City context

Northern Ireland is a province of the United Kingdom (Figure 8.1). Together with adjacent counties in the Republic of Ireland it comprises the historic Irish region of Ulster. Nowadays, the province consists of six administrative counties and 26 districts (Figure 8.2). The capital, Belfast, with its 269,000 inhabitants, is the dominant city in terms of population, functions and economy. Its metropolitan area has a population of 645,000, more than a third of the Northern Irish population of 1.7 million.

Belfast's name derives from the Gaelic Béal Feirste, meaning either ‘mouth of the River Farset’ or ‘approach to the sandbar’, the latter referring to a ford on the River Lagan. Early settlements developed along the river and in 1177 the Anglo-Normans invaded the area and built a castle there. More significant settlements emerged only from the 17th century when England tried to gain control over the rebellious region of Ulster. It encouraged the immigration of settlers from the British Isles, mainly Scottish Protestants. Ulster thus became Ireland's most significant Protestant settlement, resulting in severe clashes between the Protestant immigrants and the rural, Catholic indigenous population. In 1801, Britain took control of Ireland with the Act of Union, which incorporated Ireland into the UK and dissolved the Irish Parliament.

Belfast's economy was traditionally based on exporting wool, grain, butter and salted meat. Industries grew from the opening of the American colonies in the 17th century. Linen weaving was introduced by French Huguenot refugees in the late 17th century. By the early 18th century, Belfast's population had reached 20,000. Over the 1800s Belfast's industries grew in spite of its geographical remoteness and limited supplies of energy and raw materials. When linen production industrialised in the 19th century, Belfast became the world's largest linen producer and expanded its harbour. New sectors such as brewing, rope and sail making emerged and shipbuilding became a key industry. The shipbuilding company Harland & Wolff was founded in 1861. With a workforce of 14,000, it had become the city's largest employer by 1914. The company, famous for building RMS Titanic, was the largest shipbuilder in the world then (Figure 8.3).