Old enemies sign up to new dawn for the North

Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness, once the deadliest enemies, stood shoulder to shoulder in Belfast on Tuesday to consign generations of bitterness to history and clear the way for a spectacular new era of cooperation in the Northern Ireland. Nearly 10 years after the Good Friday Agreement, we witnessed history as DUP leader Dr Paisley and Sinn Fein’s Mr McGuinness pledged themselves to a power-sharing government. On an occasion unlike any other inside Parliament Buildings, Stormont, full of emotion and high on drama they signed up to a deal of a lifetime. Taoiseach (prime minister in Ireland) Bertie Ahern expressed hope that no one in the island of Ireland would ever again feel the anger and pain of old quarrels.

Titanic

On 15 April we marked 95th anniversary of sinking of the famous liner Titanic. Everyone knows the story of RMS Titanic, yet few realise the ship was built in Belfast. In fact, no other city in the world can lay claim to having lived beneath its magnificent shadow for so long. The emerging superstructure dominated Belfast’s Harland & Wolff shipyard for just over two years, from the moment its keel was laid in March 1909 to its launch on 31 May 1911. Only the cold, Atlantic seabed has been its home for longer. Full story of the Titanic and its Belfast connections available here.

Belfast - city on the rise

The Lonely Planet endorsement of Belfast as "city on the rise" was confirmed yesterday with record numbers of visitors reported in 2006. Numbers rose by 6% to 6.8m, with tourists from outside Northern Ireland rising by 11%.
Travel Lonely Planet have included Belfast as a City on the Rise in their Blue List, and say Northern Ireland is a Must See Destination for 2007.