Niamh’s Travel Blog

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to my first in a series of travel blogs about the adventures I have gone on, and places you can travel to as well from Belfast Grand Central Station

The other day from Stand 15 in the brand-new Belfast Grand Central Station, I jumped onto the bus – Golliner 261 - and headed straight to Dungannon which is somewhere I’d never gotten the bus to! (Also, sidenote… I don’t know if it’s just me but my geography in NI is so bad… does it confuse anyone else that you can get head two different directions on the motorway away from Belfast and still end up in the direction of Derry/Londonderry? I don’t get it…

ANYWAYYYY…

I was on my way to Dungannon - to visit a group of writers as part of an amazing project from Choice Housing called People Place Space. 

I arrived at Dungannon Bus Station which sits at the bottom of one of the most historic (and steep) hills on the island: the Hill of the O’Neill! 

Walking up the hill there so many cool shops to browse in and I would seriously recommend the Food Doc Café, right in the heart of Market Square. At the top of the hill is Ranfurly House which has a Flight of the Earls & The Plantation of Ulster exhibition. 

Oh, and this cannot be missed! Look Up. As this gorgeous building has a majestic Celtic bronze torc sculpture outside. After exploring the museum, I walked out the back, and the view is unbelievable; as you stand where Irish Chieftains once stood, at the O’Neill dynasty stronghold, you can see seven of the nine counties in a panoramic view as you weave through ruins.  I could see from the Sperrins, to the Mournes and even Cave Hill, this was breathtaking. 

As it started to rain, I headed back down the hill, thinking of the stories the writers told me: their haunted nooks and crannies of Dungannon main street, the dance halls what once had the town beating with life, the druids, the storytellers, and how these writers are proud to call Dungannon home.

I got back on the bus and sat at the front, when a fellow passenger, Jim from County Tryone, struck up a conversation with me. As we made our way out of Dungannon back to Belfast Grand Central Station, he pointed out each important building and landmark we passed, naming the schools, churches, and chapels while sharing stories of the area. I was mesmerised. 

Soon, we were passing garages as these buildings faded into the background, and we were straight back onto the motorway to Belfast.

I'll be back in the coming weeks with another adventure about the places you can go to and from Belfast Grand Central Station.

Thanks,
Niamh