This article comes from October 2017 when I visited Belfast for a long weekend away. As you might expect, that trip included a visit to a football ground along with the usual sight-seeing, historic and cultural activities that I enjoy.
I hope you enjoy.
From October 2017 –
I love travelling, it’s my favourite hobby and I travel as much as possible for a number of reasons, usually to explore different places of interest along with experiencing other cultures, but when I can combine it with football that’s always an added incentive and bonus to planning a getaway.
One city I’ve been aiming to visit for the last few years is Belfast with the Northern Irish capital having numerous attractions for me and my girlfriend. First of all, there’s the well known story surrounding the infamous RMS Titanic ship that was build by Harland & Wolff in the Belfast docks, along with the Odyssey “SSE” arena, Belfast City Hall and Stormont to name a few. The real reason for me being there was to capitalise on the opportunity for a football and ice hockey double-header on the same day…
We had planned to make the most out of a free weekend and after a very quick (and cheap) flight, we arrived into Belfast International airport early Saturday morning and following a shuttle bus ride we found ourselves in the city centre for 10am. We headed to the east side of the city to visit the C.S. Lewis square along with viewing numerous murals that were painted on the side of houses or shops along the way, then decided to have an early meal before heading to our afternoon’s entertainment at the renowned Oval Ground for a Belfast derby in the Northern Ireland Premiership between Glentoran and Cliftonville.
In Groundhopping terms Glentoran is famous for it’s wonderful old stands and sweeping terraces, with views of both the “Samson” and “Goliath” cranes from the dockyard and the George Best (Belfast City) airport is close by too, meaning that you get a great view of outgoing planes.
If you like ‘proper’ football grounds, this is definitely one to visit.
I must say a massive thank you to Glentoran secretary Ricky Rea, who treated us like royalty on our visit! He offered us free entry for the game and space to store our luggage along with a tour of the directors area and boardroom, complete with a full history of the club.
It’s safe to say that the game didn’t live up to the hospitality shown, as to be honest it was dreadful. Neither team tried nor wanted to pass the football and resorted to just kicking the ball as far away for their own goal as possible. On the day Cliftonville were the better side, taking a deserved 2-0 victory away from home on a dreary afternoon. Nevertheless, it proved an simple journey and I’d love to return to visit more grounds in Belfast again soon.
After thanking Ricky and taking some wonderful last minute photos around the ground, we headed for the SSE Arena to watch the Belfast Giants play the Fife Flyers in the Elite Ice Hockey League. Thankfully this produced more enjoyment and goals than the football beforehand, with the Giants winning 5-0 in a great all-round performance.
We wandered back to our hotel and planned out the remaining days in Belfast, which were also very enjoyable as we were able to take in many of sight-seeing and historical visits that we had planned.
It proved to be another enjoyable and fulfilling trip away and I’m certainly looking to return in the future.
Chris
🙂
The Travelling Therapist 