Belfast Stag Party from South

hurler100

hi folks, invited to a stag in belfast in a few months. About 20 of us from ''the south' I appreciate it's not Beirut but should we be concerned at all, ye know the way stags are generally raucous affairs. Anyone any advice id say its the first time for a lot of the lads to be out in the wee six. Where should we head or Not head??? also, we'll no doubt be goin on the booze all day saturday during the day where is the best place to hang out? cheers

muffler

Have a read through this from a couple of months back

Paul4As

hurler100...you will have to tell me what date you and your southern friends are coming up to Belfast...just so I can gather up as many of my loyalist pals to officially welcome you to Ireland's answer to Beirut!:D Only messing of course!!!

Belfast is like any city for a stag...you will be welcomed if you are here for a laugh and also behave yourselves! Step out of line and you'll get ejected from bars/clubs! Bar/clubs will obviously be very wary of large groups of males...so maybe going in to them in small groups may be an idea!

Where shouldn't you go???...if it is a stag do I guess you'll be concentrated around the city centre and its popular drinking establishments...our city centre is pretty safe! Like any new city...stick together in groups...common sense!
I feel like some kind of maternal figure to you with the above advice!:D

There are so many southerners coming up to Belfast for weekend stays these days and to shop...you should feel at home!

Bottle_of_Smoke

City centre's all pretty much fine for southerners with the exception of Sandy Row just by Great Victoria Street train station. Not generalising against the people who live there but it's a working class loyalist area so if you were to drink there I guess you'd be more likely to run into some sort of problems.

Paul4As

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

City centre's all pretty much fine for southerners with the exception of Sandy Row just by Great Victoria Street train station. Not generalising against the people who live there but it's a working class loyalist area so if you were to drink there I guess you'd be more likely to run into some sort of problems.

hurler100...I couldn't see any reason why you would be heading in to Sandy Row or the bars on it! As a working class protestant I wouldn't even drink in them! They are local bars for local people like those near to the Markets and the Lower Falls. Their regulars would probably give me a weird look! You would obviously wanna head to sports/trendy/city centre bars!

Talking about Sandy Row in general (not its bars)...there is a hotel actually at the start of Sandy Row called The Days Hotel where my wife and her pals stayed for her hen do...they were all from the south and experienced no problems. I have stayed in the Days and have noticed plenty of southern cars in its car park...even when there was a 12th of July bonfire about a hundred yards away! Never heard of any problems with southerners on Sandy Row in the news!

Enjoy your trip to Belfast and let us know how you get on please!:)

Bottle_of_Smoke

Paul4As wrote: »

hurler100...I couldn't see any reason why you would be heading in to Sandy Row or the bars on it! As a working class protestant I wouldn't even drink in them! They are local bars for local people like those near to the Markets and the Lower Falls. Their regulars would probably give me a weird look! You would obviously wanna head to sports/trendy/city centre bars!
Talking about Sandy Row in general (not its bars)...there is a hotel actually at the start of Sandy Row called The Days Hotel where my wife and her pals stayed for her hen do...they were all from the south and experienced no problems. I have stayed in the Days and have noticed plenty of southern cars in its car park...even when there was a 12th of July bonfire about a hundred yards away! Never heard of any problems with southerners on Sandy Row in the news!
Enjoy your trip to Belfast and let us know how you get on please!:)

Its just its close proximity to the lieks of lavery's/robinsons and stuff. My flatmate had to bail a drunken mate out of a situation that nearly got very nasty after said drunken mate went loudly wandering that way in a Mayo accent.

On a personal note I worked on Boucher road during the summer. First day I went down the wrong road, walked right through Sandy Row and only realised where I was when I got to the UFF mural. Asked someone going by for directions and he phoned me a cab. So 100% positive experience there for me!

Paul4As

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

Its just its close proximity to the lieks of lavery's/robinsons and stuff. My flatmate had to bail a drunken mate out of a situation that nearly got very nasty after said drunken mate went loudly wandering that way in a Mayo accent.

On a personal note I worked on Boucher road during the summer. First day I went down the wrong road, walked right through Sandy Row and only realised where I was when I got to the UFF mural. Asked someone going by for directions and he phoned me a cab. So 100% positive experience there for me!

A Mayo accent would be quite distinct from a northern accent (I'm in Mayo almost every weekend)...anybody in Belfast would pick up on it (protestant or catholic)...a strange accent in a city is always going to grab a wee bit of attention if someone hears it...a loud male strange accent walking in to a residential area whether it be a protestant area or catholic will a) grab the attention of anybody awake there and b) waken people up! If you attract attention late at night surrounded by drunken people and you are drunk yourself...may equate to trouble...only takes one person!

As for the UFF mural...that is part of the history of Northern Ireland like there are republican murals on in catholic areas! The UFF are in peace times...supposedly they have got rid of their guns! A mural isn't gonna harm anybody! They attract visitors of course!
Good to hear of your positive experience Bottle of Smoke...Sandy Row is about a 25 minute walk away from the Boucher Road...so you needed a taxi!!

Paul4As

Hurler100...places to go to drink...there is the new up and coming Cathedral Quarter...bars there are Northern Whig, The Spaniard, John Hewitt...clubs there are The Potthouse, Ollies (part of Merchant Hotel)...near to that there is a nightclub called Rain (used to be called Milk)...got a text from my friend before Xmas saying he could get arrested in there! (I assume its a young crowd - he is 32-ish!)

Up in the university area you have bars like The Bot (has a club upstairs which has a reputation of being easy to pull in), The Eg, The Taphouse (has a club upstairs called Scratch on 2 floors), The Parlour, The Globe.
There is a club called the MClub in Bradbury place together with Laverys bar! (which has a good lot of pool tables and a club upstairs)

The Odyssey pavillion houses a lot of bars under its roof and a comedy club...check out its website! Difficulty with the Odyssey is trying to get a taxi at the end of the night!

Near to the City Hall you have Robinsons and the Crown bar...popular with tourists...behind those a nice bar called Irene and Nans...opposite side of the city hall there is a bar called Cafe Vadeuville...never been there myself...supposedly swanky, old bank premises!

pow wow

I think Paul4As has covered most of it

The Bot is a bit marmite though - either love it or hate it, and possibly a bit out of your way if you're staying in town. Cafe Vaudeville is quite good but always bunged and often a queue to get in (some might say it's not worth queuing for...)

Be good and be careful

sameold

pow wow wrote: »

The Bot is a bit marmite though - either love it or hate it, and possibly a bit out of your way if you're staying in town.

It's very popular, especially when there'e a good match on the tele, so it can get very packed.

Riverfarset

You could try Drumbo dog racing track on the outskirts of south belfast.

http://www.drumbopark.com/entertainment.php

Would be good craic for a crowd of fellas. The restaurant overlooking the track is supposed to be nice and you can remain at your table all night and gamble away. It finishes at about eleven so you could head out somewhere after e.g Bot would be ten minutes taxi journey back into belfast centre.

http://www.battlefieldsportsni.com/
In Dundonald which again wouldnt be too far from city centre. Near to it would also be the crazy golf course (outdoors/indoors) and also dundonald icebowl (bowling)

http://www.piratesadventuregolf.com/home.php

Dundonald would be loyalist but i dont imagine you would be running around the surrounding estates singing sean south on a saturday afternoonso you would be perfectly safe.

The cathdedral quarter has a few great bars/pubs as previously mentioned (john hewitt and duke of york personal favourites) white tavern good as well. Ollies is a good club but quite expensive (by belfast standards anyway) and as mentioned rain is just round the corner from cathedral quarter and is open until 3.00.

Also you might want to try 'Belfast Exposure' which can be open until 4/5 in morning. Its an illegal spot so isnt always open but any taxi driver should know where it is. Its not dodgy by the way- usually full of spanish/french people.

rebelccfc

Thompsons garage is usually open late.

I was in club Mono on saturday and was a good spot if into house music.

Yellow/tyme was open until 6am also. Got told the next day it was a gay bar but we didn't see anythin in there.

I'm from cork and didn't have any bother so you should be fine.