light. If you're an artist looking for such a studio you can apply to rent a workspace in Flax by submitting a covering letter, up-to-date CV and up to ten images of artwork by post to: STUDIO APPLICATION Flax Art Studios United Optical Building 44-46 Corporation Street Belfast BT1 3DE

this place is brilliant i have been here a few times and enjoy it everytime.read more

Cathedral studios which is located high above Donegall Street is soft, white and mellow. Imagine…read morethe quintessential artists studio and this is it. An artist led space which was formed in 2003 and has been home to many artists over the years. Current members are Lisa Ballard, Diana Hadden, John Macormac, Kevin Miller and Tristan Barry. If you plan on visiting Cathedral Studios, be prepared, there's a massive flight of stairs before you reach it, but the climb up is definitely worth the effort. On calling in during Belfast Open Studios 2015 I was parched by the time I'd scaled those stairs and extremely thankful for the Suki Tea which welcomed me. The Artists inhabiting Cathedral are a varied bunch, all working in their own distinctive styles. Lisa Ballard's subtle, beautiful landscapes will take your breath away. She was happy to chat about her work which uses spray paint in conjunction with oils. Ballard's loose, painterly landscapes in soft colours evoke nature in the ever changing light of day. If I had money to buy art my first purchase would be a Lisa Ballard landscape. I was also intrigued by John Macormac's geometric white drawings which he'd applied directly to the black walls of his studio. Macormac eloquently explained his art processes and techniques to the public who dropped in. His studio was bedecked with drums and musical equipment revealing his other role as a musician. A multitalented artist. Go visit Cathedral Studios - you'll love it. It's definitely worth the climb up the mammoth flight of stairs. Roll on Belfast Open Studios 2016 - I can't wait to see what is happening in this space next year.

My first visit, 07/09/2017, introduced me to a gallery I've heard much about. It lived up to it's…read morereputation. Brimming with challenging, contemporary art tackling the big issues of our time, Catalyst is not for the faint-hearted. This uber-cool, industrial, warehouse suits the art it showcases (installation, conceptual, screen etc) and the radical art on display perfectly suits the space. Numerous artists were represented, but I was especially drawn to American/ Metis artist Dylan A T Miner's red wall hangings, called "Gesture of Solidarity". Miner deals with indigenous/ colonial themes and his banners dominated the gallery, catching the eye, demanding attention and investigation. Fantastic work. Catalyst is volunteer run/ nonprofit and as well as serving up fascinating experimental art, it runs a range of events, screenings and activities such as the Anarchist Bookfair. Quite possibly one of the most exciting art spaces in Belfast. I'm only sorry it took me so long to get round to visiting...

Always a great show pushing the boundaries of there practice. Check it out on Late Night Art. It's…read morethe first Thursday of the month!

Someone somewhere is a bright spark. Putting pianos on the street just to brighten up people's…read moremiserable, monotonous days. It is so simple. And it was so effective. I suppose in a way it was public art, but public art that the public could actually get involved in. Which is a nice change. Not something to look at, but something to do. It was a bit confusing when I first walked past and seen a piano (as you would expect, you don't go down to the shops and expect to have a piano sitting in the way). And admittedly I did that passer-by thing that meant I just looked at it instead of actually doing anything. And then someone with a hat and bright hair sat down and twinkled away. And she was quite good. But then I got this overwhelming urge to play. Despite the fact I have no piano skills. I can do a bit of Twinkle Twinkle. But that's pretty much it. So I skipped it. But still, to the artist Luke Jerram, Well Done! We need more things like this. Give me a trumpet and i'll play a jazz version of Ground Force.

Last Monday while I was walking through town I came across in my opinion one of the coolest ideas…read more(of its kind) ever implemented in Belfast. I was walking by the Tesco's minding my own business when I came across a crowd of guys sitting around singing and laughing, and bearing in mind in was around 10.30am I thought it more likely that it was a crowd of drunks enjoying themselves rather than anything else. As it turns out I was half right. Yes it was a crowd of drunks and yes they were enjoying themselves. At the centre of their entertainment however was a piano that had been locked to the nearest sturdy object, out of the way of busy shoppers but obviously placed so it could grab the attention of passersby. One of the guys was playing out tune after tune much the pleasure of the small gathered crowd and this definitely put an out of place smile on my face for a Monday morning! As I carried on about my business I came across two more pianos around town and I'm sure there are more in the places I didn't walk around. The pianos were obviously well worn but had been fixed up so that they could be used for this initiative and fair play to whomever it was that did it! It was great to see people getting such enjoyment out of an object that would most likely have been discarded and the fact they could be used by anyone that wanted to have a go represents a notion of sharing and kindness that is rarely seen and sadly lacking these days. Good work!!

Great gallery in Belfast. I have seen painting, print, installation and performance aret here. The…read morebest has got to be the budgie carvan park. #BudgieBant

I'm often about this part of town and for ages I have been wondering what this small art space was…read moretransformed in to next. Well, on Culture Night 2010 I finally discovered what it was. The artist has transformed the space in to a Bugie Butlins which was absolutely amazing. There were about ten wee caravans, one per bird and then swings, rides and amusements all round the area for the birds to play with. The birds themselves were beautiful and seemed to be enjoying all the fun they were having and loving the attention. I fell in love with all the little miniature replicas of things you would find in Butlins. It was a very humorous and very artistic way to represent the life.

"Men live by bread, but the cooper by the ale cask." - Irish Proverb…read more Titled The Ulster Brewer, the barrel man sculpture was created by Ross Wilson and commissioned by Bass Ireland in 1997, is proudly displayed outside Belfast's Waterfront Hall. This work of public art commemorates the city's rich brewing tradition and marks 100 years of Bass Ireland's presence in Belfast. The artwork depicts a cooper working methodically on a barrel, symbolizing the workmanship and tradition that have been central to Belfast's history. The sculpture's attention to detail is impressive, portraying the essence of the cooper's trade as well as the significance of brewing in local culture. [Review 1910 of 2024 - 887 in United Kingdom - 22932 overall]

The Ulster Brewer is located at the Waterfront Hall and was commissioned by Bass Brewing company to…read morecommemorate 100 glorious years of brewing. If you don't know who Bass are they are the company that has the big red triangle for a logo. Pretty famous in Northern Ireland. I love this particular statue. I like the fact that it represents mans protection of his beer or at least that is what I have read into it. In fact I think it is just to commemorate the workers who helped create the famous Brew, the statue has a relative sense of pride. I think this sort of thing is great in the centre of Belfast as it celebrates culture and heritage of the City rather than dwelling on troubled times as people sometimes tend to do. It is in a great location and I have seen many tourists sitting beside the metal man crossing their arms and celebrating our culture in creating a perfect ale.