City of Belfast

The original settlement of Belfast can be dated back to a 5,000-year-old henge is located near the city, and other evidence of Bronze and Iron Age habitation found in the surrounding hills including McArt's Fort, an Iron Age hill fort that sits atop Cave Hill to the North of the city. The main settlement was based around the marshy ford where the River Lagan intersects with the River Farset (the location of High Street and Victoria Street today) and Belfast's name is the anglicised version of the old Irish Beal Feirste meaning "mouth of the Farset". Belfast was part of the kingdom of Dal Riata from around 500 AD to the late 700s and the Ford of Belfast existed as early as 665 AD with a battle recorded as being fought at the site.

Belfast is now the largest city in Northern Ireland, with over 650,000 people living in within its city limits. The city is situated in both County Antrim and County Down, and the scenic and rejuvenated River Lagan is a central feature of the city, resplendent with its Victorian iron-wrought bridges. The river flows through the city, emptying into the Irish sea after first passing by the famous Titanic docks. A wide variety of architecture, from Georgian homes, Victorian and modern business and government buildings, as well as the prestigious Queen's University buildings demonstrate the many cultural influences in Belfast.