I’ve long been interested in visiting Ireland and like many Americans my first thought was to start off in Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland and its renowned green hills. Its northern neighbor, part of the United Kingdom, was less of a draw. A guy’s golf trip brought me to the north instead and it has been a great experience.

Northern Ireland was of course the scene of sectarian violence between Catholic and Protestant Irish who fought for control of the country in the latter half of the 20th century, but the peace deal in 1998 known as the Good Friday Accords brought stability and an end to the violence.

Belfast now is a vibrant and bustling city, but also fairly compact and accessible for visitors. Sitting on a flat coastal plane, Belfast is easily walkable. The city celebrates its heritage as first, a major producer of linen in the 1800s, then as a hub for ship-building.

The most famous of the ships produced in Belfast were of course the Titanic and its sister ship the Olympic. The Titanic Experience museum, located near the very docks where those mammoth ships were designed and built, is thus a must-see for any visitor to Belfast.

The museum takes you through the entire history of the Titanic, including its sinking and subsequent rediscovery on the ocean’s floor. The self-guided tour takes about 90 minutes to two hours to complete. The former shipyards are being redeveloped with condos, shops and apartments in what is now called the Titanic Quarter.

Our golf group was lodged at the Grand Central hotel, a modern property that is just steps from the stately Belfast City Hall. As I said previously, Belfast is very walkable city. I could have reached theTitanic Quarter in about 30 minutes with no stops, but I did stop at St. George’s Market en route. Markets like it can be found in many cities but St. George’s was quite bustling on a Sunday morning.

Pubs are of course a feature of the city, and we visited a few. (Big shock of course for the people that know the members of my travel crew.) Many feature live music to go along with the beer. At one called The Points, just a few steps from our hotel, was pretty crowded on a Tuesday night with mostly locals. A blind guitar guitar player was outstanding. A snippet of his act can be seen in the video below.

We also stopped at Kelly’s Cellars, the oldest pub in the city. Founded in 1720, it has both indoor and outdoor seating.

Here are some other scenes from around Belfast and some of the golf venues we’ve visited. (Royal County Down, Ardglass, Portstewart and Royal Portrush.)