Welcome to Northern Ireland

The Original Official Home Page of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board

This is a land of blue mountains and forest parks, mazy lakes and windswept moors, white Atlantic sands, an inland sea. In fact, it's a country that is just pretending to be small.

Dozens of small towns are hidden away down among the green places of the countryside, and fishing villages string out along the shores. The towers and steeples of parish churches mark the high ground beyond trimmed hedgerows. The country's turbulent past, which still resonates today, has also helped shape the landscape.

Distinctive field patterns, for instance, are especially striking, and so are ruined castles. Built from the 12th century onwards, and once symbols of both oppression and reassurance, they are now among Ulster's finest architectural treasures.

Driving in Northern Ireland is to recapture motoring's glad confident morning. The roads are excellent, with miles of motorway and dual carriageway, and you are never much more than half an hour from the sea. Minor roads are well signposted and there are convenient places for picnics and sites for caravanning or pitching a tent. The only traffic jams are flocks of sheep or cattle changing fields. In the summer you may have to pull over occasionally to let the music-makers pass, with their pipes and brilliant banners, marching to a festival in town.

The weather can be fickle but the rain keeps the land a magical emerald green and, when the wind blows the clouds away to sea, the sky like the mountains is blue. The air is clean - and so sweet that you will want to open the car windows to let the breezes in.

Because Northern Ireland is only 5,500 square miles in area - about the size of Yorkshire or Connecticut - you can see most of the main attractions in a week without clocking up more than 500 miles.

A short-list might be:

The three historic cities of Belfast, Derry and Armagh.
The Mountains of Mourne and the sea lough of Strangford.
The Causeway Coast and the Glens of Antrim.
The Fermanagh Lakeland in the south-west.
The Sperrin Mountains and the empty moors of western Ulster

The heritage of Northern Ireland is largely rural. Ulster people are outdoor people. They spend their leisure time pottering around the coast or going on family expeditions to the mountains at weekends.

The rivers are full of fish, with friendly hotels and B&Bs along the banks to welcome anglers at the end of the day, and lively musical evenings in nearby hostelries. For golfers there are the famous fairways of championship courses and whole series of lovely links, many in enchanting cliff-top settings.

There are 50 miles of cruising waters on Lough Erne, sailing on Lough Neagh - the biggest lake in the British Isles - sea fishing off Strangford and the Antrim coast, and many other Water sports. You can go cycling and pony trekking along the seashore and backpacking in the Mournes.

And if that's too strenuous a thought, try your hand at painting or birdwatching, or touring the gardens and stately homes of Ulster.

For more information, contact the Northern Ireland Tourist Board:

US Office:
551 Fifth Avenue, Suite 701
New York, NY 10176
Tel: (212) 922-0101 or (800) 326-0036
Fax: (212) 922-0099

Canadian Office:
111 Avenue Road, Suite 450
Toronto, Ontario M5R 3J8
Tel: (416) 925-6368
Fax: (416) 961-2175

In Northern Ireland:
59 North Street, Belfast BT1 1NB
Tel: (011232) 246609 - Minicom (011232) 233228
Fax: (011232) 240960

Tour Operators to Northern Ireland:

Abercrombie & Kent
Tel (708) 954-2944, (800) 323-7308
Fax (708) 954-3324

Aer Lingus
Tel (212) 557-1110, (800) 223-6537
Fax (212) 984-2001

American Airlines Fly-AAway Vacations
Tel (800) 832-8383

Bentley Tours
Tel (213) 258-8451, (800) 821-9726
Fax (213) 255-7204

Brendan Tours
Tel (818) 785-9696, (800) 421-8446
Fax (818) 902-9876

Brian Moore International Tours
Tel (508) 533-6683, (800) 982-2299
Fax (508) 533-3812

British Airways
Tel (718) 397-4000, (800) AIR-WAYS
Fax (718) 397-4364

Britrail Travel International Inc.
Tel (212) 575-2667, (800) 677-8585
Fax (212) 575-2542

Celtic International Tours
Tel (518) 463-5511, (800) 833-4373
Fax (518) 463-8461

CIE Tours International
Tel (201) 292-3899, (800) CIE-TOUR
Fax (201) 292-0463

CIEE
Tel (212) 661-1712
Fax (212) 972-3231

Destination Ireland
Tel (212) 977-9629, (800) 832-1848
Fax (212) 541-6207

The ETM Travel Group
Tel (203) 454-0090, (800) 992-7700
Fax (203) 454-8840

Five Star Touring
Tel (212) 818-9140, (800) 792-7827
Fax (212) 818-9142

Globus & Cosmos Tourama
Tel (303) 797-2800, (800) 221-0090
Fax (303) 798-5441

Grand Reunion In Ireland
Tel (216) 945-8200, (800) 423-1097
Fax (216) 923-5595

Hudson Holidays
Tel (708) 452-0600, (800) 323-6855
Fax (708) 452-9264

Irish American International Tours
Tel (610) 543-0785, (800) 633-0505
Fax (610) 789-5164

Isle Inn Tours
Tel (703) 836-4800, (800) 237-9376
Fax (703) 836-4812

Journey's Thru Scotland Co.
Tel (714) 499-4410, (800) 521-1429
Fax (714)499-4410

Kenny Tours
Tel (410) 643-9200, (800) 648-1492
Fax (410) 643-8868

Lismore Tours
Tel (212) 685-0100, (800) 547-6673
Fax (212) 685-0614

Lynott Tours, Inc.
Tel (212) 760-0101, (800) 221-2474
Fax (212) 695-8347

Mick Moloney's Irish Folklore Tours
Tel (207) 282-8701, (800) 848-4364
Fax (207) 282-8702

Mr. Burton's Historical Tours
Tel (805) 543-2447, (800) 457-0464
Fax (805) 543-7725

Patricial Journeys
Tel (201) 992-2316, (800) 344-1443
Fax (201) 992-9804

Pearls of Scandinavia
Tel (616) 946-2242, (800) 806-8785
Fax (616) 946-2292

Scots-American Travel Advisors
Tel (201) 768-1187
Fax (201) 768-3825

Showcase Ireland Group
Tel (813) 591-3447, (800) 654-6527
Fax (813) 591-2124

Terry Flynn Tours
Tel (402) 571-9319, (800) 678-7848
Fax (402) 571-3280