Harp Bar Belfast August 2016
Great music.
The Harp Bar in London England March 2015
Manukahunney at Coppi Dec 2013
A taste of manukahuuney at Coppi, belfast
Best Bars in Belfast - Northern Ireland - Belfast Cocktails
Visiting a new city or country is not just about hitting those historical places and walking through its old streets, but it is also about the nightlife that one will enjoy and be part of. We have been out to visit some of the best bars in Belfast in which you could have a drink during the day as well.
Being in a city that you have never been to before is different because at this point you will realize that you are choosing a bar haphazardly, spotting one out there and heading directly out to it. Since we are Belfast-people and know more about the places and streets that make this city, we decided to visit some of the bars which we have heard about them being the best out there and headed out to check.
Our first stop - and recommendation - is the Bootleggers which is considered in the heart of Belfast City Centre and Cathedral Quarter. This place is considered a nod to the 1920's days of prohibition in USA when the alcohol was outlawed there. The barman at the Bootleggers showed us two different cocktails which are prepared there and which are: America F*** Yea and Pear with Me. We have gone through the instructions about the ingredients that should be used but we believe no one will ever be the same as the Bootleggers in preparing these cocktails.
The next stop in this trip of exploring the best bars in Belfast was at The Spaniard which is also located in the Cathedral Quarter in Skipper Street ( There are usually different stories related to the old places in any city around the world and in the case of The Spaniard in Belfast, one of these stories say that it is given that name because Spanish sailors used to come to this place - but who knows. In this bar, Michelle did not just see how the drink is prepared, which was called Dark and Stormy cocktail, but she also got the chance to prepare one all by herself - and drink it at the end - which is why we should trust her opinion with our eyes closed; easy to prepare and tasty to drink.
The third place to go and check is the Kelly's Cellars; Kelly's Cellars is a traditional Irish pub that is famous for serving Guinness. If you think that pouring wine inside the glass is just how you do it at home then you are wrong because there is actually a technique for that and this technique is followed at the Kelly's Cellars - which might be one reason why they are famous for that - one really gets to know much when visiting those bars!
The next best bar in Belfast is Muriel's Cafe Bar which is an amazing place for specialty gins ( Inside this bar we got the chance to see the barman - barwoman in this case - preparing two different cocktails which are also considered famous in this place and which are Brockman & Elderflower Martini as well as the Espresso Martini - we were amazed by how quick and easy they are prepared and how at the end they bring some different taste - you will definitely love it!
Our trip to explore those best bars in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is not over yet because there are still other ones which we visited out there and which have tried their special drinks as well, such as The Duke of York which is also found in the Cathedral Quarter. The Duke of York is mainly known for its whiskies, with the largest selection of whiskies in all of Ireland. This place has a whiskey shop around the corner and we tried the whiskey known as A Friend of Hand; Michelle tried it neat but there are other ways that people might prefer to drink it into - and you will find a secret behind those whiskies as well.
Before going out for this trip and before discovering the best bars in Belfast, we didn't know that there are actually lots of choices out there, but we are glad about the results. The Harp Bar was another place which we have been to and where we also got the chance to see how they pour the perfect Guinness which the barman believe that it goes through four different steps: choosing the right glass, pouring the Guinness while the glass is at 45 degrees, wait for the glass until the Guinness is all in the same color, and finally top it until the Guinness is one mm top of the glass, finally one will have to wait until it is all black before drinking it; that's what they call the perfect Guinness.
The Dirty Union is the next bar on this long list and which is located in Belfast's oldest building ( The Dirty Onion is amazing and different because it has a big outdoor garden, a bar, and a restaurant, so all your needs are there.
The last stop in this trip was The Perch rooftop bar - which is one of the few in Belfast - which is famous for its specialty cocktails; we have tried their Espresso Martini.
We have to say that we are spoiled here in Belfast when it comes to bars!
The best locations around Ireland / Northern Ireland and further afield. A travel blog/vlog of the hidden treasures that are on our doorstep.
The Crown Liquor Saloon - Belfast, Northern Ireland - 4 Cask Ales in this Victorian Era Pub!
On a brief hour stopover in Belfast we visit the amazing Victorian era pub called The Crown Liquor Saloon - and like all good British pubs, this one had cask ales! In this video we try all 4 they had on offer, which were Hilden Scullion's Irish Ale, Nicholson's Pale Ale, Cameron's 150, and Oakham Ales Azacca. We also quickly show the Hotel Europa - enjoy!!
Lavery's Bar Belfast
Welcome to Lavery's Bar in Belfast. If you have neve been then this video helps you get a look at every thing Lavery's has to offer.
Duke of York Bar Belfast Northern Ireland - 360 Degree Video
Duke of York Belfast - one of Belfast's Best Bars - definitely a place to see in the Cathedral Quarter. If you are touring Belfast - The Duke is a must visit - along with its neighboring watering holes - The Dark Horse and The Harp Bar. Great for entertainment (Snow Patrol's first gig) and live music in the back bar. Famously blown up by an IRA bomb when they came across an army checkpoint on route to the Belfast Courts - it was rebuilt to its 1950's style. The area itself is one of the oldest parts of Belfast.
The Cathedral Quarter in Belfast is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city and it is usually placed on the list of places which tourists plan to visit while they are spending their vacation in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and which happens to be one of the places where lots of old bars and pubs are also located.
We have been on a mission recently to discover the best places in Belfast and since this included the best bars, we decided to reach out to the Cathedral Quarter and see what this place actually has to offer us (
One of these different bars which we placed our hands on - and our hearts in :-) - is the Duke of York Bar which is located in the Commercial Court ( The Duke is known to offer a traditional Belfast welcome of craic, music, and humour which are considered different than all the other things that might be offered in the surrounding streets of the Commercial Court.
When the word bar is mentioned, the first thing that comes to the mind is trying out the drinks that the place might be serving, but when we say The Duke of York bar in Belfast then there are other calculations that the mind should be doing. The Duke of York is actually the place that should never be missed because in it there is something for every person out there and it is also the place that celebrates the life and characters of the great city of Belfast through the murals, the phrases, and even the pictures that cover the walls of the place - you will also find them over your head on the ceiling - which all add a different taste to the whole place.
Coming into this bar might carry some rules - not strictly ones though - which could be summed up in the saying they have attached on their website which says: Come in soberly, drink moderately, depart quietly and call again.
The history of The Duke of York bar is not agreed upon, there are different stories regarding the whole place, the only thing that we know about the place is that it was a pub for 200 years and got blown up in 1972 by a bomb which was not targeting the place but made this damage to it and thus it needed to be rebuilt once again.
With the perfectly recommended drinks which are served in this bar, it is also recommended for people to visit it for checking the whole area it is located in, which is the Cathedral Quarter ( and which is known to carry lots of other things that tourists and even local people could check.
From the different places in the Cathedral Quarter which one could visit, there is the old and famous St. Anne's Cathedral which is believed to be the reason behind giving that part of the city this name ( and there are also those different streets filled with murals and graffiti which make the place look more artistic.
These murals include the Dark Horse Courtyard which is located just beside The Duke of York Bar and which is famously known with those umbrellas which are also decorating the ceiling of the place as well and that comes in addition to all the other pieces of art which are scattered and drawn across the streets, such as the famous Son of Protagoras which was drawn by the famous artist known as MTO ( as well as the other famous mural named The Tall Ships mural which was also drawn by a 16 year old who won in this competition which was welcoming the tall ships back in Belfast ( all these different murals - or graffiti as they are mostly known these days - are found in the Cathedral Quarter, making the walks in this old place of the city much more interesting.
There are different bars and restaurants in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which you could visit in order to be served with something good to eat or something different to drink, and there are also those places which you could head to just for having a good coffee and something sweet to add just beside it, which we have also done and brought to you before through our channel.
The Duke of York bar is a perfect hit!
Really a must visit for everyone in the City - local & tourists! Normally opened from 11 AM to 1 AM... (so no excuses!)
Some of the best locations around Ireland / Northern Ireland and further afield. A travel blog/vlog of the hidden treasures that are on our doorstep.
Benedicts Belfast Sunday 22 November 2015
Blackthorn
N.I. Punk Peeps 1977-'82
Made for the fans, by the fans/Tribute clip #1:
A collection of images of some of the movers and shakers from the Northern Ireland Punk Scene circa '77-'82.
Images courtesy of 'The Harp Bar Belfast Facebook Page'. Added images from the PunkyJoe Collection.
An $$ Production, October 2011
Thank you to everyone whose retro images and music have been used in this video.
Benedicts of Belfast
Benedicts of Belfast,
7-21 Bradbury Place,
Shaftesbury Square,
Belfast BT7 1RQ
T: +44(0) 28 9059 1999 | Fax: +44(0) 28 9059 1990
Email:info@benedictshotel.co.uk
Belfast Harp Festival Mary Bergin, Edel Fox - Carnlough Harbour Landscape Scenery
Another performance from July 18's Belfast Harp Festival, a duo by Mary Bergin on whistle and Edel Fox on button accordion at the Duncairn arts venue in Belfast City.
The very fitting scenery for this piece of music is the traditional fishing harbour of Carnlough on the Antrim Coast Road. Featured is the local tour boat which can take visitors out onto the Irish Sea for views of the Ulster and Scottish coastline, and seal watching in the Summer. There are two fishermen from a local merchants who have just arrived after spending six hours running a line of two hundred lobster pots. One of them, Fred, is originally from Ghana and worked six different Scottish fishing ports before he settled here in a nearby seaside village.
You can see their crabs and lobster in the footage.. Also, Johnny from Glenarm Town in the larger eight birth French trawler, just returned from a fishing trip with his son.
Farmland sweeps down from the Glens Of Antrim onto this picturesque town, and yesterday during filming several tractors were busily transporting hay and firewood through the town which straddles the coastal route road.
About this performance:
The Duncairn Centre for Culture & Arts, 174 Trust - The 174 Trust, Belfast, United Kingdom
'Belfast Harp Festival of 1792' - With Mary Bergin, Dermot Byrne, Seamie O'Dowd, Edel Fox, Úna Monaghan, Conor Lamb, Liz Doherty, Siobhán O'Donnell & Martin Dowling
Date: Monday 30th July
Doors: 8pm
Location: The Duncairn Cultural Arts Centre
The Belfast Harp Festival, called by contemporary writers “The Belfast Harpers Assembly”,11–14 July 1792, was a four-day event organised by merchant class Presbyterians Dr. James McDonnell, Robert Bradshaw and Henry Joy, (proprietor of the Belfast News-Letter and uncle to Henry Joy McCracken). It’s purpose was to revive an interest in harp music and to collect the music of the harpers and note their style of playing for future generations. What was hoped to be a revival proved to be a farewell to the old tradition. Eleven harpers attended. Seven were blind. The eldest, Denis Hempson (1695 -1807) from Derry, was 97. He was the only one to use the ancient way of playing with the fingernails. By far the most important thing that happened at the festival was that a young man from Armagh named Edward Bunting(1773-1843) was employed to write down the music of the harpers and to make notes on their instrumental techniques. He dedicated the rest of his life to collecting and preserving Irish music. He published three volumes of music, collectively known as the Ancient Music of Ireland. Tonight we pay tribute to that event and the Bunting Collection.
Ireland Pipes Conor Lamb Belfast Harp Festival - Traditional Music Landscape Scenery
Musician Conor Lamb playing the Uilleann Pipes at the Belfast Harp Festival - in the wonderful l venue of the Duncairn Centre, Belfast. Conor plays a haunting melody from the Edward Bunting Collection of traditional Irish music.
The landscape scenery in this video is from the harbour village of Kinvarra in SW County Galway. This area was of research interest to Irish writer WB Yeats and his friend and fellow theatre founder lady Gregory - especially the neighbouring area known as 'The Burren' in Co Clare. There is an Irish music festival each year in the village - 'The Cuckoo Festival.' In the footage you can see the beautifully restored Dunguaire Castle of the O'Hynes clan with it's commanding views of the harbour and Galway Bay - established in the 1500's.
in the 15 and 16 Centuries, water was the principal communication medium within Ireland - rivers, loughs, lakes and the sea were the means by which people, money, goods, messages and culture went from one place to another with relative efficiency and safety.
About this performance:
The Duncairn Centre for Culture & Arts, 174 Trust - The 174 Trust, Belfast, United Kingdom
'Belfast Harp Festival of 1792' - With Mary Bergin, Dermot Byrne, Seamie O'Dowd, Edel Fox, Úna Monaghan, Conor Lamb, Liz Doherty, Siobhán O'Donnell & Martin Dowling
Date: Monday 30th July
Doors: 8pm
Location: The Duncairn Cultural Arts Centre
The Belfast Harp Festival, called by contemporary writers “The Belfast Harpers Assembly”,11–14 July 1792, was a four-day event organised by merchant class Presbyterians Dr. James McDonnell, Robert Bradshaw and Henry Joy, (proprietor of the Belfast News-Letter and uncle to Henry Joy McCracken). It’s purpose was to revive an interest in harp music and to collect the music of the harpers and note their style of playing for future generations. What was hoped to be a revival proved to be a farewell to the old tradition. Eleven harpers attended. Seven were blind. The eldest, Denis Hempson (1695 -1807) from Derry, was 97. He was the only one to use the ancient way of playing with the fingernails. By far the most important thing that happened at the festival was that a young man from Armagh named Edward Bunting(1773-1843) was employed to write down the music of the harpers and to make notes on their instrumental techniques. He dedicated the rest of his life to collecting and preserving Irish music. He published three volumes of music, collectively known as the Ancient Music of Ireland. Tonight we pay tribute to that event and the Bunting Collection.
Ex Producers Newer Wave 79 Live @ the Harp Bar. 1979.
Ex Producers filmed live @ the Harp Bar, Belfast, 1979 for the TV programme Something Else which was screened on 19th January 1980..
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Elephant Events - Top 5 Belfast Beer Gardens
elephant-events.com
Check out our list of the Top 5 Best places to enjoy a drink in Belfast whlist making the most this great weather!
Our Top 5 Belfast Beer Garden list can be found on our website blog post -
elephant-events.com/top-5-belfast-beer-gardens
Our best beer gardens list will have you dying to get out of work and into the bar.
Elephant Events - Belfast Event Company
For bookings call 07919123513
String Ninjas - Game Of Thrones, Live @ Culture Night Belfast
String Ninja's epic performance of the Game Of Thrones theme song
N Ireland Belfast Harp Festival Martin Dowling, - Traditional Music Landscape Scenery
A wonderful violin duo, bringing life to an old score, at the Belfast Harp Festival this year at The Duncairn venue not far from Belfast City Centre. The Duncairn is an excellent venue for traditional performances.
The scenery featured here is from the North Antrim coast of early September 2018. This performance lends itself beautifully to the backdrop of the final days of Summer, a lament at it's passing and a reflection on the energy of this productive season. Look out for the tempo change after 3 minutes as the music tells the second part of it's story - a composition recorded for posterity in the early 1800's.
Look out for other performances from this event on the Irelandscapes channel and feel free to join the Facebook group for stories, features, photos and short documentaries about local traditional culture and landscapes -
About this performance:
The Duncairn Centre for Culture & Arts, 174 Trust - The 174 Trust, Belfast, United Kingdom
'Belfast Harp Festival of 1792' - With Mary Bergin, Dermot Byrne, Seamie O'Dowd, Edel Fox, Úna Monaghan, Conor Lamb, Liz Doherty, Siobhán O'Donnell & Martin Dowling
Date: Monday 30th July
Doors: 8pm
Location: The Duncairn Cultural Arts Centre
The Belfast Harp Festival, called by contemporary writers “The Belfast Harpers Assembly”,11–14 July 1792, was a four-day event organised by merchant class Presbyterians Dr. James McDonnell, Robert Bradshaw and Henry Joy, (proprietor of the Belfast News-Letter and uncle to Henry Joy McCracken). It’s purpose was to revive an interest in harp music and to collect the music of the harpers and note their style of playing for future generations. What was hoped to be a revival proved to be a farewell to the old tradition. Eleven harpers attended. Seven were blind. The eldest, Denis Hempson (1695 -1807) from Derry, was 97. He was the only one to use the ancient way of playing with the fingernails. By far the most important thing that happened at the festival was that a young man from Armagh named Edward Bunting(1773-1843) was employed to write down the music of the harpers and to make notes on their instrumental techniques. He dedicated the rest of his life to collecting and preserving Irish music. He published three volumes of music, collectively known as the Ancient Music of Ireland. Tonight we pay tribute to that event and the Bunting Collection.
Blackthorn @ Benedict's Belfast July 2017
Blackbird
THE LIDS - 1979-1984 BELFAST (AFRICA)
Written by Geoff Shannon vocals/guitar, Don Menelly/Bass, Paul Kelly/Drums,Dr Chris Legget/ Piano,Conner/ Guitar, Julian Percussion. A big thank you to the fantastic contribution from the late Lawrence Thomson for his guitar parts and his production RIP.
Pictures are of some of the members of the band between 1979- 1984
George And Pop, performed by Marty Healy
Marty Healy performs The Ballad Of George And Pop in The Harp Bar, Cork.
Damien Quinn 18 brits
Damien Quinn live in the harp bar cork city