Belfast • Non-Gaming • Travel • Eurogamer.net

mrharvest 12 Dec 2018 18:21:25 5,718 posts
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I've been offered a job there. Is it a shit hole? Is it okay to live in? Will I get murdered by Ulster separatists if I go there?

rockavitch 12 Dec 2018 18:22:54 1,303 posts
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You won't get murdered but it is a shithole.

Fab4 12 Dec 2018 18:26:42 8,924 posts
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It is just like any big city, it has shithole tendencies, but most of it is entirely liveable in.

East/South Belfast is the nicest. Avoid North Belfast like the plague.

rockavitch 12 Dec 2018 18:27:57 1,303 posts
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Avoid most of West as it's a dump also.

challenge_hanukkah 12 Dec 2018 18:30:21 14,394 posts
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It's like one big council estate

mrharvest 13 Dec 2018 03:30:26 5,718 posts
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Ta, so east/south is a nice council estate and the rest is arse. I'll need to consider this.

DUFFMAN5 13 Dec 2018 03:50:19 26,890 posts
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Ders more to OIreland dan dis.

Armoured_Bear 13 Dec 2018 04:15:23 31,233 posts
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I’ve never been but most people seem pleasantly surprised when they go.
Shit weather though.

Deleted user 13 December 2018 07:02:40

When I went, I wasn't impressed and my English accent wasn't popular in some parts and I quickly realised I wasn't welcome. A guy I was with even got us booted out of the comedy club as he "thought he was funny", but a guy who tapped me on the shoulder warned me that he wasn't and for his sake I should get him out of there. I was tempted to leave him to it as he was a knob.

Had a few good nights, but nothing memorable and it was a bit dumpy in places. As I say, parts I wasn't welcome in.

RyanDS 13 Dec 2018 07:53:26 14,073 posts
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I’ve worked there a few times. Nice enough place, very friendly people who like to chat about motorbikes (Dunlop was probably the only universaly loved figure back in the day. )

Just don’t talk politics or history. And it is a big town rather than a city. It is amazing how small it is for a capital.

nickthegun 13 Dec 2018 07:57:31 87,711 posts
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Armoured_Bear wrote:
I’ve never been but most people seem pleasantly surprised when they go.
Shit weather though.

You should go travelling there. Try the local street food of their people.

Decks 13 Dec 2018 08:04:59 31,013 posts
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It's those kinds of comments that got you on The List Nick.

challenge_hanukkah 13 Dec 2018 08:08:17 14,394 posts
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Will eccosse be deported back to the UK in the wake of brexit?

What a horrific, terrifying prospect.

JamboWayOh 13 Dec 2018 09:20:40 25,236 posts
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nickthegun wrote:

Armoured_Bear wrote:
I’ve never been but most people seem pleasantly surprised when they go.
Shit weather though.
You should go travelling there. Try the local street food of their people.

Potatoes?

challenge_hanukkah 13 Dec 2018 09:24:42 14,394 posts
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Street 'taters

Doggypup 13 Dec 2018 10:14:41 178 posts
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Where you work should be a factor to where you live. Morning traffic can result in somewhere that takes 20 min can take at least an hour in rush hour traffic.

triarii 13 Dec 2018 10:16:51 471 posts
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@mrharvest

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, I'm from Belfast and have lived here most of my live.

As others have said, it is more or less a shithole.

rockavitch 13 Dec 2018 10:17:03 1,303 posts
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@mrharvest Try to find somewhere South first, then East if unable would be my suggestion. Both are relatively cheap and functional, perfect for short term and starting out. Honestly Belfast is "ok", there are worse places.

You don't really have to worry about the sectarian stuff, just don't be the one to start the conversation, once someone else does then it's fair game. I'm a taig in a prod area and get no trouble for that reason. Providing you're not a dick about it you'd be fine.

Edit: Should also add this word, "Translink", they own our buses and trains and they are shit. If you can't find a place somewhat central then learn to enjoy walking or always plan as if you'll be late. Expensive too.

Edited by rockavitch at 10:35:37 13-12-2018

Edited by rockavitch at 10:36:26 13-12-2018

triarii 13 Dec 2018 10:17:54 471 posts
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@GuybrushFreepwood

Do you remember the name of the comedy club?

Deleted user 13 December 2018 10:43:19

I found the atmosphere quite tense when I was there for a day trip (around 2003 iirc), went there with an English (asian origin) friend, went for those taxi tours bringing you through the relevant areas (was interesting if depressing) and he chose to keep silent whenever we engaged with locals to hide his accent.

We went there in a car with southern plates, and depending on where you went (this applies to the whole North, although handily you can usually tell by the flags and curb paintings what 'side' they're on) you got pretty dirty looks making us feel pretty uncomfortable.

Haven't felt the need to go back since and couldn't imagine living there. Granted, it's based on a short experience but you know... first impressions and all that.

I'd also say it depends your general demeanor - acting like a stereotypical loud Brit doesn't go down well in most places although I'd imagine in NI you'd certainly run a higher risk of physical harm depending on where you are

Might be worth going for a weekend trip to see for yourself though as YMMV.

Edited by KnuttinAtoll at 10:45:15 13-12-2018

rockavitch 13 Dec 2018 10:54:16 1,303 posts
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2003 was only 5 years after the Good Friday Agreement, these things don't die down that quickly. It's now 15 years later so you'd find it's nowhere near as bad now.

Like I said above providing you aren't the one starting the conversation it's usually a topic that's fine to discuss. Like all places and topics though you still have the odd prick here and there so judge your surroundings before you join in. Maybe it's just because I live here but I find most of the issues that happen with this topic tend to start from "outsiders" who don't know any better. Most of us are fine enough with each other now.

Alastair 13 Dec 2018 10:55:58 24,828 posts
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challenge_hanukkah wrote:
Will eccosse be deported back to the UK in the wake of brexit?

What a horrific, terrifying prospect.

Nah, 'cos he's in Switzerland...

challenge_hanukkah 13 Dec 2018 10:57:10 14,394 posts
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Thank fuck for that.

Rogueywon 13 Dec 2018 11:28:43 12,387 posts
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Belfast's not too bad, if you stay out of a few very-not-nice areas. Same could be said for most cities, although Belfast's bad bits do tend to have their own peculiar brand of nastiness.

Once you get outside of Belfast, though, I've found Northern Ireland gets quite creepy quite fast. I had to spend two days in Dungannon a couple of years ago and that was like going back in time to the 1950s (and not in a cool, American, Back to the Future way).

Deleted user 13 December 2018 11:30:42

rockavitch wrote:
2003 was only 5 years after the Good Friday Agreement, these things don't die down that quickly. It's now 15 years later so you'd find it's nowhere near as bad now.

Like I said above providing you aren't the one starting the conversation it's usually a topic that's fine to discuss. Like all places and topics though you still have the odd prick here and there so judge your surroundings before you join in. Maybe it's just because I live here but I find most of the issues that happen with this topic tend to start from "outsiders" who don't know any better. Most of us are fine enough with each other now.

Yes true and that's what I (badly) tried to say with my YMMV comment. Belfast is probably the most liberal area anyways for a Brit to live as long as he doesn't act like an idiot (unfortunately I witnessed more than a few 'mainland' Brits being completely ignorant of the past and related sensitivities, and they behave accordingly which doesn't help - and that applies to both sides of the border). Have a friend from South Armagh and from what he tells me the hate is still very entrenched.

Edit: Also thanks for the reminder how recent (or not, depends...) the GFA is. I remember when I told friends and family I'd move to RoI they'd ask me in their ignorance what about the troubles etc.

Edited by KnuttinAtoll at 11:34:09 13-12-2018

rockavitch 13 Dec 2018 11:41:13 1,303 posts
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I wasn't saying "you're wrong" btw, because you mentioned a date it was a good starting place to say how it's changed. 2003ish was the last time I got a kicking for being inthe wrong area lol so it was a valid point.

Dara O'Briein made a good point on MTW about how the Irish (both sides of border) don't understand how no one pulls JRM up on the nonsense he speaks when discussing the border and how he clearly knows nothing at all about the place yet the mainland takes what he says as fact. So long as you don't get on like that you'd be fine.

Fab4 13 Dec 2018 12:43:02 8,924 posts
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@Rogueywon TBF, Dungannon is in the arsehole of nowhere.

Deleted user 13 December 2018 12:57:33

triarii wrote:
@GuybrushFreepwood

Do you remember the name of the comedy club?

It was called "The Comedy Club" iirc. Part of the chain that was / is.

We were the only English there and the comics used us as joke fodder as a consequence. My "mate" thought he was funny. No one else did. I got a tap on the shoulder and was told in a thick Irish accent "You, you're alright, but see your man there. He either leaves with you or he leaves with us". I was tempted to leave him to it, but said "yeah, he is a dick, I'll get rid of him ".

Rogueywon 13 Dec 2018 13:00:46 12,387 posts
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Fab4 wrote:
@Rogueywon TBF, Dungannon is in the arsehole of nowhere.

TBF, calling Dungannon "the arsehole of nowhere" does a significant injustice to both arseholes and nowhere.

I remember the "restaurant" we went to there. The only things on the menu were "pork", "chicken" and "beef". All served with vegetables boiled to the point that they were basically paste.

fontgeeksogood 13 Dec 2018 13:02:36 12,913 posts
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STREET PASTE