Getting Here

Bout ye’? So you want to come to Northern Ireland? Or is it Ireland? Or the UK? Or the EU? Or all of the above? Depends on who you’re asking. This guide will help you side step all that ethnonationalism and get you to the BelfAWSt AWS Community Day.

The conference is being held on the 6th September 2024 in the Allstate offices in Belfast on the banks of the River Lagan. (Make sure to ask Matt Coulter if he floated up the Lagan in a bubble, he’ll know what it means.)

Being a hub of industry and commerce, Belfast is well connected by air, sea, and land. Here are some of the ways you can get here:

By Air

Belfast is served by two airports: Belfast International Airport (BFS) and George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD). Both airports are well connected to the city centre by bus and taxi services. Where’s the trains you ask? We ask that same question every day.

You can also fly into Dublin Airport (DUB) in the Republic of Ireland and take a bus or train to Belfast. The journey takes about 2 hours.

By Sea

Belfast is a major port city with regular ferry services to and from Scotland and England. The Stena Line and P&O Ferries operate services to and from Liverpool, Cairnryan, and Stranraer. But seriously get a plane.

Staying Here

Belfast is home to loads of great hotels, all within a short walk or taxi ride from the conference venue.

• The Europa Hotel (This is where our speaker dinner is held)
• The Hilton Hotel (This is closest to the conference venue)
• The Grand Central Hotel
• The Merchant Hotel
• The Bullitt Hotel
• The Fitzwilliam Hotel
• The Titanic Hotel

I’m starvin'

If you’re staying in the city for a few days, here’s some great places to eat:

• Common Market
• St George’s Market (Saturday and Sunday only)
• Boojum
• Tribal Burger
• Orto Pizza
• Coppi
• Dumpling Library
• Yugo
• James St.
• Meat Locker
• Ox
• The Muddlers Club
• Howard Street

I need a wee dander

There’s loads to see and do in and around Belfast (Northern Ireland is pretty small so it’s easy to travel around the place in a few days). Here’s some of our favourites:

• Titanic Belfast
• Crumlin Road Gaol
• Black Taxi Tour
• The Giant’s Causeway
• The Dark Hedges
• The Game of Thrones Tour
• The Peace Walls

Plenty more on the Discover Northern Ireland website: https://discovernorthernireland.com/things-to-do.

You can also get a train to Dublin and see the sights there. It’s only 2 hours away.

I don’t understand any of this

Here’s a handy guide to some of the local lingo:

• Bout ye’ - Hello
• Wee - Small
• Dander - Walk
• Craic - Fun
• Starvin’ - Hungry
• Buckfast - A tonic wine that is the drink of choice for many a young person in Northern Ireland
• The Troubles - A period of conflict in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s to the late 1990s
• GCP - Not AWS
• Azure - The other one