Northern Ireland Travel Guide

Northern Ireland — Country and Tourist Information

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Country Facts

Location: Northern Ireland.
Language: English. Irish is spoken by a minority.
Area: 13,576 sq km (5,242 sq miles).
Electricity: 240 volts AC, 50Hz. Square three-pin plugs are standard.
Population: 1.7 million (2009).
Population Density: 125.2 per sq km.
Capital City: Belfast. Population: 267,500 (2009).
Head of Government: First Minister Peter Robinson since June 2008.
Head of State: HM Queen Elizabeth II.
Religion: Predominantly Christian (Church of England, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist), sizeable Muslim, Sikh, Jewish and Hindu minorities. Around 15% of the population have no religion.

Recent History

Following a quarter of a century of well-publicized ‘Troubles' focusing on differences between the Nationalist and Unionist communities, relative peace settled during the early 1990s. Deep divisions and mistrust between the two factions still exist, but the atmosphere is now one of at least attempted reconciliation rather than open conflict.

After the cessation of overt hostilities, two major political parties emerged: the Catholic Sinn Fein, under the leadership of Gerry Adams, and the Protestant Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), then led by Ian Paisley.

Paisley and Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness took their pledge of office in May 2007 as devolution returned to Northern Ireland, following a historic meeting in March between Paisley and Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, where they agreed to share power. However in March 2008, First Minister Ian Paisley announced he would be stepping down in May. He was succeeded by Peter Robinson in June.

Communications

Telephone

Country Code: . There are numerous public call boxes. Some boxes take coins, others phonecards or credit cards.

Mobile Telephone

Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone operators. Coverage is mostly good, but can be patchy in rural areas.

Internet

There are Internet cafés and centers in most urban areas. Some multimedia phone booths, often located at main railway stations and airports, offer touch-screen access.

Media

The media are free and able to report on all subjects. The variety of publications reflects the full spectrum of political opinion. The main Northern Irish daily newspapers are the Belfast Telegraph and the Irish News. There are numerous local newspapers produced in larger towns around the province. UK national and Republic of Ireland newspapers are also readily available, some produced in localized editions. All the national UK TV stations are available in Northern Ireland. BBC Northern Ireland is a publicly owned station; UTV is a commercial station.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2011-December 2012 period.
2010
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

2011
1 Jan New Year’s Day
17 Mar St Patrick’s Day
22 Apr Good Friday
25 Apr Easter Monday
28 Apr Royal Wedding
2 May Early May Bank Holiday
30 May Spring Bank Holiday
13 Jul Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day)
29 Aug Summer Bank Holiday
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

2012
1 Jan New Year’s Day
17 Mar St Patrick’s Day
6 Apr Good Friday
9 Apr Easter Monday
7 May Early May Bank Holiday
4 Jun Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
4 Jun Spring Bank Holiday
13 Jul Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day)
27 Aug Summer Bank Holiday
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day
If the date falls on the weekend, the public holiday will be observed on the next working day.