Northern Ireland

  The historic city of Armagh celebrates its Georgian heritage in an award-winning festival full of spectacle and immersive fun.   The annual Georgian Festival (27–30 November) transforms Armagh into a late eighteenth-century city with costumed characters roving its historic streets, and tours, talks, theatre, music and foodie events delving into all aspects of Georgian life. Armagh is Ireland’s ecclesiastical capital and its...

  Northern Ireland’s Christmas markets are filled with festive family fun and fabulous artisan food and crafts.   A lively Christmas market where stalls heave with seasonal delights and fun activities abound for all the family is the perfect place to get into the yuletide spirit. In Northern Ireland, there are some great market experiences and, as the region is small, you...

  This mid-term break, why not swap pumpkin patches and cinema trips for a stay in a 400-year-old real-life haunted castle? Ballygally Castle, perched dramatically on the Antrim Coast and long-regarded as one of Ireland’s most haunted buildings, is offering a Halloween experience with a difference. Step inside its historic walls on Sunday 26th October for the Trick-or-Treat Castle Retreat, an overnight...

  August 26th 2025: As part of its landmark 400th anniversary celebrations, Antrim's Ballygally Castle has unveiled a limited-edition Ballygally Castle Beer, brewed in partnership with Whitewater Brewery, one of Northern Ireland’s leading craft beer producers This exclusive beer pays homage to the castle’s rich heritage and the flavours of County Antrim, blending tradition and innovation to give guests a truly unique...

BOOST and Belfast One energise the city in search of star performers   Now in its third year, the BOOST-created search for a busking superstar has become a must-watch showcase for rising talent - and this year, it’s turning up the volume. With Belfast One joining as a partner, the search for Northern Ireland’s next big busking act is set to...

Exploring the Northern Irish Landscapes That Inspired Literary Legends With stories around every corner, Northern Ireland is a real page-turner of a destination. I have known and loved this area since childhood and have written about it – or rather, out of it – often. These prescient words come from Seamus Heaney, whose poetry collection North became the toast of poets and...

Experience the Perfect Blend of Whiskey, History, and Hospitality at the New Harbourview Hotel At Ireland’s first destination whiskey hotel, the welcome is warm and the whiskey is waiting. The picturesque harbour village of Carnlough sits at the mouth of the Glens of Antrim on the stunning Causeway Coast, one of the world’s most scenic coastal routes. This is an area...

THIS IS OPEN COUNTRY The Open Championship is the oldest and greatest of golf’s four Major Championships – the very biggest tournaments in the sport - and probably the hardest one to win, played on amazingly nuanced courses in astonishingly varied weather conditions. One might say it’s a bit of lottery, except for the fact that it requires incredible skill...

  June 25th 2025: Hot on the heels of The Open in Portrush (July 17-20), golf fans can swap the greens for galleries as Art and Soul returns to the Culloden Estate & Spa in Rory McIlroy’s hometown of Holywood on the outskirts of Belfast from July 27 to August 31. Among this year’s highlights is a playful nod to the sport...

After a dramatic final playoff, Rory McIlroy became the first Irish golfer to win the Masters, and the sixth ever to win the ‘Grand Slam’ of all four men’s majors (US Open, PGA, the Open, and the Masters). For a small island on the edge of Europe, Ireland is a powerhouse when it comes to golf – with world-class courses...