To ask if you would visit Northern Ireland?

BlueFlamingoes · 2025-08-10T19:21:44+00:00

Would you visit NI? Why/why not? I always find it interesting how marmite of a place my home is - keen to hear some opinions and maybe dispel a rumour or two :)

Cilliana · 24/08/2025 23:05

ColadhSamh · 24/08/2025 09:40

Love Donegal 💚

That’s not in Northern Ireland though. It is a beautiful area.

TomHarksPiranhas · 24/08/2025 11:22

TombsofAtuan · 24/08/2025 08:04

You get that the Troubles ended with the GFA, right?

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Yes, that’s why I said an irrational fear.

ColadhSamh · 24/08/2025 09:40

Love Donegal 💚

TombsofAtuan · 24/08/2025 08:04

TomHarksPiranhas · 24/08/2025 07:52

I’d really like to visit, my Mum was from NI and told me so many stories about places she visited. But I’ve built up an irrational fear of going. When I was a child my Mum often went to visit my Grandma and her family. It seemed like every time she went a bomb went off or someone was shot. So I became terrified of her going as I thought something was going to happen to her, I used to have recurring nightmares about it.

Now in my 50’s I have an Auntie there I haven’t met and have recently done a family tree so lots of distant cousins too. So I really want to go, but I just can’t shake the feeling something bad will happen. I kinda feel ok about Belfast but when I think of going to the town she’s from and travelling around the country, I get so anxious.

I know I need to get over it, maybe this thread will help me, reading about all the lovely places to visit. I just need to go, I know it will be fine.

You get that the Troubles ended with the GFA, right?

SardinesOnGingerbread · 24/08/2025 07:57

I live somewhere wet. I don't like the idea of going anywhere as likely to be wet, so I go south for all holidays. Otherwise it sounds absolutely lovely, and I probably will go sometime.

TomHarksPiranhas · 24/08/2025 07:52

I’d really like to visit, my Mum was from NI and told me so many stories about places she visited. But I’ve built up an irrational fear of going. When I was a child my Mum often went to visit my Grandma and her family. It seemed like every time she went a bomb went off or someone was shot. So I became terrified of her going as I thought something was going to happen to her, I used to have recurring nightmares about it.

Now in my 50’s I have an Auntie there I haven’t met and have recently done a family tree so lots of distant cousins too. So I really want to go, but I just can’t shake the feeling something bad will happen. I kinda feel ok about Belfast but when I think of going to the town she’s from and travelling around the country, I get so anxious.

I know I need to get over it, maybe this thread will help me, reading about all the lovely places to visit. I just need to go, I know it will be fine.

bluewhitebluewhite · 23/08/2025 20:10

Bushmills is very prod although I do know some catholics who live comfortably there. However to say you wouldn’t visit northern Ireland as a catholic is just silly.

Passwordsaremynemesis · 23/08/2025 16:55

Puppalicious · 23/08/2025 16:20

Bushmills wouldn’t be very welcoming to Catholics, it’s the town beside the Giants Causeway. Obviously there’s so much tourism there that most catholics should be fine, but still - it definitely wouldn’t be a comfortable place for a catholic to live.

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Yep, I was just about to say this.

Jaws2025 · 23/08/2025 16:32

Living in an area and visiting it are totally different things.

Puppalicious · 23/08/2025 16:20

TizerorFizz · 16/08/2025 21:26

@Cilliana Are they towns where tourists would go? Near the Giants Causeway or Loch Erne? Just so I know.

Bushmills wouldn’t be very welcoming to Catholics, it’s the town beside the Giants Causeway. Obviously there’s so much tourism there that most catholics should be fine, but still - it definitely wouldn’t be a comfortable place for a catholic to live.

bluewhitebluewhite · 23/08/2025 15:52

What on earth are you talking about @TombsofAtuan? You wouldn’t come to NI because you are catholic? I can assure you that you’d be perfectly safe. As are the hundreds of thousands of catholics who
live here. Or have I misunderstood something?

Ihavepaidalotforthisstory · 20/08/2025 10:51

Cilliana · 20/08/2025 00:40

I don’t follow your logic @TombsofAtuan.

Neither do I.

Rewis · 20/08/2025 00:44

I was planning to visit this week. But all affordable hotels were taken in Belfast, so have to go another time. So I'd say quite a few people visit 🙂

Cilliana · 20/08/2025 00:40

I don’t follow your logic @TombsofAtuan.

TombsofAtuan · 19/08/2025 23:02

Ihavepaidalotforthisstory · 16/08/2025 19:02

Born and raised in England to an Irish mother and English father. I'm a practising Catholic. Honestly I wouldn't ever feel comfortable in Northern Ireland. I know people will say times have changed but I wouldn't go!

You grasp that Catholics are a far higher proportion of the population of NI than in England, right?

dynamiccactus · 19/08/2025 16:03

HelpMeGetThrough · 12/08/2025 05:11

I didn’t feel at all safe and found the people unfriendly.

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I had completely the opposite experience - really safe and everyone was very friendly when I was there.

Fairislesweater · 17/08/2025 09:05

one of the best holidays we had was to N. Ireland. Belfast itself was so interesting and the surrounding landscape/coastline etc was beautiful. We went just after lockdown when everything was a bit odd (limited numbers, eat out to help out etc) and people could not have been more welcoming.

Swiftie1878 · 17/08/2025 09:04

BlueFlamingoes · 10/08/2025 20:23

I adore London! DD is heading to uni there in Sept.

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Love NI and love London.
My bestie lives in Belfast.

Jaws2025 · 17/08/2025 09:02

TizerorFizz · 16/08/2025 21:26

@Cilliana Are they towns where tourists would go? Near the Giants Causeway or Loch Erne? Just so I know.

They aren't

Cilliana · 16/08/2025 22:55

Sorry, I don’t know the areas well enough to comment on specific towns @TizerorFizz

RitaFromThePitCanteen · 16/08/2025 21:55

Yes I would love to visit Northern Ireland one day. My friend went there on holiday a few years ago and said it was beautiful. I'm in the east of England so would probably need to fly, even though I'd prefer to take a ferry.

Original poster

BlueFlamingoes · 16/08/2025 21:42

Ihavepaidalotforthisstory · 16/08/2025 20:40

There's still plenty of places in northern Ireland that Catholics wouldn't be welcome.

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Just like there are places that protestants wouldn’t feel welcomed. In reality nobody living in those divided areas (nowadays thankfully few and far between) would really care which side of the fence you are from as long as you are minding your own business and not actively looking to cause trouble.

OP posts:

bridgetreilly · 16/08/2025 21:27

Yes! It’s on my list to go back. I had a few days there for a wedding years ago and really wished I’d had a bit more time to explore.

TizerorFizz · 16/08/2025 21:26

@Cilliana Are they towns where tourists would go? Near the Giants Causeway or Loch Erne? Just so I know.

Ketzele · 16/08/2025 21:20

I really like NI, specially Belfast.