Culture, history, music, folklore and the great outdoors form the basis of a number of exciting new visitor experiences in Northern Ireland.
With Belfast recently named as the first UNESCO City of Music on the island of Ireland, a pipeline of musical experiences is in development.
First up is Belfast UNESCO City of Music Walking Tour a new guided tour that aims to share the city’s amazing music story.
Led by local music expert, Dolores Vischer, the tour visits places that have strong connections with key musical events.
Beginning at the Ulster Hall, which has hosted many famous performers, and stopping at pubs, arenas and a historic church, the tour shares stories and anecdotes about musicians from Ruby Murray and Rory Gallagher to Led Zeppelin and Dexys Midnight Runners, exploring the city’s musical history across all genres.
The tour ends with a live performance in the Oh Yeah Music Centre.
The fascinating history of one of Northern Ireland’s most remarkable private estates is the subject of another new experience.
“Stories of Brook Hall” is a walking tour guided by a member of the family who have called Brook Hall in Derry, Londonderry their home since the middle of the nineteenth century.
There is also the chance to tour the estate’s beautiful arboretum and to learn how Brook Hall has journeyed over 35 years to become Ireland’s first measurably carbon neutral heritage landscape.
Other experiences that can be enjoyed on the estate include yoga, willow weaving, wild foraging, river paddle boarding, and arts and crafts.
On the Carntogher Mountain, County Derry, a new 6km guided hill walking tour follows the footsteps of Irish emigrants as they tried to escape the Great Famine.
The Emigrant’s Walk is led by a local tour guide and famine expert and includes a stop at an authentic Famine Pot in Friel’s Bar, where you can taste the nettle soup the emigrants would have been served.
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