Friday, August 20, 2010

Belfast Castle

Today we went to Belfast Castle which is about 5 miles north of us. It is located on Cave Hill 400 feet above sea level. The first Belfast Castle was built by the Normans in 1611 by Sir Arthur Chichester, a Baron of Belfast. It was burned down almost 100 years later. In 1862 the 3rd Marquis of Donegall decided to build a new residence on the slopes of Cave Hill. The Castle was completed in 1870 and then in 1937 the Lord Mayor gave the castle and estate to the city of Belfast. It is now used for wedding receptions, dances, and afternoon teas. There are three hikes around Cave Hill. One which takes you to the top of the hill that overlooks all of Belfast. I hope we get a chance to make that hike before we leave. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.




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2 comments:

  1. What a day you have had!! Ireland is at your feet! Thanks for all the great photos..each one is beautiful! I don't know what the dark pink flowers are...do tell when you find someone who does know! You'll have to bring seeds home..if you can. :) What is it like to go into a building, like the castle, that is so old?

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  2. I wish I would have taken pictures of the spiral staircase. It just was so dark I didn't know if it would turn out or not. They were very cool but skinny! I feel like a lot of time I walk sideways here. The conference rooms were being used but we saw pictures. They look like a modern day room. The rooms we went in were set up for tourists with a self guided tour so it was hard to get the feel for it. I hope to go back sometime and get a chance to go into more of the rooms.

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