Dirty Onion

Pub crawl reveals Cathedral Quarter riches

Pub crawl reveals Cathedral Quarter riches

After falling on hard times, Belfast's Cathedral Quarter has been enjoying boom years of late. The district is named for St. Anne's, a grand structure of the Church of Ireland though not technically a cathedral since it is not a bishop's seat. The church anchors the 18th century warehouse district north of the city center. The “cathedral” was erected 1899-1903 as an expression of Belfast's industrial wealth and power at the cusp of the 19th and 20th centuries. These days the Cathedral Quarter is an area more for fun than the backbreaking labor of teamsters and longshoremen. Its atmospheric warren of narrow streets, alleys, cul-de-sacs, and byways is studded with small shops and pubs. Ancient city walls are splashed with colorful murals (like the Dali-esque...Read More