I went to Northern Ireland for a conference and it was awesome. The people were very friendly and ones that I have made friends with and are still in contact with. A lot of sightseeing places and amazing landscape. I want to go back one day!

The next day I drove to Belfast where you could sense and see there was a significant difference between the North and Ireland proper, the troubles have certainly not vanished. Rich history there and more fabulous architecture but possibly even more expensive than Dublin but again a good club 'live' music scene. The castle was fairly impressive despite being small and the pubs were cool.

I LOVED Northern Ireland. We traveled all around the coast and saw many interesting things!

MAAAAAAAAAAAN, You have got to visit Northern Ireland, once in this life time.. Its like a fairy tale land.. The climate of the day( I choose to say Climate and not weather as it changes every moment..Its raining now, its cold, now its sunny..) is so unpredictable that you can experience all the seasons in a day.. The market place is full of little babies, toddlers, young parents and old people who smile a beautiful Hello into your day.. I went there and never missed home.. Which is a BIG thing for a homebird like me.. The IRISH BREAKFAST is something I'll NEVER EVER FORGET!!! oh the fresh hot toasties with french fries and a portion of baked beans with a super huge glass of Fresh juice... it was a treat to die for.. all served with that typical pleasant reaching the heart smile! GO THERE!

Belfast was gritty like New York and the people seemed used to the bombings along the train tracks. We had a great taxi driver who agreed to show us the troubles. He was just recently out of prison (an admitted member of the IRA who got caught shooting a policeman). I would definitely go back and spend time there and learn more. Fascinating and troubling history and so much that we don't hear about in the States.